2009 MAC Recruiting - What It All Means

How does the 2009 MAC recruiting class really affect the college football world?

Recruiting 2009 ... MAC

Ranking the MAC classes

East  Akron | Bowling Green | Buffalo | Kent St | Miami Univ. | Ohio | Temple
West  Ball St | Central Mich | Eastern Mich | No Illinois | Toledo | West Mich

- CFN Recruiting 2009
- 2008 CFN MAC recruiting rankings
- 2007 CFN MAC Recruiting Rankings
- 2006 CFN MAC Recruiting Rankings

1. Central Michigan   CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 2
The class is heavy on ... Running backs. The idea is to get as many good athletes as possible and find positions for them, and the Chippewas have brought in four good backs, led by the small, but speedy, Malek Redd, along with two good receivers in Cody Wilson and Ronny Kennedy who aren’t all that big, but can be used in a variety of ways.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... TE Bobby James
The player you might care about this year ... CB Darrick Scott
What it all means to the real world of college football ... With a big haul of players, and several good ones, Central Michigan is all but certain to be a part of the MAC race for the next several years. There isn’t a lot of bulk, but there’s a whole bunch of speed and quickness for the offense.  

2. Bowling Green   CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 8
The class is heavy on ... Quarterbacks. New head coach Dave Clawson needs quarterbacks to work with for the near future, and he brought in three of them with Matthew Schilz the best of the lot, Austin Collier a more mobile option, and Alex Thomas a dark-horse bomber who could be in the mix a few years from now.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... QB Matthew Schilz
The player you might care about this year ... DE Dylan Farrington
What it all means to the real world of college football ... It’s all about getting the offense rolling under Clawson, and this class is designed to set off the fireworks in the near future. With Tyler Sheehan already the main man, the quarterback prospects will get at least two years to learn and mature. The defense wasn’t ignored with several players brought in for the line.

3. Western Michigan   CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 7
The class is heavy on ... Offensive linemen. Ben Samson has the potential to be an anchor at one tackle spot, while the guard prospects, particularly Mark Zielinski and Josh Hadel, have big-time potential. The defense didn’t get a whole bunch of help.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... RB Brian Fields
The player you might care about this year ... DE T.J. Lynch
What it all means to the real world of college football ... The passing game got a bunch of help with two quarterbacks and several receiver prospects, and almost all the targets fit a type. The Broncos like big receivers, and in come a slew of 6-2ish, 190-pound players with Josh Schaffer the best prospect of the bunch. This isn’t a class that’ll put the Broncos over the top this year, but it’s a good one.

4. Temple     CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 1
The class is heavy on ... Guards. Temple has gone heavy on skill players over the last few years, loading up on receivers and running backs last year, and it also brought in the guards. The Owls did it again with several very good prospects for the interior of the offensive line with Cody Bohler and Darryl Pringle ready-made blockers who could make an impact right away. The best prospect for the front is Kadeem Custis, a tackle.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... OT Kadeem Custis
The player you might care about this year ... WR Keith Carlos
What it all means to the real world of college football ... After putting together some of the MAC’s best recruiting classes over the last few seasons, Temple took a minor step back … but not a major one. This class is about the offensive line and filling in a few holes with JUCO transfers, and it’s a class that might pay off now. Al Golden isn’t afraid to play freshman right away; he always puts in the most talented player regardless of seniority.

5. Northern Illinois     CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 13
The class is heavy on ... The passing game. Head coach Jerry Kill got a full recruiting season to work, and he brought in some playmakers to beef up a passing attack that struggled last year. Quarterbacks A.J. Hill and Jordan Lynch are strong prospects, and while there aren’t any receiver standouts, there are a lot of them and they can move.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... OG Matt Krempel
The player you might care about this year ... P Josh Wilber
What it all means to the real world of college football ... This was a nice class after the disaster of the 2008 recruiting season. Kill never had a chance to do much of anything, and his recruiting haul was arguably the weakest in the MAC. He made up for it with a nice group with a little bit for all spots, and a few interesting prospects who had options to go several places. Enough JUCO prospects were brought in to fill in a few cracks.

6. Ball State     CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 10
The class is heavy on ... Skill players and linebackers. The defense got three interesting linebackers for the inside, led by Jacob Green, while the outside was addressed with a few players. It’s strength in numbers time for the offense with several running backs and receivers to go along with QB Aaron Mershman. RB Eric Williams is the best prospect of the bunch.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... LB Jacob Green
The player you might care about this year ... QB Aaron Mershman
What it all means to the real world of college football ... New head coach Stan Parrish’s job one was to keep the recruits pitched by Brady Hoke and his staff. He did a decent job, and while there weren’t enough stars brought in to make up for the loss of several stars off last years team, it’s not a bad class considering it could’ve been a disaster after Hoke bolted for San Diego State.

7. Miami University     CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 4
The class is heavy on ... Bodies. This is a big class full of a variety of prospects that don’t necessarily fit a type, and with a program that fell off the map with one of the most disappointing, disastrous seasons of any team in America, it’s rebuilding time. The idea will be to use this class to build towards the future; don’t expect a whole bunch of help right away.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... TE Steve Marck
The player you might care about this year ... LB Austin Moore
What it all means to the real world of college football ... New head coach Michael Haywood needed to come in and do whatever he could with a short time to work. The offensive front got some help at guard, and there are a slew of defensive linemen, even if they’re non-descript, so the hope will be for the MU lines to be beefed up from this class by 2011.
 
8. Kent State   CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 6
The class is heavy on ... Wide receivers. There aren’t a lot of them, but a team that has been so reliant on the running game got a few decent targets to help the passing attack. Is Tyshon Goode a running back or a receiver? It doesn’t matter; he’s the best incoming playmaker who could make an impact right away in a variety of ways. The defensive line was all but ignored.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... OT Bryan Wagner
The player you might care about this year ... RB/WR Tyshon Goode
What it all means to the real world of college football ... Outside of Goode, there’s nothing here to get too fired up about for the 2009 season. This isn’t a big class for right now, and there isn’t any one area the coaching staff tried to beef up in a desperate way. Doug Martin and his staff have consistently brought in some decent prospects, and while this year’s class is just okay, it needs to be decent relatively quickly.

9. Toledo     CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 3
The class is heavy on ... Defensive backs. There are several decent incoming defensive ends/linebackers, and the passing game got a boost for the future, but it’s the secondary that got the most help with four corner prospects, led by the lightning fast Byron Best, and safety Jermaine Robinson, who might be ready to play right away.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... LB Dan Molls
The player you might care about this year ... CB Byron Best
What it all means to the real world of college football ... New head coach Tim Beckman didn’t have a ton of time to operate, but he did a decent job of bringing in some new players while keeping several of Tom Amstutz’s recruits. The Rockets went heavy on talent two years ago, went big on depth last year, and now was about holding serve for the future. If QB Austin Dantin turns into a player in 2011, this class all of a sudden becomes a lot better.

10. Akron     CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 5
The class is heavy on ... Wide receivers. The immediate help is at cornerback, but the bulk is at receiver. There aren’t any five-star, sure-thing prospects, but there are a lot of them with various types and sizes. New QB Patrick Nicely, a passer, will have targets to work with once he becomes part of the mix in three years.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... QB Patrick Nicely
The player you might care about this year ... CB Diamond Weaver
What it all means to the real world of college football ... After going big on defensive backs last year, Akron went to try to help out the secondary for right now with Deonte Ball and Diamond Weaver from the JUCO ranks. The lines were totally ignored and there isn’t a sure-thing starter in the offensive lot for at least a few years.

11. Ohio   CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 9
The class is heavy on ... Hope for last year’s class. Last year’s class was about boosting up the passing game, and this year’s group is really, really light in all areas. There weren’t a lot of openings, so the staff went heavy on a few stars. Jon Lechner could be a special offensive tackle, while LB Dylan Reda should be a good one.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... OT Jon Lechner
The player you might care about this year ... LB Dylan Reda
What it all means to the real world of college football ... Don’t expect a whole bunch of help from this year’s class for the 2009 season. Next year is when the bigger class will need to come, and there isn’t the instant influx of players, like QB Boo Jackson last year, expected to change anything around right away.

12. Eastern Michigan   CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 11
The class is heavy on ... Defensive line. The last few classes have addressed the offense with a bulk of prospects coming in, and this year’s smallish class got a little bit of help on the ends. Melvin Crews is more of a tweener and Devon Davis should be moved to linebacker early on until he hits the weights, but Orlando McCord could grow into a player early on.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... QB Tom Chroniger
The player you might care about this year ... S Nick Olds
What it all means to the real world of college football ... EMU didn’t have room for a lot of new players, and that’s a good thing considering new head coach Ron English didn’t have a full season to recruit. He came up with a few prospects for the line and a possible quarterback in Chroniger for down the road, but that’s about it.

13. Buffalo     CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 13
The class is heavy on ... Offensive line. The small class didn’t get much in the way of bulk talent, but a few decent offensive linemen, especially at guard, are coming in to build for the future. There aren’t a lot of holes to fill right away with depth already built in from the last two classes, and this class showed it.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... LB Nick Sizemore
The player you might care about this year ... OG Jeremy Johnson
What it all means to the real world of college football ... Buffalo had one of the MAC’s worst recruiting classes last year after getting hurt by rumors of head coach Turner Gill going off to Nebraska, and this year’s recruiting class was killed by rumors of Gill going elsewhere. It’s almost a given that he won’t be at UB next year, but that’s not why this class isn’t considered strong; there simply aren’t a lot of players being brought in because there aren’t many openings.