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MAC Prospectus Audio

MAC Prospectus Audio

By Alex Alvarado

The football podcast for Mid-American Conference fans.
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25. MAC Media Day 2019: State of the MACtion, what reporters look forward to

MAC Prospectus AudioJul 26, 2019

00:00
49:16
28. Camps opened, EDSBS closed
Aug 08, 201913:38
27: Late additions: S Jayden Russell to Miami, DT John Mitchell to Akron
Jul 30, 201925:49
26. Transfer Portal: BGSU's QB situation, Cortez Lewis, Qwuantrezz Knight
Jul 28, 201918:35
25. MAC Media Day 2019: State of the MACtion, what reporters look forward to
Jul 26, 201949:16
24. MAC Media Day 2019: Roundtable with commissioner Jon Steinbrecher
Jul 24, 201930:34
23. MAC Prospectus Picks: Ohio in the East & NIU in the West

23. MAC Prospectus Picks: Ohio in the East & NIU in the West

My preseason picks for how the Mid-American Conference will shake up this year went live over at the blog (click here to check it out). My picks to win the West and East divisions: Northern Illinois and Ohio. 

If NIU makes it to Ford Field, it'll be its eighth trip to the championship game this decade. Ohio's been there under Frank Solich three times in his 14 years there, but can they finally get the job done in his 15th season there?

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Jul 22, 201920:21
22. 2019 MAC football preview: Toledo's running backs

22. 2019 MAC football preview: Toledo's running backs

Toledo's no stranger to having a dominant run game in the MAC, but having only three returners isn't as common of a situation. The good news is that there's plenty of talent to be shown from Bryant Koback, Shakif Seymour and Ronnie Jones, but how much will Jason Candle lean on this position group anyway? 

Jul 02, 201931:28
21. Mid-June recruiting update, Qwuantrezz Knight appeals NCAA's denial

21. Mid-June recruiting update, Qwuantrezz Knight appeals NCAA's denial

Out of nowhere, BGSU got exciting for the recruiting world and leads the MAC with 16 commits to its 2020 class. That's probably the biggest surprise. If not, then maybe Buffalo? The Bulls are following up a 10-win season with one of the conference's slower starts to the recruiting cycle. It's not a race, but it's noticeable. 

Quwantrezz Knight transferred from Maryland (for obvious reasons) to Kent State, and requested to be able to play right away since the horrible events at Maryland caused him to become depressed — which is a serious thing. The NCAA disagreed, and now Knight & his team are trying to fight back. 

Jun 21, 201931:26
20. 2019 MAC football preview: Ball State's wide receivers

20. 2019 MAC football preview: Ball State's wide receivers

There's, I believe, plenty of talent for the Cardinal receivers to make some noise in the MAC. Problem is they just haven't put it all together yet. But with more talented receivers coming in and playing right away out of HS, maybe this group could kick it up a notch in Mike Neu's fourth year as the head coach.

Jun 14, 201931:34
19. 2019 MAC football preview: Kent State's running backs

19. 2019 MAC football preview: Kent State's running backs

Previewing the 2019 Kent State running backs. Jo-El Shaw returns as the team's leading back, but after that, who knows? 

Jun 07, 201930:40
18. Five early-June headlines to kick off summer vacation

18. Five early-June headlines to kick off summer vacation

It's been a while, so here are five very-recent headlines to can be up-to-speed before the summer really heats up.

1. Ohio's AD Jim Schaus is on his way to be the Southern Conference commish.

2. The MAC will be a primary member of the Quick Lane Bowl from 2020-2025.

3. Brandon Peters visiting BGSU & Miami this weekend.

4. Grad transfers added to NIU's roster.

5. Uplifting: Jadon Rucker-Furlow & teammates help after tornadoes strike Dayton-area. 

Jun 05, 201935:33
17. Re-assessing your options

17. Re-assessing your options

There are a lot of transfers out there, especially guys leaving as grad students. But if you leave as a graduate student and enrolled early out of high school but didn't get much playing time, chances are you'll still have two years left to play. Could we see more of these kinds of transfers if we see more early enrollees across the board? I'm just spit-balling here, but there's a way for this to make sense (at least I think so), especially in the MAC. 

May 23, 201937:55
16. Transfer Portal: Jayden Reed & Chase Brown the latest to leave WMU

16. Transfer Portal: Jayden Reed & Chase Brown the latest to leave WMU

Exciting returning sophomores Jayden Reed and Chase Brown for Western Michigan won't actually be returning. Both of these guys who were expected to have important roles on the team's offense this year (and years to come) have entered the transfer portal, and the report is that they're looking to go Power 5. Obviously this is bad news for WMU, but things could be worse, right? 

May 15, 201921:11
15. Transfer portal: QB Jarret Doege splits with Bowling Green

15. Transfer portal: QB Jarret Doege splits with Bowling Green

Well, the thing finally happened. Not that this was something anybody would really root to happen (unless you're a Toledo fan I suppose), but Jarret Doege has now put his name in the NCAA Transfer Portal. Doege earned the starting QB job his first year on campus as a true freshman who came in with only the one offer, and ended up having a short but promising career with the Falcons. In his 19 games: 362-for-577 (62.7%), 4,041 yards (7.0 Y/A), 39 TD, 19 INT. If the NCAA lets him, he can play right away with two years of eligibility. 

May 09, 201915:11
14. Transfer Portal: Watson heads to Appalachian State, BG brings in Boston College RB

14. Transfer Portal: Watson heads to Appalachian State, BG brings in Boston College RB

A couple bits of news regarding the transfer portal. Keishawn Watson, former WMU receiver, found a new home in Appalachian State which is a really solid destination end up at. And at Bowling Green, running back Davon Jones is reunited with Scot Loeffler, his old offensive coordinator from Boston College, as a grad transfer.

May 08, 201919:09
13. NFL Draft Results: 9 MAC guys taken, but none of them were Tyree Jackson

13. NFL Draft Results: 9 MAC guys taken, but none of them were Tyree Jackson

Congrats to Sean Bunting, Max Scharping, Diontae Johnson, Maxx Crosby, Sutton Smith, Ka'Dar Hollman, Xavier Crawford, Ulysees Gilbert III, and Scott Miller for all being selected in the NFL Draft, and congrats to everybody else that received opportunities after the draft to get on a roster. But the big story that everybody is focusing on is the big quarterback out of Buffalo and why he didn't get picked after leaving school a year early. 

Apr 29, 201946:21
12. NFL Draft previews: Sleeper or no sleeper?

12. NFL Draft previews: Sleeper or no sleeper?

Is Soand So a sleeper? Depends on who you ask. With a lot of MAC guys having gone to the Combine this year, on top of many other 3- and 4-year starters to also consider, there's a lot of talent that really hasn't been slept on in the MAC. But there certainly are a few out there. (They're probably the guys not talked about in this episode.)

Apr 23, 201900:25
11. NFL Draft previews: Dane Brulger's 7-round mock, PFF's top 250

11. NFL Draft previews: Dane Brulger's 7-round mock, PFF's top 250

The Athletic's Dan Brugler put out a full 7-round mock draft which features 10 MAC players. That's quite a bit! Who are they, what did he say about them, and how did Pro Football Focus' 250-player big board line up with the mock?

Apr 09, 201952:03
10. NFL Draft preview: Sean Bunting, Scott Miller

10. NFL Draft preview: Sean Bunting, Scott Miller

With the NFL Draft coming up, it's time to start focusing on the MAC prospects. To get things started with a Combine invitee and a non-invitee, let's begin the series with Sean Bunting (CB, CMU) and Scott Miller (WR slot, BGSU). Bunting's an obvious draft pick to-be, but can Scott Miller, a 3-time All-MAC receiver, be a late-round sleeper?

Apr 04, 201930:06
9. Did NIU's offense just get better?

9. Did NIU's offense just get better?

Two new guys will be joining NIU's offense after previously being on P5 rosters. Ross Bowers comes in as a grad transfer QB from Cal and Erin Collins joins the team as an NC State bounceback-JUCO transfer. NIU's offense was really bad last year, so maybe they can be of some help? Also, some chatter on the NFL Draft and Ball State's recruiting class. 

Apr 01, 201923:33
8. Correction, commit, and an email

8. Correction, commit, and an email

Found an error with Episode 7 as soon as I published it, so I need to start with a correction on Ozziah Williams & Western Michigan's secondary. NIU's fourth commit for the 2020 cycle is another in-state defensive linemen, and that's exciting if you're into that sort of stuff! Lastly, John asked me a question about the MAC's place in the world. Specifically: what's the excuse for the Sun Belt being better than the MAC right now?

Mar 26, 201923:09
7. WMU corners to be led by two, maybe three transfers

7. WMU corners to be led by two, maybe three transfers

In breaking news: WMU's adding another transfer cornerback to its program, this time it's Kareem Ali Jr., by way of Temple. Ali was a 4- or 3-star prospect out of high school, but never received meaningful minutes as a corner with Temple because of injuries. Now he's got a shot at finally playing at WMU. Worked last year for Juwan Dowels (who may or may not play for WMU again this year), and there's JUCO transfer Ozziah Williams joining the program this year too. Behind them are a lot of inexperienced players that are still being broken into D1 football. 

Mar 25, 201920:11
6. Spring notes: Wide receiver edition

6. Spring notes: Wide receiver edition

Spring is upon us all and there are a few teams that have an all-hands-on-deck approach to filling in the depth charts at wide receiver. Ohio graduated Papi White, who had 100 receiving targets last year, Toledo's lost its top three receivers from the last two seasons, and Akron's... well, Akron's Akron. 

Mar 23, 201921:34
5. Early look at early 2020 commits

5. Early look at early 2020 commits

Our first look at the class of 2020 commits around the MAC. It's early, but there are a couple names that I want to take a look at. Namely, ATH (WR/QB) Freddy Edwards from south Illinois, and LB Camden Rogers from Fort Wayne, Ind. By my count, Miami has six commits, Northern Illinois has three, and Ball State, Buffalo, Kent State, Ohio, Toledo and Western Michigan all have one commit each. Akron, Bowling Green, Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan have all yet to receive a verbal commitment, but it's still really early in the cycle. 

Mar 17, 201915:22
4. Say yes to the color rush championships

4. Say yes to the color rush championships

Today's the MAC Tournament Championship day for women's and men's hoops, so congrats to Buffalo in advance. (Please don't Old Takes Exposed me if I'm at all wrong.) Got me to thinking how the MAC could improve its championship scene. Having the football championship be a color rush should most-definitely be allowed, but what about the Friday night/Saturday morning dilemma? Is Ford Field actually a better place to have the games than having them on campus sites? (Probably, yeah. Maybe.)

Mar 16, 201919:05
3. Time to start re-watching WMU vs. Toledo circa 2018

3. Time to start re-watching WMU vs. Toledo circa 2018

It's REWATCH FOOTBALL GAMES SZN for the friendless, like myself. But this game works as a way-too-early preview for the 2019 season and helps open up more questions about the teams now that spring ball has begun for everybody. 

Mar 14, 201916:30
2. Ball State needs a new DB coach (and Georgia recruiter) again

2. Ball State needs a new DB coach (and Georgia recruiter) again

FootballScoop has reported that Ball State's newly-hired defensive backs coach, Grady Brown, has left for Old Dominion to be the Monarchs' co-defensive coordinator. Brown was hired to be a proven coach to help boost the trending Cardinal secondary, but he was also hired to be another solid recruiter in the state of Georgia. Before that, it was Chevis Jackson as the Cardinals' DB coach. In his first full recruiting cycle for Ball State, he helped the team piece together the No. 4 signing class in the MAC and was named the MAC Recruiter of the Year by 247sports.com. Now, with Jackson gone to Kansas and Brown to ODU, head coach Mike Neu has to hire another DB coach with great ties to Georgia — a state that Neu wants get his athletes from. 

Mar 12, 201905:41
1. Introduction, Tyler Mabry, the transfer portal

1. Introduction, Tyler Mabry, the transfer portal

This is the very first episode of MAC Prospectus Audio, which means you deserve an explanation of what's going on right now. This podcast will be a ~daily show, which means MAC football will be part of our everyday conversations more often than not. At the very least, most days of the year we'll be able to talk about MAC football.

To leave you with an actual MAC football discussion: TE Tyler Mabry leaves Buffalo and will join Maryland as a graduate transfer.

Mar 10, 201913:09