npklemm

I'd fly from South Bend to Chicago, but first @constapatedape would have to drive to South Bend and meet me at the Airport. Then I'd take the South Shore home after eating lunch or something.

@Jieret has written a couple of great articles previewing the PAC-12 Starting Rosters for the upcoming season, Find One Here. So, I'm going to steal his idea since I'm unoriginal. I am going to change it up a little, we still assume a 1.0 Progression if your team hasn't been progressed. I'll still assume 4-3 vs 3-4 based on personnel. JUCO Players will be in Orange Text, True Freshman will be in Blue Text. Where we will change from Jieret's article: I will add an Asterisk to the end of the player line if they are on the team in 2022, but were not a starter. I will assume Out of Position Players Start in obvious situations (I will call these Out). Akron Zips Offense QB: QB Cole Richter 6-2 235 Fr Keystone (La Grange OH) 2.0 of 4.0 [Hybrid] RB: RB Bryan Ellison 5-11 221 (So) Cumberland Valley (Mechanicsburg PA) 3.0 of 4.5 [Power] FB: FB Leon Kellogg 5-11 208 (Sr) Troy (Troy, OH) 3.0 of 3.0 [Pass Blocking]* WR: WR Marlon Smiley 5-11 154 (So) Valley Forge (Parma Heights OH) 2.5 of 3.5 [Speed] WR: WR Damani Harris 6-1 182 Fr Traverse City West ( MI) 3.0 of 3.0 [Speed] WR: WR Ryan Buckner 6-3 208 (Fr) Amelia (Batavia OH) 2.0 of 3.5 [Target]* TE: TE Guillermo Mercado 6-3 205 Jr Wayne Trace (Haviland OH) 3.0 of 3.0 [Receiving]* LT: OT Mohamed Flowers 6-6 301 (Jr) Briggs (Colombus OH) 3.0 of 3.0 [Pass Blocking] LG: OG Angelo Pedersen 6-5 258 (Jr) Amelia (Batavia OH) 3.0 of 3.0 [Pass Blocking] C: C Hector Yanez 6-4 290 (Fr) St. Philip Catholic Central ( MI) 2.5 of 3.0 [Pass Blocking]* RG: OG Jeffrey Glass 6-1 339 (So) Mifflin (Columbus OH) 3.0 of 3.5 [Run Blocking] RT: OT Ethan Riggs 6-3 271 Fr Triway (Wooster OH) 2.0 of 4.0 [Run Blocking] Defense DE: DE Carlos Edmonds 6-3 269 (So) Goshen (Goshen OH) 3.0 of 3.0 [Contain]* DT: DT Jeremiah Clarke 6-5 276 (Sr) Lockport Township (Lockport, IL) 5.0 of 5.0 [1-Gap] DE: DE Damione Ridley 6-4 274 So Mount Carmel Area (Mount Carmel PA) 3.0 of 3.0 [Blitz] OLB: OLB Brian Graham 6-0 230 (So) Cheboygan Area (Cheboygan MI) 3.0 of 3.0 [Blitz] Mike LB: ILB Damian Stanford 6-1 226 Fr Bucksport (Bucksport ME) 2.5 of 3.0 [Mike] Will LB: ILB Elliot Arnold 6-0 215 Jr Shenandoah Valley (Shenandoah PA) 2.5 of 2.5 [Will] OLB: OLB Nico McNulty 6-0 217 (Fr) Stebbins (Riverside OH) 2.5 of 3.0 [Blitz]* CB: CB Marc Dumas 5-9 182 (So) Jackson (Masillon OH) 3.0 of 3.5 [Man Coverage] CB: CB Christian Washington 6-1 196 Fr Miamisburg (Miamisburg OH) 3.0 of 4.0 [Man Coverage] CB: CB Javier Rawls 5-10 179 (Jr) Norwood (Norwood OH) 3.0 of 3.0 [Man Coverage] FS: FS Calvin Bernard 6-2 215 (Fr) Triway (Wooster OH) 2.5 of 4.0 [Man Coverage]* SS: SS Stephen Franklin 6-2 200 (So) Hudson Area (Hudson MI) 3.5 of 3.5 [Man Coverage]* Special Teams K: K Phillip Lane-Hickey 5-9 207 (Sr) Wauseon (Wauseon, OH) 3.5 of 3.5 [Power] P: P Abraham Burroughs 5-9 191 (Sr) North Central (Farmersburg, IN) 4.0 of 4.0 [Power] LS: LS Connor Benoit 6-1 237 So South (Cleveland OH) 2.0 of 4.0 [Traditional]* KR: KR Darnell Gunn 6-0 195 So Wesley Chapel (Wesley Chapel FL) 2.0 of 3.0 [Hybrid]* The Zips have been progressed. Coach @darkage stepped away from the team following the 2022 season and no one else has stepped up yet. The Zips have some true freshman starting in some important positions, QB, OL, ILB, and CB. Griffin Donahue has finally graduated and left a huge hole in the backfield. In steps Cole Richter, a freshman out of La Grange. The Zips will lean on him hard this season. WR was a huge issue for Akron last season, several young and underdeveloped players were forced to play major snaps. Those players are now a year older and should be provide Richter more support. Still, the WR Corps is still in tough shape. So, true Freshmen Damani Harris gets to step in and play on the outside. 3 of the 5 Starters return for the OL, and are buffed by two inexperienced youngsters. The Front-7 took a huge hit with the graduation of Devin Frazier. Damian Stanford will have to step up in his place as a freshman. The Secondary should be improved with the experience of Marc Dumas and Javier Rawls, while adding freshman Christian Washington. Bowling Green Falcons Offense QB: QB A.J. Coyne 6-3 203 (So) South (Cleveland OH) 3.5 of 4.0 [Pocket] RB: RB Calvin Alexander 6-0 194 (Sr) Van Vleck (Vleck, TX) 3.5 of 3.5 [Speed] FB: FB Bryan Dowd 5-9 213 (So) Jackson-Milton (North Jackson OH) 3.0 of 3.0 [Pass Blocking] WR: WR Brandon Lockhart 5-10 180 Sr Elyria Catholic (Elyria OH) 3.0 of 3.0 [Speed] WR: WR Sawyer Waters 6-3 202 (Fr) Briggs (Colombus OH) 2.5 of 3.0 [Target]* WR: WR Shia Everett 6-0 181 (Jr) Madison Plains (London OH) 2.5 of 2.5 [Speed] TE: TE Marc Brunner Jr. 6-1 232 Jr Northridge (Johnstown OH) 3.0 of 3.0 [Blocking] LT: OT Ryan Parrott 6-1 301 Sr Jackson-Milton (North Jackson OH) 3.0 of 3.0 [Pass Blocking] LG: OG Jordan Holland 6-4 290 Fr Bellevue (Bellevue MI) 2.5 of 3.0 [Pass Blocking] C: OT Brendan Hankins 6-1 284 Jr Mesquite (Mesquite TX) 3.0 of 3.0 [Run Blocking]* RG: OG Jaylin Sample 6-7 321 (Fr) Shiner (Shiner TX) 1.5 of 3.0 [Pass Blocking]* RT: OT Harrison Jolly 6-1 264 (Jr) Madison Plains (London OH) 3.0 of 3.0 [Run Blocking] Defense DE: DE Maximus Avila 6-0 266 (Jr) Brookside (Sheffield OH) 3.0 of 3.0 [Contain] DT: DT Matt Hamm 6-4 305 Jr Eunice (Eunice LA) 3.0 of 3.0 [2-Gap] DE: DT Phillip Woodruff 6-1 320 Jr Emma Sansom (Gadsden AL) 3.0 of 3.0 [2-Gap] OLB: OLB Denzel Ventura 5-11 232 Jr Edgewood (Ashtabula OH) 2.0 of 3.0 [Blitz]* Mike LB: ILB Joseph Esposito 6-1 261 Fr Hawley (Hawley MN) 3.0 of 3.0 [Mike] Will LB: ILB Ethan Jefferson 6-1 222 So Clay (Oregon OH) 2.0 of 2.5 [Will]* OLB: OLB Micah Bean 6-2 216 (Fr) Euclid (Euclid OH) 2.0 of 4.0 [Blitz]* CB: CB Donovan Poole 6-1 169 So Williamsport (Williamsport MD) 2.0 of 3.0 [Zone Coverage] CB: CB Reginald Foy 6-1 199 So Sterling (Sterling IL) 1.5 of 3.0 [Zone Coverage]* CB: SS Eli Hill 6-2 193 Jr L.E. Dieruff (Allentown PA) 2.5 of 2.5 [Zone Coverage]* FS: FS Brody Grimes 6-2 218 (Jr) Wayne Trace (Haviland OH) 4.5 of 5.0 [Zone Coverage] SS: SS Miles Posey 6-2 201 (So) Jacksonville (Jacksonville NC) 3.0 of 3.0 [Man Coverage]* Special Teams K: K Declan Ball 5-10 187 (Fr) Stebbins (Riverside OH) 2.0 of 3.0 [Accuracy]* P: P Hunter Finley 6-4 181 (Sr) Lockport Township (Lockport, IL) 3.0 of 3.0 [Accuracy] LS: LS Gregory Dubose 6-1 249 (Jr) Troy (Troy OH) 4.0 of 4.0 [Traditional] Bowling Green has been progressed. Coach @ecnirp has a somewhat depleted squad. QB A.J. Coyne gave Falcons fans a lot to hope for the future and should be the focal point of the offense. RB Calvin Alexander returns and he looks to return to his early season form. The Receivers are still lacking in talent, but are being buffed by a RSFR Receiver in Sawyer Waters. He should provide a better level of play than Coyne had last season. The OL is an absolute mess however. They lost 2 Pro-Caliber starters with no real plan to replace them. I'm assuming they use a Tackle to start at Center, they do have a 1/4 C in Sam Patten III. He could start in stead of Brendan Hankins, but I'm not sure if he provides a higher level of play. Jaylin Sample will likely have to step in to start. Matt Hamm started last season, but at DE. I project him to start in the middle as a Nose Tackle given his size. The Entire LB Corps is completely new. This unit last year struggled often, and having all new players there should be a note of concern. The CB situation might be slightly better than last season, but it's still not great. The Falcons also replace SS Antonio Jackson with Miles Posey, a definite step down. Buffalo Bulls Offense QB: QB Levi Thompson 6-5 212 (Jr) Pocono Mountain West ( PA) 3.5 of 3.5 [Scrambling] RB: RB Alec Self 6-1 226 (Jr) Thomas Jefferson (Brooklyn NY) 4.5 of 4.5 [Power]* FB: FB Nick Hawley 6-1 228 Fr Vernon (Vernon FL) 2.0 of 3.0 [Run Blocking] WR: WR Jake Shackelford 6-5 222 (Jr) Jamestown (Jamestown NY) 3.5 of 3.5 [Target] WR: WR George Kimbrough 6-2 226 So Fleming Island (Orange Park FL) 2.0 of 3.5 [Target]* WR: WR Prince Tatum 6-0 151 (Fr) Westminster Academy (Opelousas LA) 2.0 of 3.0 [Speed]* TE: TE Captain Proctor 6-3 237 Fr Horizon (San Diego CA) 1.0 of 3.5 [Blocking] LT: OT Anthony Grissom 6-7 284 (Sr) Medford (Medford, MA) 3.5 of 3.5 [Pass Blocking] LG: OG Henry Radford 6-3 264 Fr Crowell (Crowell TX) 1.0 of 3.5 [Pass Blocking] C: C Julien Milner 6-3 250 (Jr) Saltsburg (Saltsburg PA) 3.5 of 3.5 [Run Blocking]* RG: OG Daniel Bridges 6-3 307 Jr Harrison (Harrison NJ) 3.0 of 3.5 [Run Blocking] RT: OT Blake Norris 6-7 302 (Jr) Southside (Elmira NY) 3.5 of 3.5 [Run Blocking] Defense DE: DE Jeremiah Benitez 6-0 245 Sr Prouty (Spencer MA) 3.5 of 3.5 [Contain] DT: DT Russell Nadeau 6-6 300 (Jr) Okemah (Okemah, OK) 3.5 of 3.5 [2-Gap]* DE: DE Alex Austin 6-1 250 Jr Montville Township (Montville NJ) 2.5 of 2.5 [Contain] OLB: OLB Alexander Moffett 6-2 224 Sr Southside (Elmira NY) 4.5 of 4.5 [Coverage] Mike LB: ILB Raymond McCain 6-0 222 (Sr) Holy Cross (Flushing, NY) 4.0 of 4.0 [Mike] Will LB: ILB Leo Rincon 5-11 220 Jr Harrison (Harrison NJ) 3.0 of 4.0 [Will] OLB: OLB Carlos Cleveland 6-0 228 (So) Hanover Park (East Hanover NJ) 3.0 of 3.5 [Coverage]* CB: CB Laquon Boston 5-9 185 So Newfield Central (Newfield NY) 3.5 of 5.0 [Man Coverage] CB: CB Sean Floyd 6-2 166 (Jr) Stonington (Stonington CT) 3.5 of 3.5 [Man Coverage] CB: CB Jermaine Cason 6-2 186 Fr Barron Collier (Naples FL) 1.0 of 3.0 [Man Coverage] FS: SS Reginald Blakely 5-10 193 (Sr) Manchester Central (Manchester, NH) 3.0 of 3.0 [Man Coverage] SS: SS Dominique Waller 5-11 191 Jr DePaul Catholic (Wayne NJ) 4.5 of 4.5 [Man Coverage] Special Teams K: K Jake Hamilton 6-0 183 So Saranac Lake (Saranac Lake NY) 2.0 of 2.5 [Power]* P: P Willy Johnston 5-7 170 Jr Ocean City (Ocean City NJ) 2.5 of 2.5 [Accuracy]* LS: LS Byron Zaragoza 6-1 235 So Hanover Park (East Hanover NJ) 2.0 of 2.5 [Traditional] Buffalo has not been progressed. Coach @Jordanozenne has a lot of work to do this season. Denzel Porter is gone, but Alec Self should still provide the Bulls a capable replacement. The Bulls certainly need QB Levi Thompson to be better, he doesn't need to light the world on fire, but he has to avoid turning the ball over. The Receiving Corps is weakened by Graduation and lack of experience, which is not a good recipe to help a QB get better. 3/5 of the starters return on the OL, so that should help the Bulls Offense. The Front-7 is mostly in tact, and the LBs are still in great shape. The Secondary is about the same as last season, although Dominique Walker did progress +1.0. Kent State Golden Flashes Offense QB: QB Cameron Hare 6-3 238 (So) Pampa (Pampa TX) 3.0 of 4.0 [Hybrid] RB: RB C.J. Williams 5-7 214 (So) Brookhaven (Columbus OH) 3.0 of 4.0 [Power] FB: FB Caleb Evans 6-0 224 Jr Greenville (Greenville OH) 2.5 of 2.5 [Run Blocking]* WR: WR Ashton Hannah 6-1 160 Jr Lebanon (Lebanon OH) 3.0 of 3.5 [Speed] WR: WR Will Westfall 5-10 160 Jr La Marque (La Marque TX) 3.0 of 3.0 [Speed] WR: WR A.J. Addison 6-4 216 So Notre Dame (Quincy IL) 3.0 of 3.0 [Target] TE: TE Mark Ashley 6-6 203 Jr Mifflin (Columbus OH) 3.5 of 3.5 [Receiving]* LT: OT Kenneth Hildebrand 6-3 261 (Jr) Sylvania Northview (Sylvania OH) 3.5 of 3.5 [Pass Blocking] LG: OG Adrian Hammonds 6-1 292 (Sr) Central Catholic (City, LA) 3.0 of 3.0 [Pass Blocking] C: C Sam Walsh 6-2 299 Sr Greenville (Greenville OH) 3.0 of 3.0 [Pass Blocking] RG: OG Leon Humphrey 6-3 332 (Jr) Hudson (Hudson OH) 3.5 of 3.5 [Run Blocking] RT: OT Daniel Brunson 6-6 303 (So) Sylvania Northview (Sylvania OH) 3.0 of 3.5 [Run Blocking] Defense DE: DE Geno Mason 6-2 267 (So) River Valley (Cheshire OH) 3.0 of 4.5 [Contain] DT: DT Amir Borden 6-7 306 (So) Triway (Wooster OH) 3.0 of 3.5 [1-Gap]* DE: DE David Hunt 6-1 248 (So) Garaway (Sugarcreek OH) 2.5 of 3.5 [Contain] OLB: OLB Shiloh Maxwell 6-3 221 So Edgewood (Ashtabula OH) 2.0 of 4.5 [Coverage] Mike LB: ILB Cooper Merritt 6-3 226 (So) St. Joseph (Brownsville TX) 3.0 of 4.0 [Mike] Will LB: ILB Dwayne Felder 5-11 243 (Fr) Needles (Needles CA) 2.5 of 4.0 [Will]* OLB: OLB Abraham McCormack 6-0 242 Sr Eastmoor Academy (Columbus OH) 3.5 of 3.5 [Blitz] CB: CB Makai Porter 5-10 163 So Richwood (Monroe LA) 3.5 of 3.5 [Man Coverage] CB: CB Micah Tatum 5-10 172 (So) Indian Lake (Lewistown OH) 3.0 of 3.5 [Man Coverage] CB: CB Jaiden Melvin 6-1 198 Jr Port Charlotte (Port Charlotte FL) 3.0 of 3.0 [Man Coverage] FS: FS Antoine Early 5-11 209 (Sr) Port St. Lucie (Lucie, FL) 3.0 of 3.0 [Man Coverage] SS: SS Aiden Monroe 6-1 202 (Fr) Brecksville-Broadview Heights ( OH) 2.0 of 4.0 [Man Coverage]* Special Teams K: K Jonah Schofield 5-10 190 (Sr) Coon Rapids (Rapids, MN) 3.0 of 3.0 [Power]* P: P Kai Woodall 5-8 175 Sr Indian Lake (Lewistown OH) 2.0 of 2.0 [Accuracy]* LS: LS Thomas Gale 6-0 247 Fr North Thurston (Lacey WA) 2.0 of 3.0 [Specialized] Kent State has not been progressed. The Flashes currently have no coach. One thing you'll notice is hardly any True Freshmen are projected to start, and there were hardly any replacements from last season. That's one positive note of being young, however, when you see the team's record, you have to wonder if having essentially the same team is a good thing. There is only one starter in the Front-7 who is older than a Sophomore, that does bring some hope to this program. The Backfield duo of QB Cameron Hare and RB C.J. Williams really struggled hard last season, and fans of this program have to hope they take the next step this season. Losing SS Steven Gordon will absolutely hurt this team, his experience will be sorely missed. Miami Redhawks Offense QB: QB Jaheim Stewart 6-3 200 (Fr) North Marion (Farmington WV) 2.5 of 3.0 [Pocket]* RB: RB Nazir Randolph 5-10 186 (Jr) East Technical (Cleveland OH) 3.5 of 3.5 [Speed]* FB: RB Jarvis McGill 6-0 206 So Deer Park (Cincinnati OH) 2.0 of 2.0 [Power]* WR: WR Ahmed Crosby 5-11 150 (Jr) Portage (Portage IN) 23.0 of 3.0 [Speed]* WR: WR Bryce Boyd 5-9 169 (Fr) Trinity (Camp Hill PA) 2.5 of 3.0 [Speed]* WR: WR Julian Newton 6-3 220 Fr Valley City (Valley City ND) 2.5 of 2.5 [Target] TE: TE Aaden Newton 6-1 239 Fr Shawnee (Shawnee OK) 2.5 of 3.0 [Blocking] LT: OT Kai Sharpe 6-3 330 (Jr) Eastern (Greentown IN) 3.5 of 3.5 [Pass Blocking]* LG: OG Matthew Waldron 6-2 302 (So) Springfield (Holland OH) 3.5 of 4.0 [Pass Blocking]* C: C Edward Tubbs 6-2 256 Fr Saint James (Montgomery AL) 2.5 of 2.5 [Pass Blocking] RG: OG Will Riddle 6-6 269 (Jr) East (Cleveland OH) 3.5 of 3.5 [Run Blocking] RT: OT Felix McCormick 6-3 260 (So) Edgewood (Ashtabula OH) 3.0 of 4.0 [Pass Blocking]* Defense DE: DE Josiah Ornelas 6-7 248 (Jr) Garaway (Sugarcreek OH) 3.5 of 3.5 [Blitz] DT: DT Morris Jackson 6-7 302 (Jr) East Technical (Cleveland OH) 4.5 of 5.0 [2-Gap] DE: DE Kamari Haywood 6-2 254 (Jr) Mt. Hope (Bristol RI) 3.0 of 3.0 [Contain] OLB: OLB Ivan Forsythe 6-0 227 (Jr) Clay (South Bend IN) 3.0 of 3.0 [Blitz]* Mike LB: ILB Josiah Graham 6-3 254 Jr Senatobia (Senatobia MS) 3.0 of 3.0 [Mike] Will LB: ILB Kayden Shaw 5-11 239 (So) Indian Lake (Lewistown OH) 3.0 of 4.0 [Will] OLB: ATH Israel Herbert 6-3 242 So Kahuku (Kahuku HI) 2.0 of 2.5 [Blitz]* CB: CB Jeremiah Christy 5-11 191 Jr Central Catholic (Pittsburgh PA) 3.0 of 4.0 [Man Coverage] CB: CB Keenan McCloud 6-2 174 (So) Gaither (Tampa FL) 3.0 of 3.0 [Man Coverage] CB: CB Sebastian Harlow 5-11 160 (So) Dale County (Midland City AL) 3.0 of 3.0 [Zone Coverage]* FS: FS Jamir Moss 6-1 213 Fr Troy (Troy OH) 1.0 of 3.0 [Man Coverage] SS: SS Matthew Arnett 6-0 186 (So) Eastmoor Academy (Columbus OH) 3.0 of 3.5 [Zone Coverage] Special Teams K: K Van Honeycutt 6-4 219 So Girard (Girard OH) 2.5 of 2.5 [Power]* P: P Ivan Gonzales 5-10 174 (Sr) Euclid (Euclid, OH) 4.5 of 4.5 [Accuracy] LS: LS Cameron Cox 6-3 266 Jr Sylvania Northview (Sylvania OH) 4.5 of 5.0 [Specialized] Miami has not been progressed. The Hawks are coached by @Jimmer_Negamanee. Miami has to replace 10/11 starters on a team that didn't make a Bowl Game last season. Including the best QB in school history in Zack Cera. TE Casey Swann is no longer here, while the OL loses 4 starters. Miami is in the worst spot of any MAC team right now, especially on offense. I've spent that past 20 minutes looking at this roster, and can't name a single offensive starter that I projected. They're a bunch of no-named players with no experience and just about the same amount of talent. The defense is a little bit better as 8 starters return. Ohio Bobcats Offense QB: QB Austin Lowe 6-5 233 (Jr) Madison Plains (London OH) 4.0 of 4.0 [Pocket] RB: RB Mike Cazares 6-0 172 (So) Blanchester (Blanchester OH) 3.5 of 3.5 [Speed]* FB: FB A.J. Hairston 5-9 200 Fr Fort Lauderdale (Fort Lauderdale FL) 1.0 of 3.5 [Run Blocking] WR: WR Jordan Barnes 6-0 223 Jr Ada (Ada OH) 3.5 of 4.5 [Target] WR: WR Dontae Hicks-Lundy 6-3 167 Sr Lakeland Community College (Kirtland OH) 4.0 of 4.0 [Speed] WR: WR Micah Lanier 6-2 224 Sr Blanchester (Blanchester OH) 3.0 of 3.0 [Target] TE: TE Miles Hooker 6-1 193 (Fr) Clay (Oregon OH) 2.0 of 4.5 [Receiving]* LT: OT Derek Satterfield 6-3 330 (Jr) Wauseon (Wauseon OH) 4.0 of 4.0 [Pass Blocking] LG: OG Amosa Neru 6-4 274 (So) Fort Lauderdale (Fort Lauderdale FL) 3.5 of 3.5 [Run Blocking] C: C Jon Barkley 6-4 274 So Montoursville Area ( PA) 3.0 of 3.0 [Pass Blocking]* RG: OG Drew Platt 6-1 289 Sr Notre Dame-Catherdal Latin ( OH) 4.0 of 4.0 [Pass Blocking] RT: OT Shane Poe 6-6 273 Sr Walnut Hills (Cincinnati OH) 3.5 of 3.5 [Run Blocking] Defense DE: DE Nicholas Blackwell 6-3 249 Jr Godby (Tallahassee FL) 3.0 of 5.0 [Contain] DT: DT Aaden Prince 6-3 296 Sr Gilmour Academy (Gates Mills OH) 4.0 of 4.0 [2-Gap] DT: DT Chad Stevenson 6-4 310 Fr Elyria Catholic (Elyria OH) 3.0 of 4.0 [2-Gap] DE: DE Tristan Roland 6-0 258 (So) Martin County (Stuart FL) 2.5 of 3.0 [Blitz]* OLB: OLB Paul Boykin 6-2 219 So Northridge (Johnstown OH) 3.0 of 3.5 [Blitz] ILB: ILB Declan Albright 6-1 217 Sr Mifflin (Columbus OH) 3.5 of 3.5 [Will] OLB: OLB Adriel Frias 6-2 218 (So) Inlet Grove (Riviera Beach FL) 3.0 of 3.0 [Coverage]* CB: CB Ousmane King 5-10 189 Sr College of the Siskiyous (Weed CA) 4.5 of 4.5 [Zone Coverage] CB: CB Cooper Rainey 5-10 203 Jr Hales Franciscan (Chicago IL) 3.0 of 4.0 [Man Coverage]* CB: CB Savion Willingham 6-0 169 Jr Triway (Wooster OH) 3.5 of 3.5 [Man Coverage] FS: FS Richard Bright 6-0 193 (So) Hillsborough (Tampa FL) 3.0 of 3.5 [Zone Coverage]* SS: SS Javier Daniel 5-11 203 (Sr) John Marshall (Chicago, IL) 3.5 of 3.5 [Man Coverage]* Special Teams K: K Sam Clifford 6-0 168 Fr Valley Christian (San Jose CA) 2.5 of 2.5 [Accuracy] P: P Julian Woodmere 6-3 172 Fr Glen Lake (Maple City MI) 2.0 of 3.5 [Accuracy] LS: LS Ashton Hatcher 6-1 269 Sr Madison Plains (London OH) 3.0 of 3.0 [Specialized] Ohio has not been progressed. Coach @AD3378 has himself a squad again. The Defending East Champs seem to be in good position to defend their championship. QB Austin Lowe returns to the throne and will be the focal point of the offense as RB Jeffrey Flowers is going Pro. RB Mike Cazares will fill that hole, but he's not the same player as Flowers. WR Jordan Barnes comes back, and the Bobcats add Dontae Hicks-Lundy to buff up the receiving Corps. TE's Aaron Thibodeaux and Caleb Holman leave, but the Bobcats get RSFR TE Miles Hooker as a replacement. 4/5 of the Starters on the OL return. Ohio's offense is definitely in the best position of any team in the East. The Defense isn't as good, but they have enough talent in the right places to make up for it. 6/12 of the Starters (including the Nickel CB) are new, and that will be tough to balance. The Special Teams is again a concern for Ohio. Two True Freshmen will have to play at K/P, and that will be hard to coach for. Prediction for 2023 MAC East: 1. Ohio 2. Buffalo 3. Akron 4. Kent State 5. Bowling Green 6. Miami

Go Irish

Ball State Cardinals Season Storylines: The Cardinals entered the 2022 season full of hope. Following a 5-7 Campaign, Ball State looked poised to take the next step and become a Bowl Team. However, issues on offense quickly dashed away those hopes. A rotating crop of QBs couldn't bring any consistency to the position. RB Damani Laws had a very good season and continued the 1,000 Yard Rushing Trend. The Defense played well, but wasn't often given support by the offense and would get worn down. Wins: UNLV Kent State Bowling Green Losses: Georgia Tech Indiana Ohio Central Michigan Western Michigan Southern Miss Eastern Michigan Toledo Northern Illinois Final Record: 3-9 (6th in MAC West) Biggest Losses Entering 2023: WR Nicholas Strong OT Carter Shannon DE Christian Mosley DT Gregory McGee K Kenneth Godfrey P Junior Aragon Central Michigan Chippewas Season Storylines: The Chips entered the season with hopes of winning the Division, but a couple late season stumbles lead to a 3rd Place Season. QB Byron Suggs is the best QB in the MAC right now (and maybe ever), and he finally has some backfield help in RB Daveed Huff. After a slow start, Huff got it going later in the season. The Defense was lead by their Front-7, especially DE NTK. Wins: Houston ECU Troy Ball State Buffalo Bowling Green Northern Illinois Eastern Michigan UTEP (Bowl Game) Losses: Northwestern Akron Western Michigan Toledo Final Record: 9-4 (3rd MAC West) Biggest Losses Entering 2023: TE Jasper Rowley OT Milo Yost DE Nair Tatum-Kimbrough DE Rory Bolin ILB Graham Frye CB Sebastian Simpson FS Greg Altman P Nikolas Nadeau Eastern Michigan Eagles Season Storyline: Lead by Senior QB Giovanni Shaw, this was Eastern's last real chance to compete for the Division. After a good start, they just couldn't maintain the higher level of play into the Conference Play. RB Tyler Pearson had a very good season and looks to be another in the line of great MAC RBs. The Eagles did struggle at times on Defense, especially in defending the pass. Wins: Western Kentucky Louisiana-Lafayette Akron Buffalo Kent State Ball State Losses: Rice Old Dominion Northern Illinois Toledo Central Michigan Western Michigan Arkansas State (Bowl Game) Final Record: 6-7 (4th in MAC West) Biggest Losses Entering 2023: QB Giovanni Shaw FB E.J. Greer WR Declan Blanton TE Amir Nixon OG Ned McCabe OG Sawyer Boswell DT Ashton Humphrey DT Jesse Robertson ILB Julien Rinehart ILB Mosi Gary CB Julian Gaines Northern Illinois Huskies Season Storylines: Following a 1-11 Season in 2021, the Huskies didn't have much hype entering 2022. However, a strong passing attack lead by QB Charlie Sanford and WR Maxwell Rider helped lead the Huskies back to a Bowl Game and a win the Bronze Stalk Game. The defense had talent, but enough holes to be an issue throughout the season. Wins: Coastal Carolina Air Force Illinois State Eastern Michigan Miami (OH) Ball State Losses: Fresno State Western Michigan Toledo Akron Central Michigan Ohio UAB (Bowl Game) Final Record: 6-7 (5th in MAC West) Biggest Losses Entering 2023: QB Charlie Sanford OT Anthony Sprague DT Samuel Nielsen ILB Kieran Linn OLB Sean Clarke CB Samuel Echols CB Alpha Mitchell FS Christian Brumfield K Jasper Horton P Charles Hoff Toledo Rockets Season Storyline: #Toledo2021 had come and gone without a National Championship for the Rockets. Toledo lost quite a bit from that team, and had to scramble to fill some of the holes left. QB was an issue, especially early, for the Rockets. Late in Season, Mario Pierre settled down and played well. RB Gabe Ciamo was unstoppable at points. The Defense had some major holes that were exposed from time to time. Wins: Northern Iowa Vanderbilt Miami (OH) Northern Illinois Eastern Michigan Central Michigan Ball State Kent State South Alabama (Bowl Game) Losses: San Diego State Western Michigan Tulsa Buffalo Final Record: 9-4, (2nd in MAC West) Biggest Losses Entering 2023: RB Gabe Ciamo FB Jacob Holt TE Nate Linsley OG Brett Spangler DE Dwayne Briggs DE Ezekiel Williams, Jr. DT De'Shawn Beckwith SS Henry Krause Western Michigan Broncos Season Storylines: Boy, was the early season a disaster for the Broncos. WMU started with 3 P5 opponents to start the season, and they were trounced in 2 of those game. The third was a 1-Score game, but Western started off 0-3 and the Sharks were circling. The Broncos looked done, but they recovered and ran the table to finish the regular season at 9-3. QB Chase Sims was spectacular again, and RB DeSean Madison was incredible. The defense struggled early, but recovered in Conference Play and became very good. For another season, WMU won the West and went to the MACCG. This time playing Ohio, after a hard fought game, the Broncos came out the winners again. Wins: Toledo Northern Illinois Ohio Ball State Bowling Green Central Michigan BYU Miami (OH) Eastern Michigan Ohio (CCG) FIU (Bowl Game) Losses: Michigan State Georgia Tech Oregon Final Record: 11-3 (1st in MAC West) Biggest Losses Entering 2023: QB Chase Sims WR Josh Whitt WR Aaden Jack TE Hunter Stallings OG Alex Westbrook C Otto Langston DT Rocco Gifford DT Silas Booker CB Zaire Hooker

Akron Zips Season Storyline: The Zips came into 2022 with a lot of question marks on offense following the graduation of Nathaniel Ruff. The Zips had some talent at RB, but none of it tested, and the WR Corps was the worst in the conference. The Offense was going to have to flow through QB Griffin Donahue. The Defense was trying to replace DT Marlon Bailey, however the Zips had that covered a little better with Jeremiah Clarke and Olivier Ponder in the fold. Plus, they had All-American ILB Devin Frazier to clean up any mistakes. The secondary was raw, but they were hopeful the Front-7 would be good enough to make up for any deficiencies. The Zips early season started rough as they limped to a 1-4 start. But once they entered Conference Play proper, they finished 7-1 with their only loss coming to Ohio. The Offense got rolling and the defense made enough plays to keep opposing offenses in check (plus the MAC East was trash). Wins: Miami (FL) Central Michigan Miami (OH) Northern Illinois Buffalo Bowling Green Kent State Losses: Middle Tennessee State H'awaii Eastern Michigan Wisconsin Ohio BYU (Bowl Game) Final Record: 7-6, 2nd in MAC East Biggest Losses Entering 2023: QB Griffin Donahue C Patryk Grace DE Julian Whaley OLB Raymond Smith ILB Devin Frazier SS Myles Mathis Bowling Green Falcons Season Storyline: A quiet surprise in 2021, the Falcons lost their Coach @Kirby and had some youth playing in key spots in 2022, along with a new coach in @ecnirp. And that youth played like the inexperienced players they are. QB A.J. Coyne had a good start early, and then came back down to earth. RB Calvin Alexander had some nice games, but really fell off the back half of the season. Bowling Green would be in games early, but then just trail off in the 2nd Half. Wins: Marshall Middle Tennessee State Kent State Losses: UTSA Nevada Ohio Central Michigan Western Michigan Ball State Akron Buffalo Miami (OH) Final Record: 3-9, 5th in MAC East Biggest Losses Entering 2023: G Derrick Briggs C Jonas Zambrano DT Israel Parson ILB Jackson Greenberg SS Antonio Jackson Buffalo Bulls Season Storyline: The Bulls hired Coach @Jordanozenne prior to the season beginning, and it proved to be a good decision. The 2022 Bulls season was defined by running the damn ball. They averaged fewer than 90 Passing Yards Per Game. Lowest in the Conference. But, it was the right move to make, as QB Levi Thompson struggled to complete passes to his team. RB Denzel Porter was the key on offense. Defensively, the LBs lead the unit. Wins: UCONN Marshall UMASS Kent STate Toledo Bowling Green Losses: Miami (OH) Eastern Michigan California Central Michigan Akron Ohio UCF (Bowl Game) Final Record: 6-7 (4th in MAC East) Biggest Losses Entering 2023: RB Denzel Porter WR Khalil Stubbs WR Christian Holguin TE Xavier Frey C D.J. Wilkinson OLB Arthur Henson CB Daniel Braxton P Mohamed Saylor Kent State Golden Flashes Season Storyline: Youth, Youth Everywhere. (and also more coaching instability). Kent State struggled to maintain any sort of consistency on offense as both the starting QB and RB are RSFR. The supporting cast around them did them no favors. The Defensive Front-7 was chock full of young talent as well. This group will get better with time, but just weren't very good this season. Wins: San Jose State Marshall Losses: Oregon State Louisville Ball State Miami (OH) Bowling Green Buffalo Eastern Michigan Ohio Akron Toledo Final Record: 2-10 (6th in MAC East) Biggest Losses Entering 2023: TE Jaeden Salazar DT Ben Corrigan DE Nehemiah Reaves SS Steven Gordon K Kyle Unger P Larry Bull Miami (OH) Redhawks Season Storylines: The Flamethrower was back in action with his favorite target TE Casey Swann. Another season with Coaching Instability lead to a disappointing finish for the Redhawks. RB Ajani Garrett was again useless in the running game. And the Defense had some real bad games, mainly due to a lack of talent. With the biggest pieces of the Redhawk Offense leaving, it's hard to see this Miami team being competitive any time soon. Wins: New Mexico Buffalo Kent State UMASS Bowling Green Losses: Wake Forest Wisconsin Toledo Akron Ohio Northern Illinois Western Michigan Final Record: 5-7 (3rd in MAC East) Biggest Losses Entering 2023: QB Zack Cera RB Ajani Garrett WR Keith Barnes WR Lucas Pierson TE Casey Swann OT Andre Grey OG Joseph Westfall C Michael Williamson OT Ronny Sparks OLB Malik Neely OLB James Lockwood CB Travis Watson FS William Cote Ohio Bobcats Season Storyline: The Bobcats entered the season as the favorite to win the East, and they did just that, lead by Coach @AD3378. By Defeating Akron in Week 12, they basically locked up their Divisional Championship. They were defeated barely by Western Michigan. The Cats were lead by QB Austin Lowe and RB Jeffrey Flowers on offense and DE Nicholas Blackwell and DT Brady Whittaker on defense. Ohio's season may seem like a disappointment with how close they came to dethroning the Broncos, but 9 Wins is nothing to sneeze at. Wins: UNLV Ball State Bowling Green Miami (OH) Akron Kent State Northern Illinois Buffalo Coastal Carolina (Bowl Game) Losses: Vanderbilt Ohio State Western Michigan Miami (FL) Western Michigan (CCG) Final Record: 9-5 (1st in MAC East) Biggest Losses Entering 2023: RB Jeffrey Flowers TE Aaron Thibodeaux TE Caleb Holman C Andre Mills DT Brady Whittaker OLB Elias Glenn CB Shawn Tillman SS Xavier Bailey

lol

For Ball State, competent QB. For Indianapolis, competent RB.

Huge shoutout to @acewulf for joining me and for creating the awesome Hype Graphic. Just ignore me immediately saying it's the 2023 National Championship, cause it's not.

Solomon going out with a damn bang

The 2023 Recruiting Class has been put together and the Ball State Football Program is proud to announce the Recruits C Jordan Phillips, Bishop State Community College (Mobile, AL), Pass Blocking, 4.5/4.5 Jordan comes to us from Bishop State Community College in Mobile, Alabama. Jordan's mother played Basketball at Ball State in the Late 90s. He has always had a connection to the University. He had no Division 1 Offers out of High School, and was ecstatic to get his offer from Ball State for his Final Year. OLB Dominique Brantley, Roberto Clemente Academy (IL), Blitz, 1.0/4.5 Brantley is a top player in the State of Illinois, but has chosen to leave the state to come play at Ball State. The Cards run a 3-4 Defensive Scheme and are looking for an elite pass rushing OLB, and they have found one in Dominique. He's likely to Red-Shirt for a year, and then get on the field in 2024. DE Samuel Cleveland, East Hanover High School (NJ), Contain, 2.0/4.0 The Card's next commit comes to us from New Jersey. Cleveland is a Top 3 Defensive End in the State of New Jersey, but will play his college ball in Muncie, Indiana. Look for Cleveland to start as a True Freshman. TE Joel Leone, Jr., Hales Franciscan High School (IL), Receiving, 1.0/4.0 Another Commit from the State of Illinois, Joel comes from Chicago (just as Brantley). Joel will likely be Red-Shirted as a Freshman before getting playing time in 2024. OG Jesse Clatterbuck, Leesville (Leesville, LA), Pass Blocking, 1/4 Many expected Clatterbuck to go to LSU to follow his older brother Jesse. However, he chose the Cardinals after getting early attention from Indiana and Eastern Michigan. Clatterbuck poses to be a multi-year starter for the Cards after a likely Red-Shirt season in 2023. K MItchell Randall, Ritenour (Overland, MO), Accuracy, 3.0/3.5 MItchell also received lots of attention from Arkansas, but chose to come to Muncie to play ball. Look for Randall to compete for a starting job immediately. OT Lucas Stanley, Maplewood-Richmond Heights (MO), Pass Blocking, 2.0/3.5 We faced stiff competition on Stanley with heated Rival, Northern Illinois. In the end, Ball State won the recruiting battle. Stanley will compete for a starting job in his freshman season. RB Javier Daniels, Notre Dame (IL), Speed, 1.5/3.5 The third Illinois Commit, Daniels will likely be Red-Shirted during his initial year in Muncie. Then he'll play behind Damani Laws for a year before getting a chance to get major snaps for the Cards. FS Caleb Wallace, Germantown High School (WI), Zone Coverage, 1.0/3.5 Our first Wisconsin commit is Caleb Wallace. Wallace may see some Special Teams action as a Freshman, then get a chance to compete for a starting spot as a Sophomore. WR Israel Hooks, Germantown High School (WI), Target, 1.0/3.5 Wallace's teammate and lifelong friend, Israel Hooks, has also joined the Cardinals. He won't get much playing time as a freshman, but should get some rotational work as a sophomore. ILB Jonah Sands, Hales Franciscan (Chicago, IL), Mike, 1.0/3.5 Another commit out of Chicago, Jonah will likely take a Red-Shirt as a freshman and then compete for a starting job. OT Marc Mcmullen, Winter Springs High School (FL), Pass Blocking, 3.0/3.0 Mcmullen is a high skilled freshman who will bring a base level of talent immediately. He should compete for a starting job right away. K Johnny Burkett, North Mesquite High School (TX), Power, 2.5/3.0 Burkett will get a chance to play next year following the graduation of Kenneth Godfrey. P Nikolas Harrington, J.A. Fair High School (AR), Accuracy, 2.0/3.0 Like Burkett, Harrington should be able to get on the field next year to replace another graduating starter (Junior Aragon). WR Mark Sheppard, Rock Hill (Rock Hill, SC), Speed, 1.5/3.0 Mark will come in next season and compete for jobs on Special Teams. He projects as a depth receiver for the Cards long term. ILB Walt Mahan, Horseheads (Horseheads, NY), Mike, 1.5/3.0 Walt will also likely play special teams as a freshman, before finding himself as a depth player for the Cards. OLB Jean Zarate, Clay (South Bend, IN), Coverage, 1.0/3.0 Jean will spend most of his career in Muncie as a Special Teams and depth player. RB Logan Spivey, Lompoc (Lompoc, CA), Power, 1.0/3.0 Spivey will not see the field much early on, but could see playing time later in his career as a short field specialist for the Cardinal offense. Breakdown by State: Alabama - 1 Arkansas - 1 California - 1 Florida - 1 Illinois - 4 Indiana - 1 Louisiana - 1 Missouri - 2 New Jersey - 1 New York - 1 South Carolina - 1 Texas - 1 Wisconsin - 2 Breakdown by Unit: Offense - 9 Defense - 6 Special Teams - 3

For Ball State, just making the Tournament would be huge. For Notre Dame, not losing to teams they shouldn't is nice. Those Elite Eight Runs were awesome.

Can I just get a rival to stay