:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47067038/20141205_213131.0.0.jpg)
If you thought July was slow in terms of recruiting, August was even slower. The only major news at the top came in the form of a de-commitment. At this point, the biggest challenge these programs will face from now until National Signing Day is keeping their classes intact as much as possible.
De-commitments are becoming more and more common throughout recruiting, not just within the MAC. Although, a lot of recruits may de-commit from a MAC program to head off for the supposed greener pastures of a P5 program, there have been instances where recruits have flipped from bigger programs, most recently Miami signee, 3-star WR James Gardner. 3-star defensive back Deontai Williams flipped from Georgia to Ohio on NSD 2015, however it doesn't look like he will ever suit up for the Bobcats as he has not enrolled.
With the season starting this weekend, recruits will start taking unofficial and official visits to various programs across the country. Look for recruiting activity to pick up a little over the next month or so as recruits get a taste of the college football game-day atmosphere.
As far as this month's rankings, they are as followed:
Tier 1: The Best
1. Western Michigan | Commits: 19 | LM: T-1
2. Miami | Commits: 22 | LM: T-1
3. Toledo | Commits: 18 | LM: 3
In all honesty, it would be more accurate to list these teams as "1a, 1b, and 1c" instead of ranking them one through three. Many of you may be saying to yourself, how does Western break the tie with Miami despite losing 3-star DT Amir Watts? With Miami pretty much staying put for the foreseeable future, Western Michigan has since landed an under-the-radar tight end from the Land of Lincoln. Adding him into the mix on top of the talented coup that the Bronco's staff has put together, this gives WMU the edge ...for now.
Toledo probably has the most room for growth as they still have a few spots to fill this recruiting class. Miami's class seems to be full for the time being, however that could always change if someone winds up having a change of heart.
Tier 2: The Others
4. Ball State | Commits: 16 | LM: 4
5. Bowling Green | Commits: 16 | LM: 6
6. Ohio | Commits: 16 | LM: 5
After the top three schools, there a bit of a drop off. With Ball State seemingly cooling off, Bowling Green landed a marquee recruit earlier this month in 3-star OL Caleb Bright. Bright chose the Falcons over Buffalo and Ohio although he held several other offers. Although Ohio may have missed out on Bright, they were able to add Colerain (Cincinnati) OL Desmond Noel giving them their fifth offensive lineman of the class.
Tier 3: Good start, but plenty to work on
7. Buffalo | Commits: 8 | LM: 7
8. NIU | Commits: 10 | LM: 8
Personally, I really like both Buffalo and NIU's classes to date. 3-star LB Tyreek Williams is a stud and a great fit at Buffalo. Unfortunately, the only problem I have at the moment with both programs is their class size. It's hard to rank these two schools higher than a school like Ohio who has a similar amount of quality recruits, yet almost double the commitments. Over time, I think both programs have the opportunity to move up to as high as number four on these rankings.
Tier 4: Lacking impact commit(s)
9. CMU | Commits: 9 | LM: 9
10. EMU | Commits: 10 | LM: 11
11. Kent State | Commits: 5 | LM: 10
Yes, 3-star DL Leon Page qualifies as an impact commit for the Chips. Even with Page, there still is a decent separation between them and NIU. EMU gets the nod over Kent State this month by a slim margin. Kevin McGill fills a huge need for the Eagles. Kent State got off to a frustratingly good start in 2016. Once they landed QB Darius Bradwell, it seemed they would take off and land some playmakers to put around him. However, RB Sam Thomas is the only other skill player currently committed. Don't get me wrong, that's an extremely solid start but the Golden Flashes will need to add more quality recruits if they want to move up.
Tier 5: Just here so I don't get fined
12. UMass | Commits: 4 | LM: 12
13. Akron | Commits: 3 | LM: 13
You can read all about the Minutemen's newest kicker commitment courtesy of Hustle Belt's newest contributor. Who knows, maybe one of these programs will go from worst to first in just a month. I wouldn't bet on it though.