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Over the past month, just about every MAC school received commitments at one point or another. The recruiting trail is heating up and the Mid-American conference is recruiting at a rapid pace. Overall, even with a few de-commitments, schools are seeing their recruiting classes take their shape.
Schools like Miami and Northern Illinois have had a busy month while Western Michigan has not been landing the big time recruits that they once were. Even though schools have been slowly gaining ground on Western Michigan, is it enough to dethrone the Broncos from the top spot in our power rankings this month? Find out below:
No. 1 Western Michigan | LM: 1 | Commits: 21
Western Michigan has seemed to lose some steam this month on the recruiting trail and for the first time, they were not the unanimous number one in our Power Rankings. The de-commitment of S Richie Kittles is a huge blow as he was a guy who could make an impact right away. LB Junior McMullen is currently committed to Western Michigan but is also considering other schools at this time.
Marquee Verbals: (LB) Junior McMullen, (S) Jamal Brown, (OL) John Keenoy, (QB) Jon Wassink, (RB) Davon Tucker, (DB) Davontar Ginwright, and (ATH) Anton Curtis.
No. 2 Miami | LM: 2 | Commits: 16
Miami is surging on the recruiting trail. It seems that coach Martin was just collecting quality running backs this past month. Leonard Ross from Lyons Township High School seems to be a solid get for the RedHawks. However Isaiah Hill, Joshua Allen, and Maurice Thomas all have great potential. I would not be surprised to be a few of these guys switch over to defensive back once they get to Oxford. The only hiccup that coach Martin and his staff experienced was when 3-star tight end Nate Vejvoda decommitted from Miami and then gave his verbal to Iowa. This shows you the type of talent that the RedHawks are going after on the recruiting trail. If Miami has another solid month, they could very well overtake Western Michigan next month.
Marquee Verbals: (QB) Billy Bahl, (LB) Carter Masek, (OL Ian Leever, (OT) Ryan Mullen, (TE) Cole Chewins, and (RB) Joshua Allen.
No. 3 NIU | LM: 4 | Commits: 19
Northern Illinois had a great month especially for their offensive line. Commitments from Nate Veloz and Jordan Steckler were huge for them. It was also nice to see the Huskies pick up hometown star Marcus Jones. With all the commitments rolling in from Florida and other states, it is nice to know that the Huskies did not forget about all the talent right in their backyard. 3-star linebacker Josh Corcoran was also a huge momentum booster for the Huskies. NIU has slowly been climbing the charts over the past few months and if they can keep the momentum going it could be a 3-way battle for the top spot in the MAC very soon.
Marquee Verbals: (OG) Nathan Veloz, (OT) Vince Hughes, (RB) D.J. Brown, (WR) Steven Lee, (ATH) Sutton Smith, and (LB) Josh Corcoran.
No. 4 Toledo | LM: 3 | Commits: 19
Toledo, like Miami, loaded up on running backs this month. 3-star running back Nevone McCrimmon chose Toledo over offers from Boston College and Wake Forest. Arthur Thompkins is small but has great speed and could develop into a Dri Archer type for the Rockets. The potential duo of McCrimmon and Thompkins in Toledo's backfield is a scary thought for their MAC opponents. Overall, Toledo had a solid month and their class is shaping up to be another good one.
Marquee Verbals: (RB) Nevone McCrimmon, (RB) Arthur Thompkins, (LB) Tyler Taafe, (OL) Chandler Cotterman, (OL/DT) Bryce Harris, (OT) Cameron Bell, and (QB) Mitchell Guadagni.
No. 5 BGSU | LM: 6 | Commits: 12
Bowling Green continued to stockpile talent on the defensive side of the ball this month. Commitments from Rahn Bailey and Eddy Wilson are solid gets for the Falcons. Even though Bowling Green only has 12 verbal commitments so far the quality of their recruits have been very impressive to date. With already 10 commitments from defensive players, look for coach Babers and his staff to turn their focus to the offensive side of the ball on the recruiting trail to round out his first recruiting class as a Falcon.
Marquee Verbals: (QB) James Morgan, (DT) Jack Kramer, (DE/OLB) Rahn Bailey, and (DT) Eddy Wilson.
No. 6 CMU |LM: 5 | Commits: 17
After a hot start to the recruiting year Central Michigan has slowed down a bit lately. They experienced a slow month for the most part despite a commitment last week from tight end Alex Zielinski. With 17 commitments already, it seems as if Central Michigan could be slowing down on the recruiting trail.
Marquee Verbals: (DT) Shahid Bellamy, (QB) Jake Johnson, (WR/DB) Jamil Sabbagh, and (RB) Romello Ross.
No. 7 Ball State | LM: 7 | Commits: 13
Ball State's three commitments this month were all on the defensive side of the ball. Abdallah Jaffal is an athletic linebacker who has some serious potential. With Armani McNulty already in the fold, Ball State is slowly building a solid class on defense.
Marquee Verbals: (QB) Riley Neal, (RB) James Gilbert, (LB) Abdallah Jaffal, (DB) Armani McNulty, and (TE) Kyle Schrank.
No. 8 Eastern Michigan LM: 9 | Commits: 13
Eastern Michigan had a busy month and the jump in ranking reflects that. 3-star DT Nick Dillon looks to be a great get for the Eagle's coaching staff. RB Eddie Daugherty has the potential to be the next superstar running back once Bronson Hill graduates. Coach Creighton is slowly building a quality first class considering Eastern Michigan's football troubles the past few years.
Marquee Verbals: (QB/P) Brian Alsobrooks, (OT) Rob Pavletich, (LB) Demetrius Colbert, (DT) Nick Dillon, and (RB) Eddie Daugherty.
No. 9 Ohio | LM: 8 | Commits: 11
Ohio has slowly declined on our list over the past two months. WR Kyle Belack and QB Quinton Maxwell are good gets oozing with potential. Maxwell is a speedy quarterback who could wind up switching over to wide receiver once he gets to Athens. If Ohio slowly gains momentum, by signing day they could be back up to as high as 6 on our Power Rankings.
Marquee Verbals: (RB) Trae Williams, (LB) London Cloud, (DT) Brian Arp, and (WR) Kyle Belack.
No. 10 Buffalo | LM: T-11 | Commits: 6
Last month Buffalo and UMass actually tied for 11th in our July Power Rankings, however this month Buffalo gets the edge. Some might ask why that is since Buffalo only received one commitment over the past month. But their one commitment was 3-star QB Tyree Jackson who is just oozing with potential. The Bulls beat out Western Michigan for Jackson so that was a huge win for them. If Buffalo can hold off a possible late surge from bigger programs for Jackson and then add a few more recruits of the same caliber then they will see their ranking rise quickly.
Marquee Verbals: (QB) Tyree Jackson, (WR) Brandon Smiley, (DB) Cameron Lewis, (DT) Duke Hwang, and (TE) Matt Seybert.
No. 11: UMass | LM: T-11 | Commits: 6
UMass had a busy month for their standards, picking up four commitments. Five of the six Minutemen's commits play either defensive line or offensive line. It is clear that coach Whipple is looking to add more beef up front. Not much is known about any of the UMass commits but the Minutemen could sure use some improved protection of the quarterback.
Marquee Verbals: (OT) Derek Dumais, (OG) Jack Driscoll, (OL) Michael Yerardi, (OT) Joe Parsons, and (ATH) Lee Moses.
No. 12 Kent State | LM: 10 | Commits: 5
Not much to report on the Golden Flashes this month as all was quiet. LB Nick Faulkner looks to be a high potential guy for Kent State along with rocket armed quarterback Jakobi Meyers. The Golden Flashes need to stay patient and look for quality guys that fit the program as opposed to rushing and just signing guys to fill scholarship spots.
Marquee Verbals: (LB) Nick Faulkner, (OL) Conor Brumfield, (QB) Jakobi Meyers, (LB) Troy Dipre, and (OT) Alex Hoag.
No. 13 Akron | LM: 13 | Commits: 2
It happens every month. Almost right after we publish our fresh edition of power rankings, another recruit commits to a MAC school. This month it was ATH Jaquavis Dixon out of the Sunshine State. With only two commitments, it will be interesting to see how the ZIps' class shape out.
Marquee Verbals: (LB) Tyler Shipman and ATH Jaquavis Dixon.