[2024] MAC Crooting Thoughts, Week 6

[Jieret]

Notes:

• Top-300 recruits will have their overall rank noted.
• New commits since the last article are italicized.
• Previous article:  Week 4

Akron Zips (AI)

Class Stats:
Ranking: #90 Overall (Not Ranked previously), 7th MAC
Signees: 3

Scores:
Composite: 0.61
ESPN: 231    Rivals: 0    24/7: 55.82

Current Class:
3* DT Jeffrey Riley [Nose Tackle] C/C+
3* QB Chad Judd [Pocket] C/A
3* WR Perry Levy [Possession] C/A-

Not a bad start to an AI class, if a little late to get on the board.  Riley will immediately push for a spot on the two-deeps, while the coaching staff can take their time with Judd and Levy.  They both show great potential if they can get acclimated to the college game and aren’t forced to start right away.

Looking ahead: Despite signing a local blue chip kicker last year, the Zips are working to bring in some competition.  Indiana 3* placekicker James Wike is ready to make the short trip from Columbus, Indiana to Akron.

 

Ball State Cardinals ( @npklemm)

Class Stats:
Ranking: #10 Overall (-2 from previous article), 2nd MAC
Signees: 6

Scores:
Composite: 2.03
ESPN: 536    Rivals: 163.4    24/7: 137.82

Current Class:
#75 4* CB Chi Son [Man Coverage] B/B-
#138 4* SS Gregory Saul [Zone Coverage] B/C+
#255 4* ATH Stanley Dirig [Weakside] C/B-
4* DE Carl Victor [Run Stopper] C/C+
#23 5* DE Matthew Babich [Balanced] B/C+
#83 CB Thomas Mauro [Man Coverage] B/C

At Ball So Hard University they comin’ to lock you down, yo.  MORE defensive players sign with the Cardinals.  As expected, stud DE Matthew Babich stays home, but the Cardinals continue their hot streak by winning an underdog flip to snatch Leesburg cornerback Thomas Mauro away from UVA.  With all six signees on the defensive side of the ball, it’s fair to say that offenses will NOT be looking forward to making the trek to Muncie over the next few seasons.

Looking Forward: Hey, an offensive player!  Illinois center Jorge Lee is expected to put pen to paper any day now, but it’s a three-way dance between Ball State, Northern Illinois, and Boston College.  The crystal balls give the slight edge to the Huskies, but only just.  Coach Klemm is on such a heater right now, he has to feel good about his chances, damn what the numbers say. 

 

Bowling Green Falcons ( @PoopyRhinoPickle)

Class Stats:
Ranking: #3 (+2), 1st MAC
Signees: 7

Scores:
Composite: 2.34
ESPN: 639    Rivals: 172.6    24/7: 163.66

Current Class:
#5 5* CB Nat Turner [Ball Hawk] B/B-
#52 5* RB Dale Lamb [Speed] B/C
4* QB Sergio Cano [Pocket] C/A-
4* OLB Charles Tinner [Speed] C/A
#65 OT John Willhite [Run Blocking] B/C+
#233 4* WR Harold Sanford [Speed] B/C+
4* DT William White [Pass Rusher] C/B

 

Willhite is a rarity for Bowling Green; a recruit that has a chance to see immediate play in the rotation!  It doesn’t mean he’s starting or close to it - this IS BGSU we’re talking about.  But it is possible Willhite shows enough in spring camp to earn a backup tackle spot.

Sanford and White are the usual, quality players that will have to wait their turn.  White is awfully interesting to us, as his penetrating, disruptive style is very different from starter Jasper Chunk’s ability to anchor and muddy up the line.  Can the coaching staff find a scheme that fits them both?

Looking Forward: Bowling Green lost out on the class's top SS (Lawrence Mcguire) to Georgia, but they stay undeterred.  The Falcons offered Louisiana guard David Harris on the same southeastern trip where they originally visited Mcguire, Willhite, and White, and he seems quite receptive to their pitch.  It wouldn’t surprise us if he signed inside of three weeks.

 

Buffalo Bulls ( @anonemuss)

Class Stats:
Ranking: #154 (NR), 10th MAC
Signees: 1

Scores:
Composite: 0.18
ESPN: 78    Rivals: 0    24/7: 14.08

Current Class:
3* DT Jose Campos [Pass Rusher] Ocala, FL C/B

 

No disrespect to Campos who will provide some needed youth in the DT room, but the biggest recruiting win for the Bulls is the recent hire of anonemuss.  A head coach to dissect, analyze, and remediate the roster was sorely needed, and now the staff has direction in their recruiting work.

Looking Forward: Many of the decisions the new Bulls’ head man has to make involve honoring the offers the previous staff had in place.  But one of the battles further along involves local OLB Mariano Ramirez.  (Yes, he was named for the Yankees’ Mariano Rivera).  Buffalo is in a tough fight with Georgia State, but we get the sense that Ramirez would sign for the MAC team if Buffalo put up a strong fight for him.

 

Central Michigan Chippewas (AI)

Class Stats:
Ranking: 16 (+29), 4th MAC
Signees: 6

Scores:
Composite: 1.87
ESPN: 521    Rivals: 141.3    24/7: 126.12

Current Class:
#85 4* OT Nicholas Hancock [Run Blocking] B/C
#102 4* OT Charles McGee [Pass Blocking] B/D+
#108 4* OG Juan Villanueva [Pass Blocking] B/D
#191 4* DE George Kyles [Run Stopper] B/D+
4* RB Andrew Mitchell [Power] C/C
4* WR Larry Feltmann [Red Zone Threat] C/B-

 

So this is what a competent AI recruiter can do at Central Michigan?  Asking WMU coach Jieret for his thoughts:

 

Spoiler

This class is going a long way towards not just lessening the talent cliff CMU was likely to fall off of after the season, but filling in the potholes immediately.*  All four of their line recruits are high-floor players and projected to start for the Chips in 2025. 

*(Yes we mix metaphors badly at the MAC Network. Sorry not sorry)

Looking Forward: Central reaches out to the Pacific Northwest, offering 3* Seattle wideout Fred Blackwood.

 

Eastern Michigan Eagles (AI)

Class Stats:
Ranking: 118 (NR), 9th MAC
Signees: 2

Scores:
Composite: 0.39
ESPN: 157    Rivals: 0    24/7: 33.62

Current Class:
3* RB Ian Stapleton [Speed] C/B
3* WR Willis Porcelli [Red Zone Threat] C/A-

 

Eastern Michigan has perhaps the worst roster in the conference, so pulling in some talent early-ish in the cycle is a great first step.  On top of that, Stapleton and Porcelli are great fits for the Eagles’ Flexbone scheme.  Neither one should start in 2025, but both show enough promise that they could conceivably perform at an All-Conference level in a few years if coached up properly.

Looking Forward: Just like their Central neighbors, Eastern goes to the Seattle metro area for a player.  EMU is battling South Dakota State for 3* tackle Tracey Carter, and we get the feeling this one is a battle to watch for a few weeks.

 

Kent State Golden Flashes (AI)

Class Stats:
Ranking: 101 (NR), 8th MAC
Signees: 3

Scores:
Composite: 0.57
ESPN: 230    Rivals: 0    24/7: 49.08

Current Class:
3* FS Alfred Gray [Ball Hawk] C/D+
3* DT Zhen Vang [Nose Tackle] C/C
3* FB John Peterson [Balanced] C/C+

 

We take back what we said above; Kent State has the worst roster in the conference.  Stapleton and Porcelli are arguably higher-ranked than any of the three Golden Flash commits.  Yet Gray, Vang, and Peterson all have very good chances to immediately make the two-deeps while Eastern’s commits should be redshirting. This is one team that can sell playing time to any and all transfer portal players in the offseason.

Looking Forward: Mississippi 3* OLB Walter Mccain is all but certain to commit to Kent State in the next week or two.  Mccain would be the Golden Flashes’ highest-rated underclassman OLB when he does, by a long shot.

 

Northern Illinois Huskies ( @Ape)

Class Stats:
Ranking: 39 (+10), 6th MAC
Signees: 4

Scores:
Composite: 1.24
ESPN: 350    Rivals: 81.1    24/7: 90.38

Current Class:
#183 4* CB Shane Hadnot [Man Coverage] B/B
#110 4* OT Grant Dotter [Run Blocking] B/D+
#148 4* CB Mark Amador [Man Coverage] B/C+
#198 4* FS Adam Lively [Ball Hawk] B/B

 

Talk about a good news/bad news period.  Northern Illinois continue to accelerate their retooling by signing three more top-200 recruits.  All four of the new Huskies can start immediately and probably should - especially since it seems NIU is changing their secondary scheme for next season.  The bad news?  In what was a gut punch to coach Ape and a black eye to the professional prognosticators, #4 QB Douglas Burns decided at the last moment to stay in Florida and be a hometown hero for the Bulls of South Florida.

To read more about Amador and Lively from the local viewpoint, see here: https://www.simfba.com/topic/7121-2024-huskies-insider-niu-falters-on-the-road-no-fly-zone-in-the-making-coach-ape-lands-2-more-commitments/

Looking Forward: Just down the road from DeKalb, 4* Lansing (IL) receiver Rich Dust grew up a Huskie fan and is ready to make his childhood dream a reality within the next week or so.

 

 

Ohio Bobcats ( @Traith Kreios)

Class Stats:
Ranking: 29 (+12), 5th MAC
Signees: 5

Scores:
Composite: 1.4
ESPN: 429    Rivals: 72.8    24/7: 106.22

Current Class:
#61 4* ATH Keith Payne [Slotback] B/B-
#119 4* QB Jeffrey Winkler [Pocket] B/C+
4* SS Luis Torres [Run Stopper] C/B
4* C Brandon Rodriguez [Balanced] C/C+
3* CB William Davidson [Ball Hawk] C/B

More bad news/good news for the Bobcats over these last two weeks.  First the bad: WR Joseph Richardson somehow got lost on his drive to Oxford, found himself at Purdue University, and decided he traveled far enough and stayed there.  Add that to losing DT John Thornton to NC State, and last week was pretty miserable.  Then this week, the good.  Ohio signs badly needed players, highlighted by Elite 11 Finalist Jeffrey Winkler, who stayed with Ohio despite a last-minute charge from Georgia Southern.  Florida safety Luis Torres also improved the Bobcats’ battle record, committing to Ohio over James Madison.  But the immediate prize is Rodriguez, who we predict will be the starter at center next year.

Looking Forward: A local battle with Wisconsin for Struthers RB Matthew Jones.  Most analysts expect the Bobcats to sign the blue-chipper, but Jones doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to make up his mind.

 

Western Michigan Broncos (Jieret)

Class Stats:
Ranking: 14 (+21), 3rd MAC
Signees: 7

Scores:
Composite: 2.03
ESPN: 621    Rivals: 96    24/7: 158.32

Current Class:
#39 5* WR Ismael Leon [Red Zone Threat] B/C
#162 4* CB Ed Agosta [Zone Coverage] B/B-
#204 4* QB Solomon Walker [Balanced] B/B
4* FS Warren Mohsin [Man Coverage] C/B+
4* DE Kevin Perkins [Run Stopper] C/C+
4* DT Mikel Smith [Nose Tackle] C/B
4* OG Aldo Alvarado [Pass Blocking] C/B-

 

It’s unlikely the Broncos will land another top-10 class, not with class size limitations and a lot less five-star players in the fold.  But the coaching staff will happily take classes like this every year, with quality to go with the quantity.  Agosta, Perkins, and Smith provide needed depth at their positions, while Walker and Mohsin are long-term plans for when Willie Robinson and Brandon Eckerman graduate.

Looking Forward: The xth time is the charm, right?  Once more unto the battle with Tennessee go WMU, making a strong push for Louisiana OT Kevin Lowe.  The Broncos are the favorite currently, but we’ve heard that song before and they’ve yet to win a big battle against the Vols - even if sometimes Tennessee don’t win either (*coughRobertDehncough).

Still hanging those crooting zeroes: Miami(OH) Redhawks, Toledo Rockets.

Final thoughts for the week: If you're a fan of the MAC in general, seeing six conference teams in the top-40 of recruiting classes is an awesome thing to see.  If you're a fan of a specific team, you probably have the same mindset as we imagine Ball State coach klemm has: "F*** them kids that ain't mine."  The competition bar keeps getting raised in the MAC, folks.

 

Now that there are a lot less DIV/0 errors, it's CHART TIME!

*Position-neutral does not adjust for player position, i.e. a Kicker is considered as valuable as a QB.
**Readiness Rating is (OVR + (POT/2)+(# of Stars/2)/Class Size. Higher rating indicates readiness of overall class to start sooner. It does NOT necessarily indicate long-term success.
***Future Rating is ((OVR/2)+POT+(# of Stars/2))/Class Size. Higher rating indicates a higher likelihood of better class improvement from their "starting" OVR as recruits.
 

Edited May 30 by Jieret

[tsweezy]

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