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2003 MAC Football Recruiting - WMU Broncos

Overview

The Broncos welcome a class of 22 players from seven different states, focusing on the Midwest. WMU did a tremendous job at signing top talent from Michigan, where the Detroit Free Press listed six of the nine players who committed from that state as top-50 recruits. Two JUCOs, one transfer, and 19 incoming freshmen made for a very well balanced class. Twelve players were singed for offense, five of which are WRs, and nine players on defense, with five of those being DBs. Speed as also addressed as one-third of this class runs a 4.5/40 or better within this incoming class.

Highlights

Coach Darnell continues to go after big WRs with speed. This year’s class has Brian Jackson (6-4), Kelly Martin (6-4), Antwain Allen (6-2), Derek Szafranski (6-2), and the little guy, Jermaine Copeland (6-1).
DT James Blair was listed as a top-100 prospect in the Midwest by most recruiting services. At 6-4, 320, he can play either OG or DT and already can bench-press over 400 pounds. He is initially coming in as a DT.
Darnell mined the Detroit area for some excellent talent. DT Dezmond Gray had offers from Iowa & Maryland; LB/SS James Ellison has 4.4 speed turned down Big 10 offers, while Nic Saad is a rugged RB who can also play LB.
All three offensive linemen come from Illinois.
QB Ryan Cubit is included in this class after transferring from Rutgers to WMU. His father was the offensive coordinator for the Scarlet Knights after previously being an assistant coach for WMU in the late 1990s.

Final Thoughts

I was not fond of WMU class last year as they hit the junior college circuit hard for marginal players. This year’s class is probably Coach Darnell’s best and it’s good to see the Broncos take over Midwest recruiting, especially the Detroit area, so well. Western Michigan has the best overall football facilities in the MAC and Darnell certainly used this to his advantage. This class rates as EXCELLENT compared to the other MAC classes this year. Needs were met, depth was established, and quality players with speed and strength were added.

Antwain	Allen	WR/DB	6-2	205	Chicago,	IL-Kenwood Academy	All-City; 4.55 speed
DeRae	Allen	CB	5-11	181	Lovejoy,	GA-Lovejoy	2nd Team All-State; Top 100 CB by Insiders.com
Chris	Bartula	OT	6-6	276	Carol Stream,	IL-Glenbard North	All-Conference; All-Area
James	Blair	DT	6-4	320	Detroit,	MI-Pershing	All-State Dream Team; #11 player in MI
Darrell	Copeland	S	6-1	198	Jonesboro,	GA-Jonesboro	All-Area; All-Conference
Jermaine	Copeland	WR	6-1	174	Lovejoy,	GA-Lovejoy	All-State H.M.; 4.3 speed
Ryan	Cubit	QB	6-3	215	Columbia,	MO-Rutgers transfer	Started as a Frosh at Rutgers; 2 years elg. Remain
Tyson	DeVree	TE/H	6-6	215	Hudsonville,	MI-Hudsonville	1st Team All-State; #23 ranked player in MI
Steve	Douglas	OL	6-4	285	Joliet,	IL-Catholic Academy	All-State; Top-100 player in IL
Dezmond	Gray	DL	6-4	288	Detroit,	MI-Cass Tech	All-City; 23 tackles for loss-senior year
James	Ellison	OLB/SS	6-1	202	Detroit,	MI-Western International	All-Metro H.M.; #21 player in MI; 4.4 speed
Keith	Hinton	DB	5-11	195	Miami,	FL-American	All-Dade County; Special Teams POY
Brian	Jackson	WR	6-4	180	Lansing,	MI-Sexton	All-Area Dream Team; #46 player in MI
Mike	Jones	K	6-1	160	Miami	Monsignor Pace	All-State kicker; punter & place-kicks
Oseloka	Keys	QB	6-4	185	Ann Arbor,	MI-Pioneer	Dual threat QB; All-Meetro; #27 in MI
Robbie	Krutilla	OL	6-3	295	Chicago,	IL-Mt. Carmel	All-League
Shawntey	Lopez	S	6-2	206	Fremont,	CA-West Valley CC	All-JUCO team by FootballNetwork.com
Kelly	Martin	WR	6-4	175	Lafayette,	IN-McCutcheon	1st Team All-State; #2 ranked WR in IN
Darryl	McFadden	LB	6-2	220	Detroit,	MI-Pershing	2nd Team All-State
Nic	Saad	RB	6-3	217	Remus,	MI-Chippewa Valley	All-State; Conference MVP; #38 in MI
Dan	Steinau	LB	5-11	215	El Toro,	CA-Orange Coast CC	1st Team All-Conference; Team MVP
Derek	Szafranski	WR	6-2	200	Battle Creek,	MI-Harper Creek	All-City; 4.5 speed; 35 career TDs

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