The MAC conference may not be the leading producer in Devy prospects, but they do produce their fair share. The conference also boasts some of the top college fantasy producers. I am going to walk you down the path of incoming freshman who you need to keep an eye on for Devy and College Fantasy purposes.
Quarterbacks
(Name, School, Ht, Wt, 247 Comp. Rating)
Dequan Finn, Toledo, 6’1”, 183, 0.8491
Finn enters Toledo as the highest-ranked QB coming into the MAC in 2019. He was previously a long-time commit to Central Michigan before flipping to Toledo prior to the early signing period. Finn displays good running ability and should be a good fit into what Toledo likes to do offensively. He appears smaller than his listed 183 lbs, and this factored into why he wasn’t recruited by Power 5 schools. Finn will need to add strength and bulk to last at the collegiate level, especially if he intends to use his legs a lot. He puts good zip on his passes and shows the ability to stretch the ball vertically down the field. Finn has the potential to be a good college fantasy contributor.
Brett Gabbert, Miami (OH), 6’0”, 190, 0.8477
The youngest of the Gabbert brothers, Brett, finds his way to the MAC. Brett has some size limitations that most likely stopped him from getting major interest from Power 5 schools, late in the recruiting process he did hear from the Miami Hurricanes but never received an official offer. As a senior, he completed 70% of his passes for 39 TDs and 2 INTs with over 3,000 passing yards. He benefited from throwing to very talented receivers. Gabbert is an accurate thrower who’s able to make quick decisions with the ball. He has the potential to put up some major numbers in an open passing attack. If the Redhawks can give Gabbert some playmakers outside, he has the skills to be a big fantasy producer.
Nick Kargman, Western Michigan, 6’3”, 175, 0.8265
Kargman finds his way to Western Michigan after a record-setting senior season. The Broncos got onto Kargman late in the process after Payton Thorne decommitted and went to Michigan State. As a senior, Kargman set the New Jersey state record for passing yards with 3,963. Despite this and other state records Kargman only received offers from Western Michigan and Rutgers. Kargman will need to add weight upon arriving on campus. He has a very thin build at this stage in his career, and his lack of strength shows with a lack of zip on his passes. He has a bit of a weird throwing motion but nothing that should hamper his success at the next level. With the talent that the Broncos have in the receiving corps, Kargman will have the chance to have decent success for fantasy purposes.
Trevor Bycznski, Buffalo, 6’5”, 220, 0.8220
The one-time Rice Owl commit will lace up his boots as a Buffalo Bull. Trevor is a very big kid and already displays college-level size. The big-bodied QB lacks mobility and will not a factor whatsoever with his feet in college. He possesses a very big arm and he’s able to zip passes all around the field. Bycznski threw 35 TDs as a senior but also threw 12 INTs on the season. He shows a gunslinger mentality that could get him into trouble in college. If he can limit the turnovers, he has the potential to be one of the better QBs in the conference.
Kurtis Rourke, Ohio, 6’4”, 200, 0.8085
Rourke is the younger brother of current Ohio Bobcat starting QB Nathan Rourke. Kurtis finds his way to Ohio via Canada. He possesses good size and shows an ability to make accurate downfield throws. He doesn’t have the running ability of his older brother, but he shows enough ability to scramble and get yards. He will have a big transition in terms of competition and learning the American style of football. He’ll need to improve his pocket presence. He has the tendency to bail out of the pocket quickly when he gets pressured. Rourke will need to develop the ability to make throws in tighter spaces, a lot of his Hudl film shows him completing passes to wide open receivers. As a senior, Rourke threw 25 TDs to just 2 INTs in 8 games while throwing for over 2,000 yards and rushing for over 500 yards.
Running Backs
Micah Kelly, Toledo, 5’10”, 190, 0.8586
Toledo was able to hang onto this potential difference maker who grabbed offers from schools like Kansas State, Louisville, and North Carolina State towards the February signing period. As a senior, Kelly ran for over 1,500 yards and 17 TDs to go along with a reported 4.48 40-yard dash. Kelly was the highest-rated RB to sign in the MAC for the 2019 class. Kelly shows the potential to have the highest ceiling of the entire MAC incoming class for both NFL and college fantasy purposes. He displays great speed and burst on film. He has a real chance to become a home run threat for the Rockets. Playing time in 2019 will most likely be sparse for Kelly due to returning RBs Bryant Koback and Sharif Seymour. The 2020 season will most likely his best chance to burst onto the MAC scene early in his career.
Peter Hayes-Patrick, Akron, 5’10”, 180, 0.8538
The younger brother of former Florida State RB Jacques Patrick. Hayes-Patrick claimed some early offers from Power 5 schools but only took official visits down the stretch to Akron and Toledo. As a senior, Hayes-Patrick ran for nearly 900 yards and 12 TDs in 7 games. He’s a very solid player who displays good skills as a downhill runner who lacks long speed. He shows good burst when hitting the line of scrimmage. He has the potential to be a two or three-year starter for the Zips. He has the ability to be a decent college fantasy producer for a couple of seasons.
Joachim Bangda, Kent State, 5’10”, 215, 0.8533
Bangda is a very intriguing player. He almost ended up at Georgia Tech, but after the coaching change, the new coaching staff didn’t express interest in him. He claimed offers from some bigger schools like Alabama, Boston College, and Indiana earlier in his recruiting process. He shows good power and is a north-south runner with not a lot of ability to move east-west. He has shown the ability to be an asset in the passing game at the high school level. He displays above-average speed once he’s able to hit top gear, but it takes him some time to build up to his top speed. It would not surprise me to see Bangda as a multiple-year starter for Kent State. He has the size and ability to be a workhorse back at the college level.
Lew Nichols III, Central Michigan, 5’11”, 200, 0.8805
Nichols was the highest-rated player to sign with Central Michigan in the 2019 class. Early in the recruiting process, he was wanted by some Power 5 schools before picking Central Michigan. He had an early top four schools of Cincinnati, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, and Purdue. As a senior, at Cass Tech High School, Nichols ran for 84/1078/23. Nichols displays good vision on film but lacks speed and burst to be a big-time back at the college level. He has the potential to be a solid MAC player, but Central Michigan has to dramatically improve its offensive line before any RB can be relied upon.
Darius Boone, Eastern Michigan, 5’11”, 190, 0.8204
Eastern Michigan was able to pull Darius Boone from the state of Oklahoma despite getting late offers from Iowa State and Tulsa. Boone is the second-highest rated RB in Eastern Michigan’s class, but I like him a lot more than fellow incoming freshman RB, John Branham Jr. During his senior season, Boone rushed for over 1,500 yards and 24 TDs. Boone shows great patience and vision when running the ball. He displays above-average speed and burst. Boone is a player that I could see really throwing together a couple of really productive seasons for Eastern Michigan. He could develop into a guy that leads the MAC in rushing for a season or two. I really like his upside relative to his conference.
Sean Tyler, Western Michigan, 5’9”, 175, 0.8308
Tyler signs with Western Michigan after a very low profile recruitment that saw him get two FBS offers (Eastern & Western Michigan). Tyler is a fast and explosive player, he also ran track in high school. Despite his smaller size, he does show the ability to break tackles but not consistently. He has the potential to become a big-play threat for the Broncos.
Other Notable RBs….
Michael Love, younger brother of former Notre Dame All-American DB Julian Love. Found his way to Northern Illinois. He’s a very small but electric player. Could play a number of roles – RB, slot, and return kicks. Had over 2,300 all-purpose yards and 25 TDs in 2018 … Walter Wilbon III will make the journey from Florida up to Ohio to play for the Bobcats. His final year in high school was an impressive one on the ground as he rushed for over 1,500 yards and 17 TDs, also had 19 catches for 5 TDs. A short, compact runner who lacks long speed but runs with great vision … Ontario Russell a one-time Missouri State commit who ended up signing with Miami (OH) after a late offer following his senior season. His final year saw him rush for over 1,000 yards and 17 TDs while hauling in another 17 catches for 4 TDs. Shows the ability to line up out wide and shows good playmaking ability in open space … Christian Singleton signed with Western Michigan out of Georgia. He’s a big-bodied back with average speed and good burst. Caught 37 passes during his junior season. Should be a nice one-two punch in the future with Sean Tyler.
Wide Receivers
Cameron Coleman, Western Michigan, 5’10”, 184, 0.8784
Coleman is the highest-ranked skill position player to sign with a MAC school in 2019. He received interest from schools like Florida State, Missouri, Nebraska, and Syracuse before signing with Western Michigan. He had big-time Power 5 offers after his sophomore year of high school. Prior to his junior season, he transferred to IMG Academy and only caught 15 passes for 137 yards on the season. He moved back to Saint Louis and saw many of his bigger offers disappear from schools after his lackluster season and not growing after his breakout during his earlier years. Coleman shows the ability to become a big-time player for the Broncos. With the transfer of Freshman All-American Jayden Reed, Coleman will have the opportunity to get early playing time.
Fabian McCray, Northern Illinois, 6’1”, 177, 0.8571
The one-time Illinois commit finds his way to the MAC. McCray displays average size but is quick and sudden off the line of scrimmage. Once in the open field he shows good speed and is tough to catch. McCray has the ability to be a multiple year starter for the Huskies. He’s an eventual WR1 for Northern Illinois.
Chris’Seon Stringer, Toledo, 6’3”, 180, 0.8512
Stringer is an intriguing in-state kid that stayed at Toledo. There’s not a lot of information available about his recruitment. It appears his only public offer was from Toledo after suffering an ACL injury prior to his junior season. He committed to the Rockets prior to his senior season. Stringer is an explosive athlete that balls out on the hardwood as well. He shows off good size and is pretty bulky at this current stage. His stride eats up a lot of ground, and he shows off impressive leaping ability. Has the skills to out-leap and defeat defenders at 50/50 balls. Stringer appears to be a high ceiling player that has a major opportunity to play early with Toledo losing their top three wideouts to the NFL.
Jalen McGaughy, Ball State, 6’3”, 195, 0.8477
Ball State hauls in McGaughy after he decommitted from Northern Illinois. He also received interest from Minnesota, Missouri, and Syracuse prior to flipping to Ball State. The Detroit native has the potential to play on the defensive side of the ball, but he’ll get his first crack on campus at WR. He shows the skills to stretch defenses deep. On screen-passes, he displays good ability to gain yards after the catch. McGaugh has good speed and shows off good fluidity when running through defenses.
Trevor Solomon-Wilson, Buffalo, 5’10”, 190, 0.8477
The Buffalo Bulls dipped into the state of Florida to get their next top WR. Solomon-Wilson had a terrific senior season that saw him haul in 30 catches for 874 yards and 11 TDs. He claimed offers from Cincinnati, Maryland, and Memphis, Solomon-Wilson will have the opportunity to play early with the Bulls losing the majority of its receiving production from 2018. He’s one of the fastest if not the fastest incoming freshman to the MAC. He should be able to provide an immediate deep threat option to the Bulls’ offense.
Other Notable WRs…
MarShawn Foster, Chicago native signed with Western Michigan. Big bodied WR that has good straight-line speed. Senior stats and film are impossible to come by … Rahmon Hart is the second incoming Ball State WR to make the list. Hart already has a good, stout build and shows off above-average speed. Reminds me of current Ball State WR Justin Hall, but Hart has a touch more speed … Bowling Green was able to add Michigan native Tyrone Broden to its roster. Broden possesses elite height – he’s listed at 6’4” – but at 170 lbs, he will certainly need to bulk up and add mass to his frame. Early in his recruiting process, he held offers from Indiana, Purdue, and Syracuse. He shows good straight line speed and has the skills to be a deep threat for Bowling Green. Very high ceiling if he can piece it all together.
Tight Ends
Tyler Foster, Ohio, 6’6”, 235, 0.8688
Foster was the second-highest rated skill player to sign in the MAC for 2019. Foster didn’t garner a Power 5 scholarship offer, but he did get interest from Ohio State after his senior season. He only was able to play in seven games due to injury, but he caught 32 passes for 495 yards and 5 TDs. He shows the versatility to catch passes as an in-line TE as well as being able to flex outside. On film, his listed size looks legit and he runs pretty well for a 6’6” TE. The Bobcats have not been known for their TE usage so Foster could be a low producer despite being a multi-year starter.
Justin Stephens, Toledo, 6’7”, 235, 0.8668
The Rockets were able to keep Stephens in-state despite having offers from Iowa, Kentucky, and Michigan State where he made an official visit. Stephens’ height looks pretty close to 6’7”, but his weight appears to be closer to 210 or so. He flexed out wide a lot in high school. He shows good ability to defeat defenders on 50/50 balls. Shows good straight-line speed for a guy of his size. Stephens also is a good high school basketball player.
Athlete
Jerjuan Newton Toledo, 6’0”, 170, 0.8614
Newton is a two-way player that could end up as a DB, RB, or WR at the next level. As a senior in Florida, Newton ran for 202 yards and 6 TDs to go along with 1,076 receiving yards and 7 TDs. He drew interest from Boston College, Maryland, USF, and West Virginia before committing to the Rockets. It appears that Newton will start out at the WR position upon arriving at Toledo. Newton displays top-notch speed and burst with his play on the field. He is the type of player that Toledo just needs to get the ball in his hands and let him make a difference in a game. Newton has the skills to become a game-breaker down the road.
