EMU Football Depth Chart: Week 1
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EMU Football Depth Chart: Week 1
Eastern Michigan's published depth chart ahead of the team's season opener vs. Howard.
Football season is officially back in action, and Eastern Michigan has big plans for itself in 2023. While a 9-4 record is a historic mark for this team to come back from, the task of winning its first Mid-American Conference championship game is still the #1 goal for the year.
Friday’s game against Howard won’t affect EMU in the MAC standings, but it will give this team and coaching staff a chance to be primed before the MAC schedule.
As EMU traditionally does, its depth chart through fall camp was released during Monday’s conference. Below is EMU’s depth chart ahead of Howard Week, along with some of my notes.
Previous depth charts: Spring/Summer
OFFENSE
QUARTERBACK
#4 Austin Smith
#8 Cam’Ron McCoy / #3 Ike Udengwu III
No real surprise here. I’m curious to see how productive the backup quarterbacks can be, but I’d much rather see Smith out there, healthy, as much as possible this season. For Howard week, go ahead and switch things up.
RUNNING BACK
#22 Samson Evans / #28 Jaylon Jackson
Evans and Jackson both return after having All-MAC level seasons last year. Evans was a Second Team selection for being one of four MAC rushers to reach 1,000 yards for the season, and finished with the league’s most rushing TDs (15). Jackson was the MAC’s top kick returner last year, maybe the best this league has seen since Dri Archer.
The depth chart lists Evans and Jackson as both #1’s, but who’s the first RB not named “Samson” or “Jaylon” EMU will [generally] want to call on this year?
Elijah Jackson-Anderson? Deion Brown? What about Weber State transfer Dontae McMillan?
I’ve said this before: This is probably the most confident I’ve felt in the running back room during Chris Creighton’s tenure as head coach.
X RECEIVER
#17 JB Mitchell III
#7 Von Swinton
Z RECEIVER
#24 Tanner Knue
#7 Von Swinton
H RECEIVER
#1 Hamze El-Zayat OR #5 TE Max Reese
The only returning starting receiver from last year’s pack is Tanner Knue with a career 25 games played, 20 started. Knue was a former walk-on who didn’t start playing football until late into high school with his friend Preston Hutchinson, former starting QB for EMU in 2020. For years it was him along with Dylan Drummond and Hassan Beydoun, but now it’s time for some new faces to receive some passes this season.
J.B. Mitchell was a 2021 signee who has appeared in five games, but no serious playing time to this point. Hamze El-Zayat, who played four years at Fordham before he came to EMU last year, will see the field this year after being injured in 2022. Von Swinton, a transfer from Indiana, is listed twice on here because he just might be that nice.
Y RECEIVER, TIGHT END
#85 Andreas Paaske
#83 Jere Getzinger
I don’t think any two tight ends on this EMU team is the same, and that means I think whoever is on the field out of this position should tell you a lot about what kind of play EMU is about to run.
Max Reese (H) and Andreas Paaske (Y) are definitely more off the pass catchers while Jere Getzinger (Y2) will probably be looked at for more help in the blocking game.
Blake Daniels, a transfer from D2-level Davenport, is somebody I’m keeping my eye out for.
LEFT TACKLE
#63 Mickey Rewolinski
#76 Chris Mayo
After Marcellus Johnson transferred to Missouri, the competition for the starting job ultimately came between two unlikely characters: one of the best recruits EMU has ever rostered (by 247sports’ records), or a fourth-year walk-on who was recently gifted Brian Dooley’s scholarship.
Through camp, the two names at LT are now Mickey Rewolinski, and Chris Mayo. Conti has slid over to guard (LG1), per the depth chart.
Rewolinski was the first name off the bench when RG Alex Howie went down with injury last year. For his career, Rewolinski has played in 12 games, started four.
LEFT GUARD
#54 Zack Conti
#50 Owen Snively
Snively is a first-year player with EMU after he transferred from Colorado State. This position was left open after Sidy Sow was drafted in the fourth round by the New England Patriots.
CENTER
#70 Dimitri Douglas / #67 Broderick Roman
The starting center job is down to these guys. Dimitri Douglas, from Saline, transferred from Michigan State after the 2019 season and Brock Roman, a 2019 signee, hasn’t seen much playing time for EMU due to injury. This spot was left open after Richard Bates Jr.’s graduation.
RIGHT GUARD
#68 Alex Howie
#75 Carson Lee
Alex Howie missed some time to injury last year but he should be back this season to help lead the right side of the O-line (21 games played, 15 starts). Carson Lee, who transferred from Colorado last year, is now Howie’s backup instead of being in the mix for the starting center position. Notably, he bumped Dan Sunderman, who came to EMU from Central Missouri (D2), from the listed 2-deep.
RIGHT TACKLE
#77 Brian Dooley
#73 Joshua Anderson
With 49 games played and 47 started, Brian Dooley is on track to break Eastern’s all-time games played and started records, currently held by Sow.
DEFENSE
LEO
#11 Mikah Coleman
#49 Jaden Gaines
DEFENSIVE END
#45 Joey Zelinsky
#97 Mikey Haney
Carter Evans, the preseason #1 End, will miss the season with a torn ACL and meniscus. That’s a major blow to the defense before the season even begins.
On a positive note, Mikey Haney, who missed all of 2022, is back on the 2-deep as the backup End to Joey Zelinsky. Jaden Gaines (and Sterling Miles, via summer 2-deep) should see some meaningful snaps vs. Howard to audition for a bigger role this season.
NOSE TACKLE
#94 Peyton Price
#99 Melvin Swindle II
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
#92 Alex Merritt
#98 Tim Grant-Randall
Welcome back from injury Alex Merritt. The interior defender missed most of last season, but he’ll be a rock if he can stay healthy this year (24 games played, 17 starts).
Peyton Price, I think, is due for an All-MAC type season and I’ve always been a fan of Swindle’s potential behind him. If the interior defensive group is a legitimate strength for EMU this year, then this defense will be able to finish with some comfortable scores in 2022.
MIKE, LINEBACKER
#6 Chase Kline
#44 Luke Cameron
WILL, LINEBACKER
#19 Joe Sparacio
#36 Zach Mowchan
The lead roles for the two linebacking spots will remain unchanged: Chase Kline as the Mike, and Joe Sparacio as the Will. Unlike last year where this position had two-year Tariq Speights as a reserve to lean on, the backups this year are seeing added responsibilities to their plates this year. Still, while neither Cameron nor Mowchan have recorded a start yet, there are 45 total games played between the two of them.
STAR
#1 Joshua Scott
#5 Korey Hernandez
FREE
#16 Cameron Smith
#27 David Carter Jr.
BANDIT
#3 Quentavius Scandrett
#8 T.J. Peavy
CORNERBACK
#29 Kempton Shine
#17 Bennett Walker
CORNERBACK
#26 Tristen Hines
#4 Daiquan White
The defensive positioning and names have changed as the defense has gone from Neal Neathery to Ben Needham as coordinator. To the best of my understanding, here’s how my brain is defining the positions above. There are two cornerbacks, one in the boundary, one in the field. The Star plays like a corner to the strong side, usually to the #2/slot receiver. The Bandit is a split-field safety that plays on the same side as the Will and Boundary-side corner. The Free safety, conversely, is a split-field safety on the same coverage side as the Star and Field corner.
In the summer-time depth chart, there was another two-deep mentioned that isn’t in the Howard Week notes: the Alpha. The Alpha is a somebody who’s a better linebacker than safety, so maybe expect to see Kendrick Nowling and/or Elijah Williams if Needham wants to apply some pressure.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PUNTER
#30 Mitchell Tomasek
#33 Ryan Kingston
Tomasek returns as the MAC’s top punter from 2022 in a year when EMU had to find a replacement for Jake Julien, now punting in the CFL. Tomasek punted 49 times last year for 2,159 yards (44.1 average).
PLACEKICKER
#35 Jesus Gomez
#37 Kenyon Bowyer
Gomez, replacing the transferred Chad Ryland last season, was a Third Team All-MAC kicker as he went 14/17 on field goals (82.4%) with a long of 53 (tied EMU record), and was perfect on all 47 PAT kicks. Kenyon Bowyer joined the team this summer as a graduate transfer from Marshall.
LONG SNAPPER
#46 Steve Bird
#51 Mitchell Dietzel
KICKOFFS
#35 Jesus Gomez
#37 Kenyon Bowyer or #33 Ryan Kingston
KICK RETURN
#28 Jaylon Jackson
#23 Elijah Jackson-Anderson
PUNT RETURN
#24 Tanner Knue
#28 Jaylon Jackson
#23 Elijah Jackson-Anderson
HOLDER
#30 Mitchel Tomasek
#33 Ryan Kingston
EMU Football Depth Chart: Week 1
I've got some Roster Predictions based off this:
Knue gets the 2
Hamze El-Zayet will be a solid Hassan Beydoun replacement
Conti and Rewolinski will still be the left side at the end of the year (maybe Mayo peaked too early?)
Paaske will turn some heads as a big target in the middle of the field (and we'll have to deal with announcers yammering about how he's from Denmark)
The defense is going to be better against the run than last year continuing their improvement that started last year
Some opponent will try to fight Price
Kline, Scandrett, Shine, Scott, Price, Dooley, Knue, Evans, Jaylon (as a return man), Tomasek, and Gomez will be in the All MAC conversation
Austin Smith will be a top half of the MAC QB and lock up the starting job for 23 and 24 (knock on wood he's still here).
If half these are right I'll be happy.
Do you think there will be someone under the radar who may surprise some people?