Signing Day Notes: It's EMU's Largest Class Yet

The first signing day is in the books, EMU welcomes 19 high schoolers and 10 transfers (and counting).

Dec 21, 2023

And like that, another [early] National Signing Day is in the books.

A historic class for EMU? Depends on what you mean by that.

Even if EMU were to come away with the league’s recruiting title, getting excited over high school recruiting classes is sort of like getting up for the pro baseball draft. It usually takes a year or two before any of these teenagers see the field in college. Sure, a handful of true freshmen might see the field, but being the highest-rated recruit in any team’s class doesn’t automatically mean they’ll be game changers by next September or October. 247sports.com’s ranking system had Buffalo finish with the #1 recruiting class with EMU #2 and Central Michigan #3. Obviously, having likeable recruiting classes didn’t create immediate, positive gains for these MAC squads.

If we’re talking about size, then yes this is EMU’s largest recruiting class that it’s ever signed. Recent rules changes by the NCAA has led to the elimination of capping-out the size of signing classes and scholarships used per signing period. In theory, a team could lose 85 players to graduation and the transfer portal and sign 85 new players all in the same month. No team (thankfully) is so far down that path (which would certainly be a historic class), but EMU gets to celebrate a grand total of 29 names that officially chose to be Eagles yesterday — 19 high school signees (three will enroll early), 10 transfers, and one more signing period in February to look forward to.

The quarterbacks

Two new faces will come to Ypsilanti in January — Jace Stuckey, a high school signee from Indiana’s 2A level, and Drew Viotto, who comes to EMU after one season at Minnesota.

Before he decided to go to Minnesota for his freshman year, Viotto was an EMU commit that already brought his traveling family from Canada to Ypsilanti and had them introduced to the area.

EMU saw Austin Smith hit the portal with two years of eligibility remaining after this season, and the future of the backup spot(s) are even more fluid than that. EMU still has Ike Udengwu and Cam’Ron McCoy, each with years of eligibility remaining, but it seems pretty clear that EMU hopes that it signed, at worst, one of its top two QBs for the 2024 season yesterday.

Transfer portal

TE Jonathan Odom, like his father Jason, spent four years playing in the trenches for Florida, and will now get to spend his final year with EMU. He caught 16 passes for 144 yards (2 TD) as a tight end for the Gators. WR Porter Rooks was a four-year player for NC State, but saw his production on the receiving end go down since he broke out with 57 catches over 2020 and 2021 (Career: 79 catches, 891 yards, 1 TD). Oran “Man-Man” Singleton Jr. came from the JUCO system only after he got his feet wet at Tom Arth’s Akron in 2021.

At OL, Blake Bustard comes in from Wayne State in Detroit (D2) with two years of eligibility, and Dodji Dahoue from the JUCO ranks. Dahoue, the biggest signee at 6’9”, 295 lbs, is probably the least-experienced football player to sign with EMU considering he spent large chunks of his life in South Africa and France with his engineering parents. Dahoue hadn’t experienced American football until he was an everyday junior college student in California.

Luke Murphy highlights the defensive transfers for EMU. From Kent State (and with two years of eligibility remaining), Murphy comes from the highest-profile football program as LB Zion Fonua and CB Damarian McNulty come from JUCO programs, and DT Dylan Shelton comes from D2-level University of Indianapolis.

Who didn’t sign?

Two high school commits that didn’t sign with EMU yesterday: OL Nick Sutherby (Saline HS / Saline, Mich.) and preferred walk-on DT Reggie Gardner (Southfield A&T HS / Southfield, Mich.). OL Jack Storey (Brighton HS / Brighton, Mich.) spent his first college season at Hope College and announced his commitment to EMU in November, but didn’t sign with EMU yesterday.

More notes

Per 247sports, EMU has the MAC’s sixth-ranked signing class behind Toledo, Western Michigan, Miami, Ohio, and Kent State.

TE Braden Laux will be changing positions from what he’s used to doing at the highs school level. Laux, at 6’5”, will make the move from quarterback to tight end once he gets on Eastern’s campus.

Six Michigan-bred high school players have signed with EMU including three from the city: DE/LB Marvell Eggleston Jr. (Detroit - King HS), OL Maddox Gonzalez (Bentley - Sterling HS), Ray Hester (Detroit - Chippewa Valley HS), DB Wendell Smith Jr. (Detroit - Southfield A&T HS), OL Andrew Steger (Fremont - Fremont HS), and DL Javon Thomas (East Lansing - East Lansing HS).

Class of 2024: EMU Offense

Incoming freshmen

Incoming transfers

OL, Blake Bustard —Wayne State / Muskegon HS / Muskegon, Mich.
OL, Dodji Dahoue — Santa Rosa Junior College / Bamako (Mali)
TE, Jonathan Odom — Florida / Jesuit HS / Tampa, Fla.
WR, Porter Rooks — NC State / Myers Park HS / Charlotte, N. C.
WR, Oran Singleton — Akron (2021), Hutchinson C.C. (22-23) / Clewiston HS / Clewiston, Fla.
QB, Drew Viotto — Minnesota / Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada / Walled Lake Western HS (MI)