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2004 MAC Football Recruiting - Eastern Michigan Eagles

Overview

New head coach Jeff Genyk welcomes 22 players in his first class, 16 of which are from Michigan.  Geynk was a finalist for BG’s head coaching job a few years back when Urban Meyer got the gig.  Geynk comes to EMU from Northwestern, where he was a recruiting coordinator and his territory was the Detroit area.  There is a strong “Motown” flavor to this class.  The Eagles have 13 players from the metro-Detroit area, which is much different philosophy than the recruiting efforts of the previous coach Jeff Woodruff, or his predecessor, Rick Rasnick, who preferred JUCOs.  EMU signed six of the top-50 players from their home state, with the headliners being DT/OL prospect DeMarko Hughes, and DB Kyle Wasson.  Hughes is a load and should be an immediate impact player as should Wasson, a second team all-state pick who received a reported late offer from Purdue, along with Northwestern & Iowa.  The linemen in this class are much bigger and on paper seem to be more physical than EMU’s previous classes.  Getting better in the trenches is the most immediate concern for this program.

Highlights

• The defensive line was the area of most emphasis in this class and along with Hughes, Greg Egbuogu (6-3 290), Chris Larkins (6-3 260) & Joe Charles (6-2 285) look to add bulk and strength to a current defensive line that averages around 270-pounds per man and were often pushed around.
• Other impact players Darran Matthews, MacKenzie Lyons & Duan Bracey.  EMU was able to hold on these players even though they received offers from Cincinnati and other MAC programs.  All of these players bring much needed size and speed to their respected positions.
• Looking to upgrade the talent at QB, the new coaching staff brought in three prospects to evaluate.  All three of these players can play multiple positions and are very athletic.  Along with Joe Charles, another impact player not from the state of Michigan is OT Ross Peterson, a 6-6 285-pounder who was a top-100 player in Illinois.
• It I reported that 13 of these players in this class have a GPA of 3.0 or better, so there is a chance that many of these players will be able to play right away, and given the talent on the EMU roster right now, have a shot to make their two-deep lineup this fall. 

Final Thoughts

It has been a long time since I liked an EMU class and this certainly is their best since I’ve been doing these recruiting analysis beginning in 1999.  Genyk did the right and addressed their most pressing need, the defensive line, along with the entire defense.  EMU cannot continue to give up 40-something points per game and be competitive in a very good MAC West division.  Getting players like Hughes and Wasson is a coup for this program.  While this class rates as AVERAGE compared to the others signed this year, this class may have the biggest impact to their program than any other.  EMU did well this year Eagles fans.

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