Overview:Coach Jeff Woodruff welcomes 21 players from seven different states to
his recruiting class.The primary areas recruited were Michigan (7), Ohio (6) &
Florida (4).Unlike the previous
three classes under Woodruff were getting Division IA bodies was the goal, this
year specific positions were focused upon and EMU was able to sign players for
specific needs.Unlike former Coach
Rick Rasnick who went heavily into the JUCO each year, Woodruff has chosen the
traditional freshman approach with only two players from the junior college
ranks coming in this fall.
Highlights:
WR
Greg Lowe II was a late bloomer at Shaker Heights High School just east of
Cleveland.After a big senior season, the 4.4/40 speedster came
from nowhere to be ranked as the 16th best prospect and the #2 WR
in the state.Lowe is one of
four players from the Cleveland area to sign with EMU this year.
Two
local talents signed with EMU, Kenneth Bohnet, a quality pro-style QB, and
RB Pierre Walker, the #13 rated prospect in Michigan who rushed for over
2,000 yards as a senior.
In
a continued effort to get bigger and more physical in the trenches, EMU
singed massive OL prospects Chris Thomas (6-5, 330) & Khalid Walton
(6-6, 300) and big DTs Adolphio Johnson (6-2, 297) & Kyle Westman (6-1,
290).
Chris
Thomas originally gave a verbal to Iowa, but after the Hawkeyes landed in a
BCS game this year, Iowa moved ahead and gave this scholarship to someone
else, thus freeing Thomas up late and able to sign with Eastern Michigan
EMU
had the MAC worst defense, signed just seven players for that side of the
ball in this class.The new
Eagle defensive coordinator is Tim Rose, was the former head coach of Miami
(O) and most recently the DC for East Carolina,
Final
Thoughts:
After
four years, Coach Woodruff finally has a team that is close to the
85-scholarship limit allowed by the NCAA.The
Eagles did a good job at finding some speed at wide-out and some quality big
bodies for the interior line positions.EMU could have done a better job at getting some impact
defensive players for this season, but considering this program has been playing
so many freshmen and sophomores, there is little opportunity for immediate
playing time for this incoming class.Overall
this class rate as AVERAGE
compared to other MAC schools, but it’s
worth noting that there is talent coming into Ypsilanti.
