Notes after a second Signing Day
Eastern Michigan basically has two signing classes in one.
A second signing class later, Eastern Michigan hit the ‘refresh’ button as it welcomed so many newcomers. It was already the largest signing class size in school history in December when 30 players were added during the initial signing period. Now, with 14 more players signed at the start of the “normal” signing period, there are enough incomers to think that EMU packaged two signing classes in one.
One class of high schoolers (26 players, five as walk-on), and another class of transfers (18, four via junior college).
The NCAA has gradually (then more suddenly) tossed its age-old rules of limited FBS programs to just 25 players per recruiting class. Now, the rules say you can add as many players as you want to your signing class just as long as you don’t go over your team total of 85 scholarships.
The ability to add more players from different levels of the game into EMU’s system gave this program a chance to truly flush out the 2023 season with more than just a change in calendars. Every position is accounted for for both short and long-term prospects.
Below is an updated look at EMU’s incoming signing class, along with some notes to follow.
Class of 2024: EMU Offense
Incoming freshmen
RB, J.T. Bronaugh — Foundation Academy HS / Winter Garden, Fla.
OL, Maddox Gonzalez — Standish Sterling Central HS / Standish, Mich.
OL, Everett Small — Clarkston Football North / Mississauga, Ontario (Canada)
Incoming transfers
QB, Cole Snyder — Buffalo, Rutgers / Southwestern HS / Lakewood, N.Y.
QB, Drew Viotto Minnesota / Walled Lake Western HS / Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (Canada)
RB Delbert Mimms III — NC State / Ben Davis HS / Indianapolis, Ind.
WR, Porter Rooks — NC State / Myers Park HS / Charlotte, N. C.
WR, Oran Singleton — Hutchinson C.C.. Akron / Clewiston HS / Clewiston, Fla.
WR, Tyler Walton — Ohio / Christian Brothers HS / St. Louis, Mo.
TE, Jonathan Odom — Florida / Jesuit HS / Tampa, Fla.
OL, Blake Bustard —Wayne State / Muskegon HS / Muskegon, Mich.
OL, Dodji Dahoue — Santa Rosa Junior College / Lycee Liberte de Bamako / Bamako (Mali)
OL, Jack Storey — Hope College / Brighton HS / Brighton, Mich.
Class of 2024: EMU Defense
Incoming freshmen
DT, Reggie Gardner Jr. — Southfield A&T HS / Southfield, Mich. (as PWO)
OLB, Marvell Eggleston Jr. — Martin Luther King HS / Detroit, Mich.
LB, Colin Main — Frankenmuth HS / Frankenmuth, Mich. (as PWO)
CB, Jaylyn Monds — Fort Pierce Westwood HS / Fort Pierce, Fla.
CB, Jordan Toney — Hapeville Charter Academy / Hapeville, Ga.
Incoming transfers
DE, Jefferson Adam — Iowa State, Hocking College / Washtenaw International HS / Ypsilanti, Mich.
DE, James Djonkam — Arizona State, Independence C.C. / West Springfield HS / Springfield, Va.
DT, Dylan Shelton — University of Indianapolis / Lincoln Way East HS / Frankfort, Ill.
LB, J.T. Killen — Coastal Carolina / Charlotte Christian HS / Lake Wylie, S.C.
LB, Luke Murphy — Kent State / Massillon Washington HS / Massillon, Ohio
LB, Zion Fonua — Tyler Junior College / American Fork HS (Utah), Trinity HS (Texas) / Euless, Texas
S, Bryce Llewellyn — Charleston Southern / Indianapolis Catholic Central / Indianapolis, Ind.
CB, Damarian McNulty — Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. / Niceville HS / Brookhaven, Miss.
For the first time, another top-5 signing class
According to 247sports’recruiting ranking scores, EMU signed the fifth-highest ranked class with 20 3-star recruits on the ledger.
After last year’s #2 ranked finish within the conference, this class makes it the second year in a row where EMU has a top-5 recruiting class in the MAC. That may not seem too huge, but that’s actually a first for this program.
EMU signing classes, MAC rankings (by 247sports)
2024: #5
2023: #2
2022: #11
2021: #7
2020: #6
2019: #11
2018: #6
2017: #10
2016: #10
2015: #10
2014: #11
2013: #8
2012: #10
2011: #10
MAC’s top-rated transfer class
Size matters here. With 14 transfer portal additions, EMU’s got the largest class in the MAC and, according to 247sports’ composite rankings, the league’s most impressive group too.
According to 247sports’ math, EMU has the MAC’s lead with 16.54 total recruiting points for its 14 transfers, and is tied with Toledo for the conference’s best player average too (85.0). The next-highest ranked recruiting classes in the MAC belong to Akron, Ohio, Kent State, and Ball State.
7 Graduate transfers
EMU wants to improve in the long-term, but it helps to bring in some immediate talents to flip, and improve on, last year’s 6-7 finish. Of the 14 additions through the transfer portal, half of them are on their final years of college football — two of them are coming from other MAC schools.
EMU’s graduate transfers:
QB Cole Snyder (Buffalo)
RB Delbert Mimms III (NC State)
WR Porter Rooks (NC State)
WR Tyler Walton (Ohio)
TE Jonathon Odom (Florida)
DT Dylan Shelton (Indianapolis, D2)
LB J.T. Killen (Coastal Carolina)
The offense (/waves hands) needs a lot of help and this seems like a promising group on paper. EMU was ninth in the MAC last season with just 19.5 points per game scored, and there are a lot of open spots on this side of the ball for newcomers to improve on what last year’s squad couldn’t pull off.
One position EMU didn’t add any graduate transfers to, interestingly, is offensive line. Last year’s unit saw the impact of losing Marcellus Johnson to the SEC, and now it’s losing another starter to Southern Miss this year. Only two starting offensive linemen returned from the 2022 team to the 2023 squad and both of them are now gone. This year, EMU’s O-line will have just one full-year returning starter back: LT Mickey Rewolinski.
EMU signed four high schoolers out of this position, a junior college prospect that’s still very new to the sport, and two non-D1 transfers to the room. EMU hasn’t seen a lot of transfers out in general, but the overall retention rate in this position group is really high. For as many open spots as this year’s offensive line will have to help block for so many graduate transfers at the skilled spots, EMU seems to be really happy with what’s been stewing in its O-line room.
Blueprinting the QB Room
Whatever happened last year isn’t important anymore. The vision for 2024 and beyond, now, feels more inspired than what it looked like heading into 2023.
After former starting QB Austin Smith transferred out, EMU made big, quick plans to give itself a chance to compete in the near and distant-futures. Three QBs were added: Cole Snyder, a graduate transfer from Buffalo, Drew Viotto, a one-time EMU commit who ended up signing his freshman season in Minnesota, and Jace Stuckey, a small-town Indiana high school signee that already got to practice with the team during bowl week.
A couple of scholarship QBs still remain on the roster — Ike Udengwu and Cam McCoy — but where will they fit in all of this.
I assume that Snyder will take the reigns of this offense from the jump while everybody else keeps developing behind him. But after that it’s really anybody’s guess. I guess that’s what the spring is for.
Hopefully the combo of a strong transfer class and last year’s strong freshman class will produce more quality players for this year.
I got to believe this is the most impactful class ever