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After a tense couple of weeks for Chippewa fans following the sudden departure of Coach Dan Enos, the Central Michigan Chippewas have finalized their recruiting class for 2015.The class includes 18 recruits, 16 of which are from in-state.
Meet the 2015 recruiting class for Central Michigan:
| Player | Hometown (School) | Pos | Rating | HT/WT | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Da'Quan Jamison | Leesburg, GA (Lee County) | DB | 3-star | 6'0"/178 | Y |
| Jamil Sabbagh | Dearborn, MI (Dearborn Fordson) | DB | 3-star | 6'1"/185 | Y |
| Jake Johnson | Dewitt, MI (Dewitt) | QB | 3-star | 6'1"/185 | Y |
| Steve Eipper | Greenville, MI (Greenville) | OL | 2-star | 6'4"/267 | Y |
| DeShawn Baker-Williams | Westland, MI (Westland-John Glenn) | DT | 2-star | 6'4"/291 | Y |
| Damon Terry | Lansing, MI (Everett) | WR | 2-star | 5'11"/187 | Y |
| Mike Danna | Detroit, MI (Warren De La Salle) | DL | 3-star | 6'2"/223 | Y |
| Derek Smith | Grand Rapids, MI (Kenowa Hills) | OL | 3-star | 6'5"/260 | Y |
| Austin Ervin | St. John's, MI (St. John's) | TE | 2-star | 6'5", 233 | Y |
| Romello Ross | Detroit, MI (Detroit Western) | RB | 3-star | 5'10"/185 | Y |
| Logan Slaughter | Mendon, MI (Mendon) | OL | 2-star | 6'3"/285 | Y |
| Dakota Kupp | Waterford, MI (Waterford Mott) | QB | 2-star | 6'1", 200 | Y |
| Bobby Banks | Detroit, MI (Southfield Christian) | ATH | 2-star | 5'11/186 | Y |
| Louis Grigoletti | Brookfield, Ill. (Riverside-Brookfield) | OL | 2-star | 6'3"/295 | Y |
| Brandon Childress | Baldwin, MI (Baldwin) | WR | 3-star | 6'3"/200 | Y |
| Carlos Clark | Belleville, MI (Belleville) | LB | 2-star | 6'0"/210 | Y |
| Shadid Bellamy | Oak Park, MI (Oak Park) | DT | 3-star | 6'1"/289 | Y |
| Michael Oliver | Detroit, MI (Cass Tech) | LB | 3-star | 5'11"/234 | Y |
2014 was another up-and-down season for the Chippewas, as they finished 7-6 overall after a thrilling loss to Western Kentucky in the Popeye's Bahamas Bowl. This season, Central Michigan will not only be without their coach of the last five years, but will also be without Thomas Rawls and Titus Davis, who together generated over 50% of the Chippewas' offense. With key departures on defense as well (Justin Cherocci, Leterrius Walton, Jason Wilson,) the Chippewas are looking to reload on both sides of the ball, and find key contributors fast.
NOTABLE SIGNEES:
Da'Quan Johnson: Early enrollee, one of two out-of-state commits. Should see time at the safety position.
Brandon Childress: played QB/WR and basketball at Baldwin HS, will sign as a WR. Had Division 1 basketball offers as well. Frame, size, and speed tab him the most likely replacement in this class for Davis.
DeShawn Baker-Williams: verbal commit to Buffalo before signing LOI with Central. Was originally a Central commit before Enos departure caused him to consider other offers.
Michael Oliver: explosive speed and hard-hitting at the linebacker position, despite being under six feet. Experience with both the inner and outside linebacker position. Attracted recruiters due to leadership skill.
Logan Slaughter: 4.0+ GPA in high school, will most likely play center with CMU. Known for being an intelligent field general with quick feet and lower body strength.
OVERALL TAKEAWAY:
looks to be a relatively solid, though not great, recruiting class. An emphasis was made on the both lines, with four O-Line commits and three D-Line commits. A couple quarterbacks were also added to the mix, and the recruits that stayed, including Baker-Williams and Childress will look to make impacts immediately. However, it is clear that having no coach affected the signing process, as Alexx Zielinski and Miller (considered the best overall prospect) decommitted and moved on from the Chippewas and promptly committed to Miami.
Chippewa fans will have to wait and see what the new coach will do with these recruits moving forward, but what is clear is that Central has set itself up to be a versatile and potentially explosive team, given some time to mature.