Four Downs: New turf, new numbers
Also: Incoming graduate transfer WR Tyler Walton announced retirement from football.
First Down: Maxx Crosby and the new and improved gray turf
Legacy is an important topic to Maxx Crosby. Being an incredible football player is certainly a huge part of having his named talked about for a long, long time, but having the chance to cash out for the one and only MAC school to give him a scholarship offer in the first place is another great step for him, and his wife Rachel, too.
Now, a lead $1 million donation and a late-spring’s worth of construction later, Maxx Crosby Field has been laid, and the track around the field is finally out of here. To all of the EMU football fans that have watched seasons go by with that outdated red-orange trim around the field, they’ll know who to thank when they see an entire terrain of green and gray turf come September.
Or, if they were able to afford to go to Friday’s event, seeing Crosby in-person was probably a great convenient opportunity.
Chris Creighton’s strong-winded introduction reminds everybody just how bad things were for EMU through the 2014-2016 years, which was when Crosby committed to EMU. As he got to talking about the field itself, he talked about something Maxx wanted to omit from the first draft of the field: his first name.
Maxx and Rachel met at EMU, both as athletes — she played soccer. Obviously, things have worked out well for them in their young, married lives, have made a joined effort to make this donation happen in their mid-twenties, but reading the words ‘Crosby Field’ ought to be a reminder of how all of the success and adoration toward Maxx already has always been for their family business. In Maxx’s words, that all began when Rachel would prepare meals for him before classes, and she’s clearly doing a lot of work off-screen when Maxx’s football fame has continuously reached new heights with each passing season in the NFL. Without the work they both put into their relationship, who knows what Maxx’s football career would’ve looked like to this point?
It may be safe to say that it wouldn’t have looked anything like this.
Second Down: WR Tyler Walton announced football retirement
Sure this is late news, but still worth touching on. A huge bummer for the incoming graduate transfer Tyler Walton, whose time at EMU finished before it began.
Walton announced that his recurring ACL injuries would sideline him for the 2024 season, and effectively finished his football career. Walton was previously an Ohio Bobcat from 2019 through last season where ehe caught 100 career passes for 1,043 yards and scored 5 times. At the time, EMU definitely needed an Uber-reliable slot receiver after Hamze El-Zayat’s graduation, and Walton made the initial move to come to EMU in the winter, but did not make it through the spring clean.
EMU, which has the largest transfer class in the MAC, didn’t just have one slot receiver come their way through the portal, but Walton’s dismissal is one less option to go to this year.
Oran Singleton, an Akron bounceback (Hutchinson C.C.) was a transfer who also got to practice through the spring who was already likely to see some playing time for his speed.
Terry Lockett Jr., a former Michigan State transfer, could get some more action this year too.
It’s only Makhail Wood’s second year in the program, but he’s one I’ve had my eye on. He’s the shortest returning WR EMU has on scholarship, and is listed as the lightest player on the roster at 146 lbs. (and 5’10”). I’m not entirely sure if he’s going to end up being a slot receiver, but I don’t remember the last time I saw a receiver at the X or Z spots and they weren’t at least 170 pounds. Tanner Knue was listed at 178 lbs. last year as an outside receiver, but even he’s on the very small end of what most people would draw up for their outside receivers.
Third Down: Early games that’ll set the tone for the MAC
The 12-team playoff is finally happening this year, and there’s a built-in seat at the table for the best Group of 5 team out there. That’s a title that requires a ton of juice in September. For all the conversations and wonderings about what the best G5 team might be this December, I’m really only focused on what the MAC teams can do. If MAC teams don’t provide the goods in September, it’s going to be tough to try to defend them in December.
WESTERN MICHIGAN AT WISCONSIN (WEEK 1)
If WMU is going to play its way into being the people’s champion of G5 football, it’s going to have to start by being obviously way more exciting and dominant than Toledo is. If WMU is going to have any shot at all at making the playoff this year, it’ll start by taking advantage of this long-awaited rematch from the 2016 Cotton Bowl. The Week 2 game against Ohio State, of course, looks like a loss waiting to happen for WMU. But if WMU can pull off a crazy-good season that includes a season-opening win at Wisconsin and figure out a way to sell the Ohio State loss as “albeit, an impressive loss”, then maybe WMU doesn’t have to be undefeated to be the G5’s top-billing team. Requires a lot, sure, but that’s the best-looking case for WMU in my eyes.
CINCINNATI AT MIAMI (WEEK 3)
Miami opens up the season at Northwestern in Week 1, then has a very-early bye week before it faces off against Cincinnati at home, then Notre Dame on the road. Obviously Notre Dame is the biggest ticket game of the three and it’ll serve as a reunion for Miami coach Chuck Martin, who worked for the Irish before taking on his current job 10 years ago. The Northwestern game ought to be a victory for the RedHawks. Miami beat Cincinnati 31-24 last year on the road in overtime, and now Miami has a chance to follow-up that performance at home. If Miami gets to 2-0 as it goes into Notre Dame, then that’s an easy momentum-booster for the conference.
TOLEDO AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (WEEK 3)
Toledo’s non-conference slate is pretty weak this year, and I’d expect the Rocket to try to make as much noise as possible in September to try to make anybody forget that their 2-point loss at Illinois to open the season last year was the difference between a perfect season and not. Toledo hosts Duquesne and UMass to open the year, then is at Mississippi State and Western Kentucky to finish the non-conference schedule. And even at that, Toledo opens is MACtion schedule with a home date against Miami (Oct. 5). Since those two have until October to potentially knock one out of a playoff hunt, then they also have until September to make us all believers in them.
Fourth Down: New number, who dis?
New year, new roster numbers. Not for everybody, but for… well, more than [I feel like] I’m used to, thanks to EMU’s huge transfer class. Some new uniform numbers updates for the incoming and returning players via the team’s online roster:
Offense
#1 WR J.B. Mitchell, from #17 (last worn by Hamze El-Zayat)
#3 WR Terry Lockett Jr., from #11 (last worn by Ike Udengwu III)
#4 WR Makhail Wood, from #9 (last worn by Austin Smith)
#7 QB Drew Viotto (last worn by Von Swinton)
#8 WR Markus Allen (last worn by Cam’Ron McCoy)
#9 WR Porter Rooks (last worn by Makhail Wood)
#10 QB Cole Snyder (last worn by Preston Hutchinson in 2021)
#12 QB Jace Stuckey (last worn by Dontae McMillan)
#19 RB Dontae McMillan, from #12 (last worn by WR Adam Rammouni — note, he’s still also listed as #19 on the roster)
#22 RB JT Bronaugh (last worn by Samson Evans)
#24 WR Oran Singleton (last worn by Kaiden Keefe)
#27 RB Jayvin Norman (last worn by Darius Boone in 2022)
#34 RB Delbert Mimms III (last worn by Samson Evans in 2020)
#54 OL Blake Bustard (last worn by Zack Conti)
#59 OL Jack Storey (last worn by Daniel Greene in 2021)
#68 OL Nicholas Suthery (last worn by Alex Howie)
#69 OL Logan Bednar (last worn by Trenton VanBoening)
#77 OL Dodji Dahoue (last worn by Brian Dooley)
#79 OL Everett Small (last worn by Jimi McAdams IV in 2022)
#82 TE Hans Lillis (last worn by Cedric Anton)
#84 TE Caden Vanderbush (last worn by C.J. Horton)
#86 Dalin Wilkins (last worn by Joseph Walker Jr.)
#89 Carson Wilson (last worn by Cole Rusk in 2022)
Defense + Special teams
#5 DE Justin Jefferson, from #47 (last worn by Korey Hernandez)
#6 DB Bryce Llewellyn (last worn by Chase Kline)
#7 DB Dramarian McNulty (last worn by Londyn Craft)
#8 S David Carter Jr., from #27 (last worn by T.J. Peavy)
#9 DT Peyton Price, from #94 (last worn by Jarrett Paul in 2021)
#10 LB Zion Fonua (last worn by Josh McCarty)
#11 LB Zach Mowchan, from #36 (last worn by Mikah Coleman)
#14 DB Jaden Price (last worn by Keylen Gulley)
#15 DB Jordan Toney (last worn by Joshua Scott in 2022)
#16 DB Caleb Turner (last worn by Cameron Smith)
#17 DB Caleb Dobbs (last worn by Bennett Walker)
#20 LB Luke Murphy (last worn by Elijah Williams in 2022)
#21 LB J.T. Killen (last worn by Robert Daniel Jr. in 2022)
#22 DB Tyrelle Deemer (last worn by Cameron Smith in 2021)
#23 DB Elision Lovett (last worn by Blake Bogan in 2022)
#24 DB Jaylyn Monds (last worn by Thomas Shorack in 2021)
#25 DB Dylan Camp (last worn by Jalen Weathers)
#26 DB Soloman Bell, from #89 (last worn by Tristen Hines)
#29 DB Emil Burton (last worn by Kempton Shine)
#34 DB Ray Hester (last worn by Jack Goodman in 2022)
#36 LB Colin Main (last worn by Zach Mowchan)
#39 P Daniel Hull (last worn by Adam Heston in 2022)
#41 LB Terrelle Elmore (last worn by James Doerer)
#44 LB Marvell Eggleston (last worn by Luke Cameron)
#46 K Rudy Kessinger (last worn by Steve Bird)
#52 DL Javon Thomas (last worn by Ke’Vion Wellington)
#54 LB James Djonkam (first defensive #54 in Creighton era)
#64 DL Noah Patterson (last worn by Jaavon Brown in 2022)
#85 DL Jefferson Adam (first defensive #85 in Creighton era)
#90 DT Malik Tullis, from #91 (last worn by Adrian Gonzalez)
#91 DT Reggie Gardner (last worn by Malik Tullis)
#92 DT Dylan Shelton (last worn by Alex Merritt; once worn by Maxx Crosby)
#93 DT Tyrell Martin (last worn by Uno Noiske)
#94 Jason Borbitzer (last worn by Peyton Price)
#97 Trey Laing (last worn by Mikey Haney)