EMU Football Depth Chart and Snap Counts: UMass Week (2024)
EMU Football Depth Chart and Snap Counts: UMass Week (2024)
Eastern Michigan names Cole Snyder its starting quarterback for 2024.
And finally, happy game week to those who recognize.
First up on the schedule: a trip to UMass.
While this game finishes off a non-conference series between Eastern Michigan and the Minutemen, this will certainly be treated as a conference game in-spirit. One, because this used to actually be a in-conference matchup. And two, beginning next season, this will be a MAC game once again as UMass is set to become the league’s 13th full-member school.
EMU has its updated depth chart and two-deep published in its weekly game notes. I’ll have the published updates listed below, with my notes. Like last year, I’ll keep track of the game-by-game snap counts for each player (via Pro Football Focus). Until new snap counts can be counted, I’ll leave you with last year’s season totals for both offense and defense.
Previous depth charts: Spring/Summer
OFFENSE
One last time: Above is the 2023 season total + weekly snap counts for each offensive EMU player, per Pro Football Focus. Players who’ve exited via graduation, transfer, etc., are crossed out. The only includes players that saw the field.
QUARTERBACK
#15 Cole Snyder (34 career starts at Buffalo)
#10 Jeremiah Salem (fourth year, walk-on turned scholarship)
Cole Snyder, who started the last two seasons for Buffalo after spending two years at Rutgers, will finish his college career in Ypsilanti. When asked who the starting QB would be in Monday’s press conference, Creighton named the Buffalo transfer as his team’s offense’s leader.
Former walk-on-turned-scholarship-QB Jeremiah Salem opens as Snyder’s backup.
RUNNING BACK
#19 Dontae McMillan (6 career starts at Weber State)
#34 Delbert Mimms III (0 career starts at NC State)
Second-year transfer Dontae McMillan and graduate transfer Delbert Mimms III lead the running backs room. The unlisted but understood third running back is Flint native Elijah Jackson-Anderson.
X RECEIVER
#8 Markus Allen (0 starts at Wisconsin)
#7 Jamarien Wheeler (second-year JUCO)
Z RECEIVER
#3 Terry Lockett Jr. (1 career start at EMU)
#6 Zyell Griffin (7 starts at UNLV)
H RECEIVER
#2 Oran Singleton (1 career start at Akron, incoming JUCO)
#5 TE Max Reese (1 career start at EMU)
Incoming transfer Markus Allen from Wisconsin & Butler C.C, is a former 4-star recruit in high school, who is scheduled to start at the X with Terry Lockett, a second-year transfer from Michigan State, at the Z. Jamarien Wheeler, a second-year JUCO transfer is slated as Allen’s backup, and UNLV grad transfer Zyell Griffin is Lockett’s immediate backup.
Oran Singleton, who received the #2 jersey honor last week, is an Akron-to-JUCO bounceback and listed as EMU’s starting slot receiver with Makhail Wood, from the 2023 signing class, right behind him. The “backup” H-receiver is “tight end” Max Reese.
EMU’s lone starting receiver, J.B. Mitchell III, who made 11 starts last year, returns to after making 35 grabs for 398 yards and 1 score last year, but was not listed on the season-opening 2-deep. Mitchell was the team’s #1 X receiver in the summertime 2-deep. NC State transfer Porter Rooks was also on the pre-camp 2-deep (Z-WR #2), but not on Monday’s update.
Y RECEIVER, TIGHT END
#83 Jere Getzinger (14 career starts at EMU)
#88 Blake Daniels (4 career starts at EMU)
Jere Getzinger is tied for the offense’s lead in career EMU starts made: 14. Getzinger’s been a block-first tight end who ended up catching a few passes last year, most notably the game-winning score against Akron in overtime. Blake Daniels, at 6-foot-7, is the team’s tallest offensive weapon, and he’ll be a more noticeable option on the team with an improved passing attack this year.
LEFT TACKLE
#76 Chris Mayo (4 career starts at EMU)/or/ #72 Mack Indestad (third-year signee)
LEFT GUARD
#63 Mickey Rewolinski (14 career starts at EMU)
#66 Daniel Warnsman (fourth-year signee)
CENTER
#67 Broderick Roman (2 career starts at EMU)
#75 Carson Lee (6 career starts at EMU)
RIGHT GUARD
#73 Joshua Anderson (third-year signee)
#66 Daniel Warnsman (fourth-year signee)
RIGHT TACKLE
#54 Blake Bustard (19 starts at Wayne State)
#73 Joshua Anderson (third-year signee)
The offensive line has its recognizable faces, but not a lot of experience on the books. Four of the five starting five from last year’s season opener are gone: three to graduation and one to transfer. LG Mickey Rewolinski was the team’s left tackle last year, but there aren’t a lot of guys who started as much as him last year coming back. Even then, Rewolinski missed three games in the middle of 2023. Chris Mayo only had three starts, Broderick Roman only had two, and Carson Lee was the third starting center but at least he was able to finish the season.
Blake Bustard (Wayne State transfer) cracks the season-opening 2-deep as the starting right tackle. Mack Indestead (third year) is in contention to win the starting left tackle job over Mayo — and he’d be the youngest starter on this O-line.
DEFENSE
Above is the 2023 season total + weekly snap counts for each defensive EMU player, per Pro Football Focus. Players exited via graduation, transfer, etc., are crossed out. This only includes players that saw the field.
LEO
#5 Justin Jefferson (10 career starts at EMU)
#97 Trey Laing (incoming transfer - Indiana)
DEFENSIVE END
#45 Joey Zelinsky (9 career starts at EMU)
#85 Jefferson Adam (incoming JUCO)
NOSE TACKLE
#9 Peyton Price (19 career starts at EMU)
#99 Melvin Swindle II (5 career starts at EMU)
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
#90 Malik Tullis (second-year signee)
#92 Dylan Shelton (incoming JUCO)
The defensive line is a good mix of returning players and new transfers. There are 38 combined career returning starts with Peyton Price (19), Justin Jefferson (10), and Joey Zelensky (9). Malik Tullis made nine appearances with his true freshman year, and it looks like he’ll be leaned on a little bit more to open up his sophomore year. Plus, Melvin Swindle in a fourth-year senior (4 career starts) who rotates in pretty heavily for this D-line.
MIKE
#55 James Djonkam (incoming transfer - Arizona State)
#10 Zion Fonua (incoming JUCO)
WILL
#21 J.T. Killen (26 career starts at Coastal Carolina)
#20 Luke Murphy (incoming transfer - Kent State)
EMU replaced its outgoing transfer linebackers with, well, transfer linebackers. James Djonkam (Arizona State) and Zion Fonua (JUCO) are listed to take over for Chase Kline at the Mike, while J.T. Killen (Coastal Carolina) and Luke Murphy (Kent State) replace Joe Sparacio at Will.
STAR
#1 Joshua Scott (11 career starts at EMU)
#4 Daiquan White
CORNERBACK
#4 Daiquan White (11 career starts at EMU)
#12 Jaheim Jenkins (second-year JUCO)
CORNERBACK
#7 Dramarian McNulty (incoming JUCO)
#15 Jordan Toney (first-year signee)
FREE
#3 Quentavius Scandrett (20 career starts at EMU)
#8 David Carter Jr. (2 career starts at EMU)
BANDIT
#6 Bryce Llewellyn (17 career starts at Charleston Southern)
#39 Barry Manning (third-year signee)
Cornerback Joshua Scott, who broke out in his first EMU season in 2022 missed basically all of last year, and his return to the field should help out the secondary a bunch. Daiquan White ended up breaking out his true freshman year and led EMU in pass breakups, and he’ll be able to play as a true corner while Scott can take back the Star role in his comeback year. The third listed starting corner, Dramarian McNulty joined EMU over the winter from his JUCO program and has two years to offer.
Quentavis Scandrett (Free safety) returns as the leading safety up top with a lot of experience in this defense, and Bryce Llewellyn (Bandit) comes in with a lot of experience from Charleston Southern right next to him.
Freshman Jordan Toney, though, is an impressive sighting on here. Not too surprising though, given EMU’s recent track record of getting young freshmen on the field at that position to play at a high level.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PUNTER
#30 Mitchell Tomasek
#33 Ryan Kingston
PLACEKICKER
#35 Jesus Gomez
#37 Kenyon Bowyer
LONG SNAPPER
#51 Mitchell Dietzel /or/ #42 Quinn Kelly
KICKOFFS
#37 Kenyon Bowyer
#33 Ryan Kingston
KICK RETURN
#12 Dontae McMillan
#23 Elijah Jackson-Anderson
PUNT RETURN
#24 Oran Singleton
#5 Max Reese
HOLDER
#30 Mitchell Tomasek
#33 Ryan Kingston
