Eastern Michigan
Eagles

Eastern Michigan Team Report

Updated: February 06, 2012 10:45 EST

For the first time since most of the current players were toddlers, there is some positive momentum pushing this program through the offseason. Eastern Michigan is relevant in football -- a statement some thought they might never hear in their lifetime.

After a 6-6 finish in the 2011 season, two years removed from a winless campaign, the Eagles are trending in the right direction. They snapped a 15-year string of losing seasons, and went 4-4 in the Mid-American Conference.

Coach Ron English has pulled off a dramatic turnaround in Ypsilanti, and the two dozen recruits he brought in as his 2012 class is given a different charge than the first couple of groups English rounded up. These guys are expected to be champions.

English, whose tough and relentless approach has culled all the non-faithful from the ranks, said this team was very close to contender status last season, but fell short of closing out a couple critical games.

English said an infusion of new talent and another year in the system for the current Eagles could equal legitimate championship talk.

"If we grow up and can do the right things, I think we can win a title," English told the Detroit Free Press. "I wasn't pleased with how we played in the month of November. But we did give great effort and played physically tough. We now have to get smart. That's our challenge."

The Eagles moved through the final weeks of winter conditioning and into spring practice with that mindset. No longer the MAC's designated bottom-feeder, English has created an higher set of expectations.

Year four of his regime got off to a sound start with an impressive 2012 recruiting class, which demonstrates that some success has made the job of drawing kids to Ypsilanti a bit easier. Now English just has to sculpt them into champions.

TOP OF THE CLASS

--RB Juwan Lewis -- The Eagles believe they have landed a potential game-breaker in the 5-10, 208-pound Lewis, the highest-rated recruit in the 2012 class. Lewis rushed for 1,466 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior at Michigan's Muskegon High. He has all of the necessary ingredients to excel at the MAC level -- a very quick first step, rapid north-and-south movement, great vision, and the speed to run past people, with the power to run over them.

--TE Christian Menet -- The 6-4, 235-pound product of Reading, Pa., has the frame to support more weight and develop the size and strength to be very effective in the Mid-American Conference. Menet comes to Eastern Michigan with sound blocking skills and the natural ability to make thetough catch away from his body.

ATH Amos Houston -- The Eagles have not historically landed many recruits with the skills and reputation that Houston brings. The Detroit native is 6-2 and 210 pounds and could develop into a top-notch safety, or if he puts on enough muscle weight once he gets into the training program with the Eagles, a dominant linebacker. Houston also is considered a prospect at receiver, with great leaping ability and very good hands.

--LB Justin Cudworth did not experience that clumsy transition to the D-I level that afflicts most junior college transfers in their first season in the big leagues. He came to the Eagles from the College of the Canyons in California, and was in the starting lineup for his first game in an Eastern Michigan uniform. Cudworth led the team with 83 tackles, including a season-best 13against Howard. His senior season will start with All-MAC expectations, and an expansion of his leadership role on the EMU defense.

--RB Juwan Lewis made it clear why Eastern Michigan was his choice as a recruit. Lewis, from nearby Muskegon, said he had watched the way Eastern Michigan coach Ron English cleaned house once he arrived in Ypsilanti, then built the program the right way. "He got rid of the bad seeds, and placed high expectations on the rest," Lewis said. "Who wouldn't want to be part of an up-and-coming program when it reaches its peaking point?"

SPRING SNAPSHOT:

Practice begins/ends: March 13/April 15

Practice priorities: The Eagles go to work right away on integrating two junior college defensive linemen into the system and getting them ready to play key roles in the fall. The unit was hit hard by graduation, so DT Travis Linser from Phoenix Community College and DT Cy Maughmer from Glendale Community College both enrolled early. There are also holes to fill on the offensive line, but the defense is still the top priority for Coach Ron English, who said he expects his new defensive linemen to be a major plus in 2012.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "People really want to see you do well, and when you do well they're happy for you. And they feel more comfortable sending their kids there, and that was really the reception that a lot of our coaches got in-state." -- Eastern Michigan Coach Ron English, in AnnArbor.com, on how winning has opened more doors for his staff and its recruiting efforts

KEY LOSSES: DL Brad Ohrman was an anchor up front for the past three seasons, making 34 starts in his career. He was fourth in the conference in sacks last season, so finding a replacement that could both stuff the run and put heat on the quarterback was vital to Eastern Michigan's plan for achieving even better things in 2012. The Eagles went to the junior college ranks since the need was so pressing, and they brought back DT Travis Linser and DT Cy Maughmer. That duo is expected to fill the void and keep the defensive front sound. The Eagles also lost veteran OL Bridger Buche, but there is more depth on the offensive front that will allow the Eagles to shuffle personnel around and likely replace Buche with 6-8 junior Scott MacLeod.

PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2012:

QB Alex Gillett -- After getting thrown into the fire as a true freshman three years ago when the senior starter suffered a season-ending injury, Gillett has matured and grown into the role to the point where he will be one of the top quarterbacks in the conference in 2012. Gillett, who carries a 3.43 GPA as a biology major, went 109-for-198 in passing for 1,504 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. He also carried the ball a team-high 169 times for 736 yards and three more touchdowns.

TE Tyreese Russell had a freshman season that caught the attention of his coaches in 2011, playing in 11 games and catching six passes for 104 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Russell displayed the athleticism and good open-field skills that should make him a much more frequent target in the coming season. He had a pair of touchdown catches in the Western Michigan game, and a 42-yard catch-and-run against Northern Illinois.

DB Marlon Pollard -- The UCLA transfer will be a junior this fall, and is already one of the top cover men in the conference. He had 54 tackles, seven pass break-ups and an interception in 2011, and should be headed for all-conference type distinction in the coming season. Pollard also returns punts for the Eagles, and was sixth in the MAC in that category last year.

LB Justin Cudworth -- After coming in from the junior college ranks with the reputation for having a nasty streak, Cudworth did not disappoint. He was the only Eastern Michigan linebacker to start all 12 games in 2011, and he earned third-team All-MAC honors with his team-best 83 tackles, three forced fumbles and 1.5 sacks. Look for an even more effective Cudworth to lead an even better Eastern Michigan defensive unit in 2012.

PLAYER NOTES

--RB Dominique White is now the legal guardian for his two teenage brothers, Blaine and Jaishon Ellington, following the death of White's mother from cancer. White's father passed away from complications from a blood clot when White was 7. White rushed for almost 600 yards last season and scored five touchdowns.

--S Mycal Swaim will join the Eagles as a recruit from the junior college ranks, but not until basketball season is over. The 6-4, 205-pound Swaim had 64 tackles and six interceptions for Butte College, where he also plays on the basketball team.

Former Eastern Michigan LB Lorenzo Seaberry III will be remembered with a special memorial fund following his recent death at 24 after a battle with cancer. Seaberry earned four letters with the Eagles from 2006-09 as a linebacker and special teams player.