Head Coach: Chris Creighton is entering his 12th season as the head coach of the Eagles with a 57-75 record. That record does not pop out at you but when you add context, it becomes impressive. Before Creighton arrived in 2014, the program’s last winning season was in 1995 and their last bowl appearance was in 1987. In 2016 he shattered both of those, the year after they beat Rutgers for their first ever power conference win, they now have 4 of those.
Program Outlook: Creighton’s efforts with the program have been so impressive he’s made a lot of people forget how tough it was to win here. In total, Creighton is responsible for 6 of the program’s 7 bowl games and 4 of their 10 winning seasons. He’s taken a once tough job and elevated this program to new heights. There’s been a lot of change since then, under his watch facilities improved, they now have the gray turf and a defensive lineman named Maxx Crosby developed into one of the NFLs more terrorizing Dlinemen under Creighton’s watch. Crosby is now in a remote GM role with the program and is significantly investing in elevating it. I really enjoy seeing star athletes take pride in the program they went to school at.
How does the 2025 Roster look?: Eastern Michigan ranks 116th in the country returning 39.5% of their production per Punt and Rally’s returning production rankings. Key players starts with the offensive line, where the Eagles return a lot of experience, it had its issues but they have the options to improve this year. Receiver Terry Lockett led the way last year so getting him back is huge. Now who will throw to him? Currently the options are transfer Noah Kim who played quite a bit for a struggling Michigan State team in 2023, went to Coastal Carolina last year and didn’t win the job but was ok when he played. There’s also Maryland transfer Cameron Edge who has very little experience. The defense will retool itself a little bit because injuries hit them hard late in the year. The defensive line has some pieces Adam Jefferson and Carter Evans are an experienced duo of pass rushers who could continue to improve with experience and they have a massive 314lb man in Donovan Green taking up space on the inside. The safeties look solid in Barry Manning, Jaivian Norman and Charleston Southern transfer Davion Williams was a really impactful addition from the portal. The question marks will start with the corners, this area was a struggle last year and now what production they did have is gone, some younger homegrown guys will need to step up. The linebackers need to be sorted out they’re relying heavily on Syracuse transfer Kadin Bailey to step in and lead this unit. On offense Eastern Michigan has some RB options, the most proven is Dontae McMillan who had a great season for Weber State 3 years ago and there’s unproven transfers Tavierre Dunlap(Michigan) and James Jointer (Liberty) who may need to step in. Who steps up next to Lockett at receiver will be critical as well, it would go a long way if they can find someone that can make big plays there.
Screenshot from FBSchedules.com
2025 Schedule Thoughts: Eastern Michigan’s schedule is ok, it’s not the worst but not the best either. The non-conference will feature some tests at Texas State and Kentucky, but at least Louisiana has to make the trip up to the gray turf. The LIU Sharks went 4-8 as a FCS team last year and won’t make for much of a challenge. The MAC schedule isn’t the worst, Toledo isn’t on here and a lot of the toss up games are at home but not getting to play Akron, Kent State or UMass is a big miss. Overall the schedule likely will make a run at the MAC title game difficult.
Final Thoughts: Last season was tough, especially late but we caught a glimpse early that the Eagles could have been better. They need some help on the injury front, staying healthy will be a key. On the surface a -2 turnover margin in 2024 doesn’t sound like a lot but 1) that just isn’t how this team normally plays, they thrive on being in the positive here. 2) they recovered 10 fumbles which might imply they were lucky to have it that close. If they can generate more turnovers in 2025 they could be set for another winning season.
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