Eastern Michigan Eagles 2026 College Football Preview

Eastern Michigan Eagles 2026 College Football Preview

Posted June 14, 2026

2025 Recap

Record – 4-8

ATS – 6-6

A rough one in Ypsilanti — the Eagles dug themselves into a 1–5 hole early in the campaign, a crater simply too deep to escape. To their credit, HC Chris Creighton’s squad kept swinging and picked off a few wins in the second half, but the math just didn’t work out for bowl eligibility.

The good news? Eastern Michigan enters 2026 as the most experienced team in the MAC, and they just might be primed to SHOCK THE WORLD.

Eastern Michigan Eagles 2026 Outlook

OFFENSE

Those are very strong offensive numbers for a team that finished with just four wins — top four in the MAC in scoring and total offense, #2 in passing, and the best pass protection in the conference (#1 in sacks allowed, #6 FBS).

Those are very strong offensive numbers for a team that finished with just four wins — top four in the MAC in scoring and total offense, #2 in passing, and the best pass protection in the conference (#1 in sacks allowed, #6 nationally). That’s a legit foundation.

The offense looks for real heading into 2026, and it starts with QB Noah Kim, who threw for over 2,800 yards last season (61%, 18–11 TD‑INT) whilst adding six rushing TDs. His sneaky mobility gives OC Mike Piatkowski some fun ways to stress defenses. Kim should also be happy with the weaponry around him. WR Nick Devereaux returns after averaging 15.0 YPC with seven TDs, and slot man Harold Mack generated real buzz down the stretch (20‑333, 2 TD). TE Joshua Long (37‑357‑3) is one of the better pass‑catching tight ends in the MAC.

The RB room took a hit with the departure of 1,000‑yard workhorse Dontae McMillan, who also finished as the team’s #2 receiver. But EMU did solid portal work, adding Braydon Bennett (Coastal Carolina damage‑dealer for a number of years) and Malachi James from Syracuse. Last year’s RB2 Joey Mattord is also back in the mix.

Up front, the OL loses a chunk of last year’s production, including all‑MAC guard Mickey Rewolinski. The Eagles restocked well in the portal, most notably with former Oklahoma St lineman Tyler Brumfield, who will push hard for the starting LT job. Matching last year’s elite pass protection will be tough, but the line should still be solid.

DEFENSE

2025 By The Numbers (MAC):

• Scoring Defense: 29.8 PPG (#10 MAC)
• Total Defense: 416.3 YPG (#11 MAC)
• Rush Defense: 232.1 YPG (#13 MAC)
• Pass Defense: 184.2 YPG (#4 MAC)
• Sacks: 14 (#11 MAC)

Eastern Michigan’s run defense was so porous last season that opposing RBs slid through like a sedan rolling through a touchless CAR WASH. The Eagles allowed 232 YPG on the ground (dead last in the FBS), and that trend needs to reverse dramatically in 2026.

The good news? There’s a ton of returning experience on this side of the football — well over a dozen players who started a game last season are back, and that should translate into a meaningful step forward, particularly vs the run. Up front, DE Carter Evans (5.5 TFL, 7 QBH) is a great foundational piece, and sophomore DE Quincy Byas could take a real jump as a pass rusher in Year Two. We also really like the addition of NT Peyton Christian, who brings much‑needed GIRTH to the interior (6‑1, 304).

At linebacker, the unit takes a hit with Andrew Marshall departing for Minnesota, but Zach Mowchan and Barry Manning (#2 tackles) remain steady veteran doods in the middle. In fact, this is one of the best LB corps in the MAC. The secondary is in good shape with the return of STAR Bryce Llewellyn, who led the team with 102 tackles last year, and the Eagles are legitimately deep at safety. CB Caleb Dobbs also FLASHED on tape in 2025 and carries real breakout potential.

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK Rudy Kessinger is back for duty after doing an admirable job in 2025 (17/23 FG, 28/28 XP), but they’ll definitely miss All‑Universe punter Mitchell Tomasek, who averaged an impossibly impossible 46 yards per punt last season. The return units could use a bit of spice.

Schedule Analysis

As the great Brad Powers would say, Eastern Michigan opens with a pair of TOMATO CANS. They should be able to deal with Sacramento St, and Lindenwood isn’t exactly striking fear into anyone on the gridiron either. That said, Lindenwood is a legit national powerhouse in a few niche sports — most notably clay target shooting, where they’ve won something like 15 straight national titles. Hopefully the Eagles don’t end up settling this one with a POMMEL HORSE routine or a skeet-shooting tiebreaker.

The Eagles have a very real shot to start 3–0 in conference play before things get spicy. They miss Miami Ohio, which is a bonus, and it’s comforting to know the regular‑season finale is a winnable home date with Kent St should they need one more victory to punch a bowl ticket.

Potential ATS Trouble Spot — at Wisconsin (Sept 19)

Back‑to‑back road games vs Power 4 teams in September is nasty, and we don’t know how much they’ll have left in the tank for the second of those contests. Expect them to take their $1.4 million from Wisconsin, grab a BRATWURST for the road, and get the hell out of town.

Season Win Total

Market consensus – June 14

Over 5.5 -150

Under 5.5 +120

MEGALOCKS says:

Lean: Over

They’ll make it interesting, but this looks like a bowl team to us.

Note – Our official list of season win total investments will be posted in the blog section of the website.

MEGAmazing Tidbits

Ypsilanti gets its exotic name from Demetrios Ypsilantis, a hero of the Greek War of Independence — easily one of the wildest city‑name origins in the Midwest. The town’s crown jewel? The 1890 Ypsilanti Water Tower, a 147‑foot stone monolith that was once voted the “World’s Most Phallic Building.” Yup, the TIDBITS section is always crawling with gems.

Head coach Chris Creighton is 31–15 ATS (67%) as a road underdog over the L10Y, but just 3–6 vs the number since the start of the 2024 season.

MEGALOCKS Forecast:

Eastern Michigan has the potential to be one of the pleasant surprises in the MAC. They bring back the most returning production in the conference, Noah Kim is a legit QB with adequate weaponry, and we believe the run defense will take a meaningful step forward. Chris Creighton remains one of the most underrated coaches in the Group of Six, and he should be able to coax this crew to a bowl game — somehow, someway.

Go Eagles!