Eastern Michigan Eagles College Football Preview 2026
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Yes, Eastern Michigan is supposed to win college football games.
It still seems strange, considering the program went from 1996 to 2015 – a span of 20 years – with just one season with more than four wins, and no winning campaigns until Year Three of the Chris Creighton campaign.
It wasn’t exactly Curt Cignetti turning around Indiana, but Creighton did the impossible and made Eastern Michigan a consistent winner, with six bowl appearances in eight years, and one of those off campaigns was 2020.
But the Eagles have had three losing seasons in a row. The hot seat at EMU for Crieghton – at least for now – is made out of ice cubes, but he raised the bar, and there should be expectations this season.
He has the team in place to be a real player in the MAC.
Eastern Michigan Quick Hits
- Head Coach: Chris Creighton (13th year, 61-83)
- Best Case / Worst Case: A winning season/A fourth straight losing season
- Key Player: Noah Kim, QB Sr.
- 2025 Record: 4-8
- Biggest Question: Can the run defense stop anyone?
– MAC Football Win Total Predictions
Eastern Michigan Key 2025 Stats
- Fumbles: Eastern Michigan 9 (lost 3), Opponents 6 (lost 2)
- Giving up 232 yards per game, had the worst run defense in America by far
- No. 7 in the nation in fewest sacks allowed per game (0.92)
Offense
It was a weird year for the Eastern Michigan offense.
The running game was hit-or-miss, there wasn’t a lot of explosion, and points were hard to come by, but when the offense scored, the team won.
It was a rebuilding year in a lot of ways, and here comes the payoff.
What’s Working
There’s no excuse for the passing game not to be terrific. Oddly enough, when the Eagles threw the ball well last year, they lost.
Why? It’s because they were throwing to keep up in games. This year, they’ll throw because they can. The parts are there to hit 250 yards every time out with ease because…
It only seems like this is Noah Kim’s 14th year playing college football. A one-time great recruit for Michigan State, he moved on to Coastal Carolina, and then made the move to Ypsilanti.
The fifth-year quarterback threw more than anyone in the MAC last season with a conference-best 2,817 yards. He didn’t bolt through the portal, and neither did most of his top receivers.
The Eagle targets are strong. Nick Devereaux was the team’s top deep threat and yardage receiver. He’s back, along with tight end Joshua Long, who led the team with 37 grabs. This is a surprisingly deep bunch, too, with plenty of options to rotate in.
What Needs Work
The offensive line had portal problems. The starting five should be okay around veteran center Nicholas Gallegos and tackle Joshua Anderson, and landing Tyler Brumfield from Oklahoma State matters. But the rest of the line was mostly wiped out with – at the moment – seven blockers leaving.
Can the line replicate the same pass protection production? The 2025 EMU offensive front was fantastic at keeping defenses out of the backfield.
It was partly due to the style, but you’re doing something right if you’re only allowing 11 sacks and finishing eighth in the nation in tackles for loss allowed.
The running game has to take over more. Dontae McMillan is done after running for more than 1,000 yards, and there’s no real experience to rely on.
When Eastern Michigan ran for more than 145 yards, it was 4-1. It was 0-7 when running for fewer.
Player to Watch
Nick Devereaux, WR Sr.
After doing nothing in his first two seasons, and being a nice target good for a few grabs a game over the first part of last year, he caught fire.
Six of his seven touchdowns came in the last five games as he became the big play target to open everything up.
Defense
The defense had its issues.
The Eagles checked in with the worst run defense in America, and it wasn’t even close. There wasn’t any pass rush, there wasn’t any prayer on third downs, and even with all of that, there’s hope because …
What’s Working
The experience is there. The time logged in has to turn into production, with a bulk of the back seven returning, good depth to help, and with few massive losses through the portal. Five of the top seven tacklers return.
The safeties will be among the team’s biggest strengths. There were issues giving up deep shots, and it’s not a plus that they had to make so many tackles, but they’re good veterans and good backstops.
Things could have been worse. The Eagles were good when their backs were up against the wall. The red zone defense was among the best in the MAC. Offenses scored just 79% of the time inside the 20.
What Needs Work
Stopping the run. How bad was the run D? Colorado had the second-worst run defense in America, allowing 222.5 yards per game. Only three other teams allowed more than 210. Eastern Michigan gave up 232 rushing yards per game, getting hammered for over 200 eight times.
Third down stops were a wish at times. EMU had a few nice moments, but for the most part, the defense couldn’t get off the field. It allowed teams to convert 47% of the time, with five teams converting half of their chances or more.
The defensive tackles have to emerge. The lost depth on the edge might turn into a bigger problem, but finding the beef on the inside will be tough. There are only a few 300-pounders, and no one of note came through the portal.
Player to Watch
Bryce Llewelyn, S Sr.
At 5-11 and 205 pounds, he’s not all that big, but he made a ton of tackles last season as the last line of defense. His 102 stops led the way, and a majority of them were in the open field. He’s able to get into the backfield from time to time, too.
Keys to the Season
Overall, the Eagles have to take advantage of the bulk number of players returning.
They have to do everything better defensively, and if they can just not be totally miserable against the run, and in a few other key areas, the offense should take care of the rest.
Player Who Needs To Shine
Warren-Stevens Tayou, DT Sr.
The nose tackle job should be all his. At the very least, he’ll be another key part of the rotation, but at just 6-1 and 283 pounds, he has to hold up with so many veterans gone.
Biggest Concern
Seriously, the run defense.
To keep harping on this, being unable to hold up against the run took the life out of the team. There was no flow and no tempo to build off of, with team after team grinding away. All but four teams averaged more than five yards per carry.
Biggest Game
Sacramento State, August 29
It’s the MAC opener to start out the season. It would be devastating to lose to the new guy in the conference mix – Sacramento State isn’t even eligible to play for the MAC Championship.
A win starts out the season the right way at home with a tough home date against San Jose State to follow.
Transfer Portal
There wasn’t a whole lot happening – and that’s a plus.
In a backhanded compliment sort of way, the Power Four didn’t have a whole lot of interest in most of the Eagles, and there wasn’t much out there to go get compared to the players already in place.
Best Signing
Tyler Brumfield, OT (Oklahoma State)
A former star JUCO transfer who moved over to Oklahoma State, he never saw time. Now the 6-6, 319-pound tackle prospect brings some much-needed beef and muscle to the line.
Biggest Loss
Andrew Marshall, LB (Minnesota)
Losing a few of the offensive linemen hurt, but the defense couldn’t afford to lose playmakers. Marshall finished third on the team with 64 stops, and now he’ll be working in the Gopher linebacking corps.
Other Names to Know
- Cole Dellinger, OG (Michigan State)
- Elijah Payne, OT (Delaware State)
- Malachi James, RB (Syracuse)
CFN Season Prediction
It might not be a MAC Championship season, but there will be an improvement.
At the very least, Eastern Michigan will be way more competitive. Last year’s 4-8 team was closer to being 1-11 than 8-4, but some of the winnable games will go the right way this year.
That’s what all the returning experience will bring.
CFN Prediction: 5-7
Last year’s team inexcusably lost at home to LIU from the FCS. This year, it’ll win the FCS game over Lindenwood.
Also, this season, it gets UMass and Akron. Those are two winnable games, and there should be just enough overall production to go into the regular season finale against Kent State with a shot at getting bowl eligible.
This story was originally published by College Football News on May 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos