Western Michigan football 2018 projected depth chart: Can injured players return to form?
Broncos hopeful for speedy recovery by key players as they look to build off 6-6 season
A lot can change between now and Aug. 31, when Western Michigan kicks off its season at Waldo Stadium vs. Syracuse.
New players can arrive as graduate transfers or by being granted a transfer waiver by the NCAA. Players dissatisfied with their roles may request a scholarship release. And the majority of the incoming freshmen class won't arrive on campus until August.
With that said, here's an educated guess at the Broncos' 2018 post-spring depth chart:
Quarterback
Starter: Jon Wassink
Backup: Kaleb Eleby
Eleby comes to Kalamazoo as an early enrollee and one of the highest-rated quarterback recruits in program history. But the Broncos don't want to put a youngster under center like they were forced to last year in true freshman Reece Goddard, who has since left the program. Wassink returns from his season-ending collarbone injury as the clear-cut starter.
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Running back
Starter: LeVante Bellamy/Jamauri Bogan
Backup: Davon Tucker
The Broncos' running back group was decimated by injury in 2017, something that carried over into the spring. When healthy, Bellamy and Bogan are as good a pairing as any in the Mid-American Conference. Tucker provides the Broncos with a goal-line/short-yardage back. Once-heralded recruit Matt Falcon and converted receiver Ra'Sean Davie should also see action in a running back-by-committee approach.
Receiver
Starters: Keishawn Watson, D'Wayne Eskridge, Anton Curtis
Backups: Drake Harris, Luke Sanders, Tyron Arnett
Even in an offense that emphasized the run in 2017, WMU's receiving corps was underwhelming. Watson and Eskridge were far and away the most productive, hauling in 60 percent of catches made by Broncos receivers. Graduate transfer Harris and Sanders provide big-bodied targets that will help in the red zone, while Arnett is a chain-mover who came on late in his freshman season.
Tight end
Starter: Odell Miller
Backup: Giovanni Ricci
Miller has been used as a blocking specialist in his Broncos career, which began as a walk-on defensive end. Ricci was moved from receiver to tight end this spring, and should see balls thrown his way as head coach and play caller Tim Lester values tight ends in the passing game.
Offensive line
Starters: John Keenoy, Luke Juriga, Mike Caliendo, Zach Novoselsky, Jaylon Moore
Backups: Dylan Deatherage, Curtis Doyle, Jordan Asbury, Mark Brooks, Alex Keys
Keenoy and Juriga are two of the MAC's top interior linemen and played a big role in the Broncos' 21st-ranked rushing attack in 2017. Moore is the newcomer for a starting unit that lost Chukwuma Okorafor, a third-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Expectations are high for incoming freshman Antwan "A.J." Reed, the gem of the highest-rated recruiting class in program history.
Defensive line
Starters: Eric Assoua, Antonio Balabani, Wesley French, Ralph Holley
Backups: Ali Fayad, DeShawn Foster, Dezmond Lance, Ken Finley
Assoua was limited by an ankle injury in 2017, but when healthy is one of the top edge rushers in the MAC. Balabani looks to build off his team-best 4.0 sacks in 2017. The Broncos will be inexperienced at defensive tackle after returning starter Steven Clark was medically disqualified due to a blood condition.
Linebacker
Starters: Drake Spears, Najee Clayton, Alex Grace
Backups: Dwayne Chapman II, Treshaun Hayward, Corvin Moment
The Broncos graduated all three of their starting linebackers and leading tacklers, but the unit shouldn't see a significant drop-off. Spears and Grace each appeared in 25 games as reserves over the last two seasons, while Clayton will take the field for the first time as a Bronco after transferring from Rutgers and being named scout team defensive player of the year in 2017.
Cornerback
Starters: Sam Beal, Obbie Jackson
Backups: Juwan Dowels, Emanuel Jackson
NFL.com writer Chad Reuter listed Beal as one of his 150 college football players to watch, and the senior returns after he considered declaring for the 2018 NFL draft. Dowels comes in as a graduate transfer after covering ACC receivers during his three years at Syracuse.
Safety
Starters: Justin Tranquill, Davontae Ginwright
Backups: Stefan Claiborne, A.J. Thomas
Like the running back group, WMU's safeties are among the best in the MAC - when healthy. Tranquill and Ginwright look to bounce back from season-ending injuries and return to the form they showed as starters during the Broncos' 2016 MAC championship season.
Kicker
Starter: Josh Grant
Grant showed his big leg with a long field goal of 49 yards, but also had some accuracy issues by connecting on 65 percent of his field goal attempts while being thrown into the fire as a true freshman.
Punter
Starter: Nick Mihalic
Walk-on Izaak Gerkis is the only punter currently listed on WMU's roster after Derrick Mitchell graduated and opted not to return for a fifth year. Mihalic is a three-star recruit and rated by the recruiting composite website 247sports.com as the fifth-best punter in the nation in the 2018 class.
Kick return/punt return
Starter: LeVante Bellamy/D'Wayne Eskridge
One of the biggest questions heading into fall camp is who will replace Darius Phillips, the two-time MAC Special Teams Player of the Year and one of the most productive returners in college football history. Eskridge and Bellamy are the two fastest players on the roster, but it appears to be an open competition for both punt and kick return duties.
Nick Buckley can be reached at nbuckley@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-966-0652. Follow him on Twitter:@NickJBuckley