IMG Academy

May 28, 2025

Bradenton, Fla. (May 28, 2025) – IMG Academy, the world’s leading sports education brand, is back on top of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior circuit with Wakana Sonobe officially becoming a world junior No. 1. The tennis program continues to solidify its reputation as a dominant force in junior tennis, as Sonobe becomes the eighth IMG Academy student-athlete to achieve this prestigious title and the second back-to-back Japanese tennis player, following Rei Sakamoto, who earned the same distinction in 2024.

Sonobe’s perseverance and dedication to the sport makes her the second female IMG Academy student-athlete to reach the No. 1 world junior ranking, after Whitney Osuigwe in 2017. Sonobe began training at IMG Academy when she was 13 years old. Throughout her four years at IMG Academy, her continued success and growth is a testament to IMG Academy’s ability to holistically develop student-athletes who are recognized at the international level and the top student-athletes in tennis.

“The tennis program is incredibly proud of Wakana, and we are honored to be a part of her journey to being ranked at No. 1 in junior tennis,” said Juan Herrera, Director of Tennis at IMG Academy. “To see her name at the top, joining seven other IMG Academy student-athletes at No. 1 further cements IMG Academy’s position as the top junior tennis program in world. Our purpose at IMG Academy is to empower student-athletes to win their future and Wakana is well on her way to a bright future in this sport. ”

Including Sonobe, IMG Academy has recognized eight world junior No. 1s in the last 10 years, six of whom are competing at a professional tennis level.

• Miomir Kecmanovic (2016 World Junior No. 1) reached a career high professional ranking of No. 27 is currently the No. 2 Serbian player.
• Whitney Osiugwe (2017 World Junior No. 1) became the first American to win the junior French Open and has since competed in each major Grand Slam tournament.
• Axel Geller (2017 World Junior No. 1) retired after attending Stanford University.
• Sebastian Korda (2018 World Junior No. 1) made his debut at the US Open and went on to compete at the French Open in 2020 only losing to defending champion Rafael Nadal. Korda later reached the fourth round during his debut at Wimbledon and upset world No. 12 at the 2022 Australian Open. Most recently he reached a career high ranking of No. 15 in 2024.
• Shintaro Mochizuki (2019 World Junior No. 1) is currently the No. 4 ranked Japanese player.
• Jerry Shang (2021 World Junior No. 1) reached his first ATP tour-level semifinal at the Japan Open after winning his first ATP title at the Open Citta della Disfida Challenger.
• Rei Sakamota (2024 World Junior No. 1) made his Masters main draw debut at the 2025 Miami Open.

Sonobe had a standout year in the ITF circuit, achieving a perfect 9-0 record in singles during the 2025 season across the junior and professional levels. Most notably, she became the first female Japanese Australian Open Junior Champion. IMG Academy had back-to-back Jr. Grand Slam Champions, following Sakamoto’s claim to the same title in 2024. Sonobe had two Top-100 wins in Abu Dhabi, has won her last 16 consecutive sets, and is now 3-1 against Top-100 players.

Additionally, the tennis program saw success at the IMG Academy International Tennis Championships. Teodora Kostovic brought home the Championship title in the Girls 18s singles, IMG Academy’s first-ever back-to-back Girls 18s Singles Champion in tournament history, following Sonobe’s win in 2023.

About IMG Academy

IMG Academy is the world’s leading sports education brand, providing a holistic education model that empowers student-athletes to win their future, preparing them for college and for life. IMG Academy provides growth opportunities for all student-athletes through an innovative suite of on-campus and online experiences:

• Boarding school and camps, via a state-of-the-art campus in Bradenton, Fla.
• Online coaching via the IMG Academy+ brand, with a focus on personal development through the lens of sport and performance
• Online college recruiting, via the NCSA brand, providing content, tools, coaching and access to a network of 40,000 college coaches

To learn more about IMG Academy and its on-campus and online experiences, visit www.imgacademy.com.

“There’s a lot of people talking about Group of 5, Power 4, the money and the resources and NIL. It’s about the players and it’s about lining up and banging heads and [may] the best man win. You saw that [Saturday].” — Northern Illinois athletic director Sean Frazier, after the Huskies’ 2024 upset of Notre Dame

The MAC is proof that a big tent can produce occasionally incredible things. As college football keeps trending toward closing up shop and distributing more money to fewer schools, and as the idea of a so-called “super league” — one that would either limit or completely eliminate opportunities for MAC-level schools — continues to waft around, this league and its teams keep trying to find ways to make noise. NIU’s big moment in 2024 proved that, given enough opportunities, they can still do so. In the past 25 seasons, MAC teams have scored 78 wins over power-conference teams, and while nearly half of those have come from NIU (14), Bowling Green (12) and Toledo (11), 14 current and former MAC programs have posted at least one.

Current circumstances are making things awfully difficult, though. The bottom half of the MAC has always been pretty shaky, and 2024 was no exception: MAC teams occupied four of the bottom 15 slots in the year-end SP+ rankings, which also ranked 0-12 Kent State as the worst FBS team in four years. Then came a brutal offseason in which (A) NIU arranged to leave for the Mountain West in 2026, (B) MAC teams got hit harder than anyone else by the transfer portal and general attrition (the MAC’s 41.1% returning production average was more than 12 percentage points below the national average), (C) the reigning conference champion (Ohio) lost head coach Tim Albin to a Charlotte program that has had just one winning season ever in FBS, and (D) Bowling Green head coach Scot Loeffler left for an NFL position coach job in the spring.

In a college football universe with NIL money and unrestricted transfers, continuity is growing increasingly difficult in MACtion country. But the conference still boasts some proven coaches and high-level talent, and stars will inevitably emerge. Let’s preview the MAC!

Throughout the summer, Bill Connelly will preview every FBS conference, ultimately including all 136 FBS teams. The previews will include 2024 breakdowns, 2025 previews and team-by-team capsules.

2024 recap

NIU stole the early headlines, but injuries and offensive struggles rendered Thomas Hammock’s Huskies an afterthought in the conference race. By midseason, it became increasingly clear that Ohio and Miami (Ohio) were the MAC’s safest bets. Miami beat Ohio 30-20 in the regular season, but the Bobcats’ offense ignited from there, averaging 36.7 points during a season-ending seven-game winning streak that included a 38-3 throttling of Miami in the MAC championship game.

Continuity table

The continuity table looks at each team’s returning production levels (offense, defense and overall), the number of 2024 FBS starts from both returning and incoming players and the approximate number of redshirt freshmen on the roster heading into 2025. (Why “approximate”? Because schools sometimes make it very difficult to ascertain who redshirted and who didn’t.) Continuity is an increasingly difficult art in roster management, but some teams pull it off better than others.

From Miami corner Raion Strader (Auburn) to Bowling Green running back Terion Stewart (Virginia Tech) to NIU quarterback Ethan Hampton (Illinois) to Ball State tight end Tanner Koziol (Houston) to a number of high-level Ohio defenders, MAC teams lost numerous stars to power-conference schools. In all, eight MAC teams (including four with new head coaches) rank in the bottom 18 in returning production.

Toledo and Buffalo mostly avoided the same fate, however. The Rockets and Bulls both rank in the top 50 in returning production, and during an intriguing nine-win season in which his Bulls improved from 119th to 87th in SP+, second-year Buffalo head coach Pete Lembo was able to build a solid base of redshirt freshmen as well.

Despite losing Albin, Ohio attempted continuity by promoting offensive coordinator Brian Smith to head coach, and he was able to hold on to at least a few key pieces, including quarterback Parker Navarro, left tackle Davion Weatherspoon and safety DJ Walker. SP+ suggests that might be enough to keep the Bobcats in MAC contention.

2025 projections

Only four teams start out with top-100 projections, and they make sense: They’re the two who played in the title game last year (Ohio and Miami) and the two who return the most from 2024 bowl teams (Toledo and Buffalo). The odds of at least one of those teams clicking and playing at a top-50 or top-60 level are pretty good.

The odds are also pretty good that the bottom portion of the conference is going to be awfully poor. UMass returns to the MAC with a new coach (former Rutgers assistant Joe Harasymiak) and almost no expectations, and four of the bottom five slots in the recent SP+ projections went to MAC teams.

(* Akron is ineligible for the postseason due to APR issues.)

The aforementioned four top-100 teams have a combined 65% chance of winning the conference title. But I guess that means there’s still a greater than one-in-three chance of an underdog run, huh?

Five best games of 2025

Here are the five conference games that feature (A) the highest combined SP+ ratings for both teams and (B) a projected scoring margin of less than 10 points.

Oct. 11: Toledo at Bowling Green. Most of the MAC’s biggest games take place once the conference shifts to midweek MACtion games in November, but this will be an early tone-setter between a talented Toledo team with a navigable early schedule and a BGSU team with quite a few question marks and an intriguing new head coach in Eddie George.

Nov. 4: Miami (Ohio) at Ohio. Last year’s two best teams jockey for position. Miami is a projected favorite in the five games preceding this one.

Nov. 12: Toledo at Miami (Ohio). Two MACtion weeks, two huge games for Chuck Martin’s RedHawks.

Nov. 19: Miami (Ohio) at Buffalo. Make that three huge games in three weeks for Miami.

Nov. 28: Ohio at Buffalo. Buffalo’s schedule offers up a massive opportunity: After the season opener against Minnesota, Lembo’s Bulls are projected favorites in 10 straight games before Ohio visits over Thanksgiving weekend.

Conference title (and, technically, CFP) contenders

Toledo Rockets

Head coach: Jason Candle (10th year, 73-40 overall)

2025 projection: 72nd in SP+ (77th offense, 63rd defense), 8.8 average wins, 6.4 conference wins

It feels impossible to adequately evaluate Jason Candle. On one hand, despite running the program with more consistent investment and high-quality recruiting than any conference mate, he’s won only two MAC titles in 10 years. It’s always going to feel like the title rate should be higher than that for the Rockets.

On the other hand, Candle’s Rockets have won 11 games twice and have taken down Arkansas, Iowa State, BYU, Mississippi State and Pitt (the last two were both in 2024). His next win will be his 74th at UT, passing Gary Pinkel’s total for the most in school history. He fielded some awesome offenses early in his tenure, and when the Toledo defense crumbled a few years ago, he made a fantastic defensive coordinator hire (Vince Kehres) to right the ship. He’s never finished with a losing record. Basically, he’s been good enough to keep his job but not quite good enough to get hired away by power-conference programs. And with solid continuity (especially at QB and in a very good secondary), it sure feels like he’ll have a chance at a third MAC title this season. After a season-opening visit to Kentucky, the Rockets are projected favorites in every remaining game.

Beating Mississippi State (by 24!) and Pitt but losing to Akron, among others, certainly suggests things went sideways for a bit last year. The main reason was an offense that slipped to 88th in offensive SP+, the worst ranking of the Candle era. The Rockets scored 15 or fewer in four MAC games, losing all four, and the run game was the primary culprit: The Rockets were just 124th in rushing success rate. The line was leaning on youngsters, and the RBs didn’t break nearly enough tackles.

Candle didn’t make any major staff changes but brought in four offensive line transfers, plus running backs Chip Trayanum (Kentucky) and Kenji Christian (NC A&T), to shore things up. If those moves work, the passing game, featuring veteran quarterback Tucker Gleason, last year’s leading receiver Junior Vandeross III and NIU transfer Trayvon Rudolph — and, perhaps, sophomore and former star recruit Zy’marion Lang — could be the primary beneficiary.

There are fewer questions on defense, where Kehres’ unit has averaged a 55.0 defensive SP+ ranking over the last three seasons. Granted, every starter in the front six is gone, but end Malachi Davis and tackle Martez Poynter are sturdy veterans, and the portal brought players like end Louce Julien (6.5 TFLs at UMass) and linebacker Hudson Miller (five starts at Purdue). The secondary was the strength of the UT defense last year, and five of last year’s top seven return, including a dynamite nickel back in Braden Awls. Sophomore transfers Amare Snowden and Braedyn Moore, both former blue-chippers from Wisconsin, could contribute quickly too.

Ohio Bobcats

Head coach: Brian Smith (first year)

2025 projection: 80th in SP+ (83rd offense, 79th defense), 7.4 average wins, 5.7 conference wins

Ohio won 10 games under Tim Albin in both 2022 and 2023 but lost an incredible 10 starters, led by quarterback Kurtis Rourke (Indiana) and all-conference tackle Kurt Danneker (Baylor), to power-conference transfers. It was an absolute bounty of talent walking out the door. And then the Bobcats won 11 games and a MAC title in 2024. It was easily one of the best coaching performances of the season. But instead of attempting to pull off a similar magic act in 2025, Albin left for a new project at Charlotte, and OC Brian Smith moved up to the bigger office.

In quarterback Parker Navarro (2,423 passing yards, 1,143 non-sack rushing yards in 2024), left tackle Davion Weatherspoon, safety DJ Walker and corner Tank Pearson, plus returning running back Sieh Bangura (who transferred to Minnesota in 2024 but returned), Smith kept some proven pieces in Athens, and by MAC standards, continuity levels aren’t too bad. But the concept of the double-dip is still a scary one. They still must replace their leading receiver, at least three starting offensive linemen, at least four rotation linemen and basically every linebacker for the second straight season. Even if you survive major turnover once, having to do so year after year — and while changing head coaches, no less — certainly brings about more opportunities for regression.

Bangura’s return is a welcome one; he and Navarro form one of the most proven MAC backfields, but they’ll have an awfully new line in front of them. Those responsible for only 20 of last year’s 70 OL starts are back, and four transfers, including small-school starters Nick Marinaro (Dartmouth) and Josh Waite (Shippensburg), might have to make immediate contributions. Leading receiver Coleman Owen is gone too, potentially leaving a big-play void.

Smith wisely held on to defensive coordinator John Hauser, whose first Bobcat defense kept opponents both inefficient and nonexplosive in 2024.

Like Toledo, Ohio boasts far more proven entities in the back than in the front. The combination of Walker, Pearson, nickel Adonis Williams, transfers Rickey Hyatt Jr. (South Alabama) and Ronald Jackson Jr. (Montana) and perhaps a youngster like sophomore Tony Mathis should keep quarterbacks frustrated. But senior tackle Bralen Henderson will see lots of new rotation pieces around him. Senior ends Kaci Seegars and Walter Bob Jr. should be solid up front, but depth is an obvious concern. No returning or incoming linebacker logged more than 17 snaps in 2024.

Buffalo Bulls

Head coach: Pete Lembo (second year, 9-4 overall)

2025 projection: 91st in SP+ (104th offense, 78th defense), 7.7 average wins, 5.5 conference wins

Ohio’s optimistic projection is based quite a bit on the Bobcats’ strong recent history. Buffalo, however, seems to have quite a bit more in the “proven entities” department. Pete Lembo was Ball State’s head coach from 2011-15 and engineered as many bowl trips (two) as the program has seen in the nine years since his departure. He engineered immediate improvement in his return to MAC life too, and now leading rusher Al-Jay Henderson, leading receiver Victor Snow, three starting O-linemen and 12 of 17 defenders with at least 200 snaps all return. The large load of redshirts should assure solid depth.

The defense didn’t grade out any better than the offense last year, but it seems to have fewer question marks in 2025. End Kobe Stewart and linebackers Red Murdock and Dion Crawford combined for 42.5 tackles for loss, 37 run stops and 20 sacks last season — no one else in this conference boasts that kind of play-making star power. The return of 300-pound senior George Wolo (injured in 2024) should assure the requisite size up front. The secondary gave up too many big plays last season (especially considering the quality of the pass rush), but returning seven of last year’s top eight DBs and adding both a young power-conference transfer (Arizona State corner Keontez Bradley) and a small-school star (Shepherd safety Miles Greer) offers more options.

The offense has a bit more to prove, but size should help: From a pure height-and-weight standpoint, the depth chart should look like something from a power conference. Henderson measures in at 6-foot-0, 210 pounds, wideouts Nik McMillan (6-1, 224) and Chance Morrow (6-6, 195) could play big roles, and two potential all-MAC guards, Trevor Brock and Tyler Doty, average 6-6 and 325 pounds between them. Snow, a former walk-on, is a little guy in the slot (5-8, 165), but he proved steady and durable in 2024, catching at least four passes in nine games.

Note that I haven’t said a word about the quarterback position yet. With C.J. Ogbonna gone, offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude will likely be choosing between 2024 backup Gunnar Gray and, more likely, journeyman Ta’Quan Roberson. Roberson has thrown for 2,188 career yards and was decent at UConn (one of his three former schools) in 2023. He should be able to lean on a solid run game, but Ogbonna was capable of big plays here and there, and Roberson has averaged just 10.3 yards per completion in his career. MAC contention will probably require more than that.

A couple of breaks away from a run

Miami (Ohio) RedHawks

Head coach: Chuck Martin (12th year, 65-67 overall)

2025 projection: 96th in SP+ (135th offense, 35th defense), 6.5 average wins, 4.7 conference wins

Chuck Martin was designed in a lab to frustrate me. He eschews analytics as it pertains to fourth downs. (The RedHawks went for it just 11 times in 101 fourth-down opportunities, a 10.9% go rate that ranked 133rd in FBS.) He is all-in on the “play not to lose” game management approach, and it’s contributed to a 22-31 career record in one-score finishes since he began at Miami in 2014. He’s old-school in a lot of unhelpful ways.

He’s also one hell of a program builder. He took over when Miami was at a particularly low ebb, and he has built things brick by brick.

Miami, 2014-15: 5-19 record, 120.0 average SP+ ranking

Miami, 2016-22: 40-40 record, 93.9 average SP+ ranking

Miami, 2023-24: 20-8 record, 63.5 average SP+ ranking

Martin and his remarkably consistent staff — in 11 years, he’s had two offensive coordinators and three defensive coordinators — identify and develop talent well, play physical and reasonably uncomplicated ball, put major focus on special teams and create the highest floor of any MAC team.

We’re going to find out a lot about the stability of said floor in 2025. At this point I trust Martin to continue to produce solid two-deeps with athleticism that exceeds their recruiting rankings. But … damn, did the RedHawks lose a lot this offseason: Every primary offensive starter is gone, as are basically 5.5 of the starters in the defensive front six. The secondary remains mostly intact, but ace cornerback Raion Strader left for Auburn.

Martin inked only three defensive transfers — a solid show of faith in last year’s backups and potential stars like edge rusher Adam Trick and safety Silas Walters. But the offense underwent a portal overhaul: quarterback Dequan Finn (Toledo/Baylor), five receivers (including former Notre Dame blue-chipper Deion Colzie), two tight ends and three offensive linemen came aboard. Finn, running backs Kenny Tracy (injured in 2024) and Jordan Brunson should form the base of a strong run game if the offensive line holds up, and the defense gets the benefit of the doubt. But losing this much production is almost a guarantee of regression. We’ll see if Martin’s program-building prowess can prevent a collapse.

Northern Illinois Huskies

Head coach: Thomas Hammock (seventh year, 32-38 overall)

2025 projection: 106th in SP+ (133rd offense, 61st defense), 6.3 average wins, 4.5 conference wins

Like many evaluation-and-development guys, Thomas Hammock was relatively slow to embrace portal life. NIU’s head coach brought in just 15 total transfers from 2022-24, but he’s grabbed 13 this offseason. He needed reinforcements just about everywhere he looked. The Huskies’ classic upset of Notre Dame drove an eight-win season — NIU’s third winning year in four — but Hammock’s Huskies lost their starting quarterback, their top two running backs, their top four pass catchers, five of their top six offensive linemen, and 11 of 16 defenders with at least 200 snaps (including the top four defensive tackles). Defensive coordinator Nick Benedetto left for Fresno State, too.

For a wobbly offense, this turnover could be seen as an opportunity for renewal. NIU ranked 115th in offensive SP+ for each of the last two seasons; the run game was decent last season, but the Huskies ranked 103rd in yards per dropback with no discernible explosiveness in the passing game. Hammock made an inspired coordinator hire, bringing in Quinn Sanders, the University of Charleston head coach who oversaw the No. 1 offense in Division II (per SP+). Charleston combined a relentless run game with over-the-top passing; one could see how that might be appealing to the physicality-minded Hammock.

Hammock brought in quarterback Jackson Proctor, a decent dual-threat from Dartmouth, but QB appears to be Josh Holst’s job to lose. The sophomore was strong in the Huskies’ 28-20 bowl win over Fresno State, and sophomore RB Telly Johnson Jr. became the go-to back late in the season. That’s a good starting point, but only one returning receiver gained more than 60 receiving yards, and the line will be loaded with sophomores and juniors. It’ll be big, though: Hammock has established a nice pipeline of guys listed at 6-foot-4 or taller and 300 pounds or heavier.

It’s harder to make light of the defensive turnover. NIU has averaged a top-40 defensive SP+ ranking over the last two seasons but basically returns 2.5 starters on that side of the ball. Defensive end Roy Williams and corner Jacob Finley are solid starting points on the perimeter, but new coordinator Rob Harley might need smaller-school transfers like tackle Dasean Dixon (Albany) and safety Jasper Beeler (Saginaw Valley State) to thrive quickly. Otherwise the two-deep will be loaded with freshmen and sophomores.

Bowling Green Falcons

Head coach: Eddie George (first year)

2025 projection: 111th in SP+ (98th offense, 121st defense), 5.3 average wins, 4.0 conference wins

Scot Loeffler was starting to get somewhere. After going just 7-22 in his first three seasons at BGSU, he hovered around .500 each year from 2022 to 2024, but the underlying numbers (122nd in SP+ in 2022, 94th in 2023, 77th in 2024) suggested excellent progress. In 2024, the Falcons had their best offense in nine years and their best defense in 11. But Loeffler left to become the Philadelphia Eagles’ QBs coach in late February — an understandable but extremely inconvenient move.

BGSU made an intriguing replacement hire, however, in Eddie George, the Ohio State legend and, more recently, author of a nice revival at Tennessee State. After going 15-18 in his first three seasons at TSU, his Tigers jumped to 9-4 with a first FCS playoff bid last fall. He brought both TSU coordinators with him (OC Travis Partridge, DC Brandon Fisher), and after Loeffler had already added 15 transfers in the winter, George signed another 10.

Translation: This is going to be a new team. BGSU’s 59 returning starts are the third lowest in a turnover-heavy conference, and 47 of those starts are from one unit (OL). The defense returns basically 0.5 starters (safety Darius Lorfils, who started six games).

I’m really intrigued by some of the defensive newcomers, though. Defensive tackle Eriq George (son of the coach) had 12.5 TFLs for TSU, and linebacker Gideon Lampron had 26.5 TFLs at Dayton. Corners Mark Cannon Jr. (Illinois State) and Jalen McClendon (TSU) combined for four picks and 32 pass breakups. Throw in some youngsters with strong recruiting rankings — defensive lineman Collins Acheampong (UCLA), linebacker Andrew Hines (Wake Forest), safety Jay’Quan Bostic (Toledo), corner Key’on Washington (West Virginia) — and George might have something here.

The offense might not have quite as much upside, but experience could produce a high floor. The line indeed returns four starters, all seniors, and veteran Drew Pyne comes over from Mizzou to lead the way at QB. The skill corps, however, is a total mystery. Tight end Arlis Boardingham (Florida) is athletic, and receivers Brennan Ridley (Hampton) and Allen Middleton (Southern Illinois) combined for 1,018 receiving yards as FCS freshmen, but it’s hard to determine who might see a ton of the ball in 2025.

Central Michigan Chippewas

Head coach: Matt Drinkall (first year)

2025 projection: 117th in SP+ (127th offense, 102nd defense), 5.3 average wins, 4.0 conference wins

Matt Drinkall inherits personnel from a team that won only 13 games in its last three years under Jim McElwain, and he might institute a pretty big stylistic shift with unproven offensive personnel. This doesn’t feel like the start of an “a couple of breaks away from a run” tale. But a friendly schedule and actual defensive continuity — a rare commodity in this conference — might make the Chippewas improvement candidates.

Drinkall brings NAIA success to the table — he improved Kansas Wesleyan from 2-9 to 13-1 with a playoff semifinal run over five years in Salina — and he was asked by Jeff Monken to modernize Army’s option attack following rule changes in 2023. The changes didn’t really take, and he was demoted to Army O-line coach in 2024, but the Iowa grad still has Midwestern ties and an interesting offensive background.

We probably won’t see much of an option attack with incumbent Joe Labas the likely starting QB. Labas started half of 2024 before a season-ending injury; his full-season numbers (seven TDs, seven INTs) were colored by a horrid, five-INT performance against Florida International, but he wasn’t much of a runner regardless. The return of slot man Tyson Davis (injured in 2023) assures at least one experienced wideout, but no other returnee had more than 66 receiving yards in 2024, and Tulane transfer Trey Cornist is officially the most proven running back … with 149 rushing yards last year. Drinkall is an O-line guy, and CMU should have good size up front, plus maybe some help from FCS transfers John Iannuzzi (Columbia) and Jacob Russell (Valpo).

Veteran Sean Cronin, most recently Army’s D-line coach, takes over as defensive coordinator, and his No. 1 task is bringing stability to a dramatically all-or-nothing unit: CMU ranked 11th nationally in stuff rate and 13th in sack rate but gave up a spectacular number of big plays. Linebackers Jordan Kwiatkowski and Dakota Cochran (combined: 23.5 TFLs) are thrilling, and safety Caleb Spann thrives near the line of scrimmage. They are undeniable playmakers, and cornerback Kalen Carroll (Cincinnati) is one of the conference’s few incoming power-conference starters. But glitches were devastating in 2024, and Cronin will likely dial the risk profile back a bit.

Eastern Michigan Eagles

Head coach: Chris Creighton (12th year, 57-75 overall)

2025 projection: 113th in SP+ (116th offense, 111th defense), 5.1 average wins, 3.5 conference wins

Chris Creighton has been pulling off .500ish seasons at EMU for long enough that we’re forgetting how impressive going .500 at EMU really is. The Eagles won five games just three times in the 24 seasons before Creighton’s arrival from Drake in 2014, and now they’ve bowled six times in the past nine years. Collapsing from 5-2 to 5-7 last year, thanks to both epic injury issues and close defeats, was a genuine disappointment instead of a roundabout accomplishment.

With so many MAC programs dealing with major turnover, this would feel like an opportunity for Creighton and EMU … if they weren’t dealing with the same thing. The Eagles return only four players who started more than five games last season, though the injuries meant that quite a few of the returnees saw the field. That’s especially true on defense, where 11 returnees started at least once. Still, Creighton brought in seven defensive transfers (plus four JUCOs) to assure a rebound for a unit that collapsed from 67th to 115th in defensive SP+. New playmakers need to emerge, but defensive end Jefferson Adam made 5.5 TFLs in just 185 snaps, and nickel back Barry Manning had three run stops and two pass breakups in 193 snaps; both could become stars with starter-level playing time.

The offense collapsed to 130th in offensive SP+ in 2023 but rebounded a bit last year despite 18 guys starting at least one game. Only six of those 18 return, but I’m intrigued by newcomers like quarterback Cameron Edge (Maryland) and running back James Jointer Jr. (Liberty), and receiver Terry Lockett Jr. is one of the league’s more explosive returning wideouts. The bar for further improvement is pretty low — just keep guys semi-healthy, and you could return to the top 100.

Since Creighton’s arrival, only NIU has played in more one-score games among MAC teams than EMU — almost surprising considering EMU’s fast-paced offense and fourth-down willingness — and that dynamic probably won’t change in 2025: Ten of the Eagles’ 12 games are projected within single digits, and six of the last eight are projected within a touchdown. Win the close ones they didn’t win last year, and 2025 will be pretty exciting.

Just looking for a path to 6-6

Western Michigan Broncos

Head coach: Lance Taylor (third year, 10-15 overall)

2025 projection: 118th in SP+ (112th offense, 117th defense), 4.8 average wins, 3.5 conference wins

After back-to-back losing seasons for a seemingly stalling WMU program, 2024 brought some positivity: Thanks primarily to a 5-1 record against teams ranked in the triple digits in SP+, Lance Taylor’s Broncos eked out six wins and a bowl bid.

In terms of balancing efficiency and explosiveness, the WMU offense was one of the more well-rounded in the conference.

Walt Bell’s offense is predicated around strong rushing and quick passing; it’s an obvious concern that only 2.5 starters return (tight end Blake Bosma, guard John Hofer and receiver and seven-game starter Malique Dieudonne), but junior running back Jalen Buckley (683 yards, nine TDs) is good, Bosma (88% catch rate) is an efficiency cheat code, and Taylor brought in intriguing power-conference transfers such as running back Cole Cabana (Michigan), receiver Christian Leary (Alabama/Georgia Tech) and linemen Raheem Anderson (Michigan) and Hunter Whitenack (Illinois). Quarterback Hayden Wolff is gone, but I think either sophomore Broc Lowry or JC All-American Brady Jones will fill in pretty well there.

The defense hasn’t yet generated any traction under Taylor, who is on his third coordinator in three years. New DC Chris O’Leary was a Notre Dame analyst and, in 2024, the safeties coach for Jim Harbaugh’s L.A. Chargers. This feels like a high-ceiling, low-floor hire, and O’Leary’s success in 2025 will be derived primarily from a number of smaller-school transfers, the most intriguing of which are probably defensive end Kershawn Fisher (Nicholls), linebacker Sefa Saipaia (Ferris State), corner Jordon Thomas (Eastern Kentucky) and safety Marvin Smith (Alabama A&M). Returning safety Tate Hallock is a keeper, but newcomers will tell the tale.

Akron Zips

Head coach: Joe Moorhead (fourth year, 8-28 overall)

2025 projection: 132nd in SP+ (131st offense, 120th defense), 4.5 average wins, 3.2 conference wins

In three years at Akron, Joe Moorhead has proved to be a pretty solid talent evaluator, and going 4-8 in 2024 — after the Zips went a combined 7-47 from 2019-23 — was an undeniable success. But hard jobs remain hard in perpetuity; Moorhead hasn’t made any progress on offense (average offensive SP+ ranking: 126.7), the Zips’ APR scores have dropped enough to get them banned from the postseason (not that six wins was particularly likely anyway), and Moorhead’s primary reward for solid talent identification is that said talent has been plucked away: Seven Zips transferred to power-conference teams this offseason.

It’s kind of a lost year already, in other words. But in Michael Johnson Jr. (Syracuse), running back Chris Gee (Colgate), O-lineman Allen Jones Jr. (West Alabama), prolific linebacker Cam Hollobaugh (Walsh), safety Mehki Flowers (Penn State) and others, Moorhead’s 2025 transfer haul has decent upside. So, too, might returnees like veteran quarterback Ben Finley, 6-foot-7 defensive end Bruno Dall, linebacker Shammond Cooper (injured in 2023) and junior corner Elijah Reed.

Akron is a projected favorite in only three games but is a projected one-score underdog in five others — overachieving against projections just a little could make this a decent season, even if bowling is already off the table.

Ball State Cardinals

Head coach: Mike Uremovich (first year)

2025 projection: 134th in SP+ (123rd offense, 131st defense), 3.4 average wins, 2.5 conference wins

After the slow rise and equally slow fall of the eight-year Mike Neu era, Mike Uremovich takes the reins at BSU. The NIU grad and former Temple and NIU offensive coordinator knows the MAC and has crafted success from limited Midwestern resources at both NAIA’s St. Francis (Illinois) and FCS’ Butler. His 2024 Butler team ranked 35th in SP+, easily the highest in the non-scholarship Pioneer Conference.

Uremovich’s offense is generally built around adapting to player strengths, and the primary strength of his 2025 Cardinals might be versatility. Senior quarterback Kiael Kelly is a better athlete than passer, and running back transfer Qua Ashley (Kennesaw State) caught 28 balls out of the backfield last year. Throw in slot man (and punt returner) Qian Magwood and 5-foot-8 Bucknell WR transfer Eric Weatherly, and you’ve got a set of bouncy and versatile, if not particularly large, skill-corps guys. They could also have the largest pair of tackles in the MAC with returnee Chris Hood (6-foot-10!) potentially pairing with Butler transfer Adam Dolan (6-foot-8), for whatever that’s worth.

Despite BSU’s defensive collapse, Uremovich kept coordinator Jeff Knowles in place, and with good reason: He was Uremovich’s DC at Butler in 2023. The defensive front returns disruptive options in linebacker Joey Stemler and tackle Darin Conley, but a poor secondary has been overhauled. Uremovich brought in 10 defensive transfers, but only three are seniors — this might be a multiyear rebuild on D.

UMass Minutemen

Head coach: Joe Harasymiak (first year)

2025 projection: 13th in SP+ (119th offense, 135th defense), 3.5 average wins, 2.2 conference wins

It’s been a pretty directionless FBS run for UMass. The Minutemen spent their first four FBS seasons in the MAC before choosing independence over all-sports membership, but after nine years and just 18 wins, they’re back. At head coach, they’ve tried veteran retreads (Mark Whipple, Don Brown) and young hotshots (Walt Bell), and nothing has generated traction. Now it’s time to go Full Rutgers. Massachusetts native Joe Harasymiak takes over after three years as Greg Schiano’s defensive coordinator at RU. Schiano is the ultimate, obsessive “skip no steps” program builder, and one can see the appeal to such an approach at UMass.

Harasymiak brought in 34 transfers, but while a few of them are seniors who could contribute quickly — quarterback Grant Jordan (Yale), offensive lineman Mike Entwistle (Harvard), defensive end Josh Nobles (Jackson State), linebacker Timmy Hinspeter (Rutgers), safety Malcolm Greene (Virginia) — some of the more intriguing players on the roster are underclassmen.

Redshirt freshman quarterback AJ Hairston could fend off both Jordan and Utah transfer Brandon Rose for playing time at QB, while transfers like running back Rocko Griffin (UTSA), receiver Tyree Kelly (USF), tackle Malachi Madison (Virginia Tech), linebacker Nick Hawthorne (Boise State) and disruptive safeties Kendall Bournes (Concord) and Zeraun Daniel (Georgetown) are all juniors or younger.

This is going to take some time. UMass is a projected favorite in only one 2025 game, but hey, when you’ve averaged only two wins per season in FBS, the bar for progress is awfully low.

Kent State Golden Flashes

Interim head coach: Mark Carney

2025 projection: 136th in SP+ (134th offense, 133rd defense), 2.8 average wins, 2.2 conference wins

If the bar is low at UMass, it’s just laying on the floor at Kent State. Under head coach Kenni Burns, the Golden Flashes went just 1-23 in two seasons, but it’s actually even worse than that: In my year-end, all-division SP+ rankings, they not only ranked a distant last among the 134 FBS teams, they ranked 227th overall, behind 79 FCS teams and 14 Division II teams. They would have been well below average in the FCS’ Missouri Valley Football Conference. Hell, they’d have been fourth in D2’s GLIAC. This was an utterly atrocious football team.

That just means there’s nowhere to go but up, right? Even with Burns getting dismissed at just about the most awkward possible time of year (mid-April) and offensive coordinator Mark Carney taking over as interim head coach, it’s going to be almost impossible to be that bad again.

I’m not going to try to sell you on the merits of transfers like quarterback CJ Montes (Fordham), offensive lineman Jamarcus Hill (Southeast Missouri), defensive end Jamond Mathis (Southern Illinois) and defensive tackle Thomas Aden (Pitt) or genuinely decent returnees like guard Dustyn Morell or nickelback Canaan Williams. I’m just going to note that, with so many other MAC teams facing major turnover, Kent State could be close enough to the rest of the pack to win a game or two. And when the bar is set at “midtier GLIAC team,” it’s pretty easy to maybe show a sign or two of progress.

Whether it’s playing at the Lenovo Center, scoring the game-winning goal against N.C. State on their senior night or joking around in hotel rooms while on the road, the UNC club ice hockey team has been an integral part of Kauber’s college journey. 

“It’s the things you dream about as a kid, and it’s just been something that I can’t even put into words,” Kauber said. “It’s been absolutely amazing.”

Recreational women’s lacrosse

Rising junior Mary Bray Mann first picked up a lacrosse stick 12 years ago and hasn’t looked back since.  She played through high school and looked forward to representing the UNC women’s club lacrosse team — but when tryouts concluded her first year, her name wasn’t on the list. Disappointed, she was offered another option: a spot on the recreational club team.

“If [I had been selected] for the club team, I would have never known rec existed,” Mann said. 

With her initial plan foiled, she decided to give the recreational club team a chance, and it wasn’t what she had expected. Practice was much more relaxed than it was for her previous teams, and some of her teammates lacked the decade of playing experience she had — yet she was still having fun.

“We treat each other like family because we are teammates,” Mann said. “We fight for each other on the field. We play for each other on the field.”

Mann’s college experience hasn’t gone as she initially envisioned it.  She’s not darting down the center of the field, ripping shots into the back of the net for the top team. But the memories she’s made playing for the recreational women’s lacrosse team will last far beyond her college years.

“Those girls are always and forever gonna be in my heart for sticking up for me and being there for me, putting a smile on my face,” Mann said.  

Joining club sports

Those interested in joining a club sports team should request to join on HeelLife, a website dedicated to clubs on campus. There, you will find information about practices, tryouts and everything to know about getting started. The club’s official Instagram page can also be a valuable resource for staying up to date with news and information regarding the team. 

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com

Welcome to the Morning Commute

Today we’re talking about my weekly observation around the topic of NIL.

For this one, we move to the sport of – softball?

Yes, it just so happens that NIL can take front and center in just about any sport now, and college softball saw a very interesting development take place recently, as Texas Tech reached its first-ever Women’s College World Series after breezing undefeated through both regionals and super regionals, outscoring opponents by a 30-8 margin over five total games.

So, why is this scenario interesting and how does it relate to NIL, you ask?

Well, the Red Raiders are a litmus test of the theory that you can buy a championship now at the college level, thanks to the advent of NIL.

You see, Texas Tech has perennially been a mid-to-meh program. Prior to 2025, they had only reached the NCAA Tournament six times in their history. Not the WCWS, the actual 64-team tournament. They’d never even advanced to Super Regionals prior to this year. So what was the difference?

They brought the bag, man.

This offseason, Texas Tech convinced standout pitcher NiJaree Canady (considered by many to be the best player in the game) to transfer from Stanford and pitch in Lubbock. They paid her a $1.05 million NIL package to leave Stanford, where each of the past two seasons, she had led the Cardinal to the Women’s College World Series.

In 2025, all Canady did was amass a 30-5 record with a nation’s best 0.89 ERA, with two saves added in for good measure. Oh, by the way, she also hits, and managed a solid .312 batting average with a team-best 11 home runs. Tech went 50-12 this season.

This is a program that didn’t even have a softball team until 1996 when the school joined the Big 12 Conference. Naturally, they were building from the ground up and were awful for quite some time, but the truth of the matter is, this program has always been an afterthought at best. In the 29 previous years of Big 12 play, their overall record was 782-804-1 overall (.493 winning percentage) and just 155-346 (.309) in Big 12 play. They went 20-4 this year in league play and won their first-ever conference title.

In last weekend’s Super Regionals, where Tech played at longtime powerhouse Florida State, Canady was brilliant. She made every pitch of the two games (won by Texas Tech 3-0 and 2-1), holding FSU hitters to a measly .102 average (5-of-49). She also homered at the plate once to give a little bit of self love in the process.

We’ll see how the Red Raiders react to the biggest stage of all this week in Oklahoma City, where they will face off Thursday night against Ole Miss in their first-ever WCWS game. Their stud pitcher won’t be new to the surroundings, of course, and that’s exactly what Texas Tech gambled on.

So far, it’s a gamble that’s paid off handsomely.

Whether you like the concept or not, the Red Raiders have played the NIL game and played it well. It will be interesting to see if other programs follow suit in this manner.

On paper, Missouri should beat this team 8 or 9 times out of 10. Especially at home. But when does this game fall on the schedule? Oh… right after historical arch rival kansas and right before actual real current rival South Carolina? Oh…

So while Nate won’t go quite so far as to call this one a “trap game” he is right to raise the warning flag that if the Tigers aren’t dialed in, they could get all they want from ULL, who did win 10 games last season…

After an impressive performance at the NBA Draft combine, Bates is rising up on the mock draft projections…

Bates gave a ton of high praise to Dennis Gates and his coaching staff at Mizzou for getting him prepared to show out like he has in the lead-up to the draft…

Rock M Radio: Dive Cuts Evaluates the Men’s Hoops Roster

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CINCINNATI — As the sixth and seventh round of the draft unfolded last month, the frustration level grew incrementally, pick by pick, for Arkansas defensive tackle Eric Gregory.

He started 44 games in the SEC, after all. He posted his most productive season last year. He’s molded like an NFL defensive tackle prototype at an athletic 6-feet-3, 319 pounds. He had draftable grades. What was happening?

Then, late that Saturday afternoon, the phone rang. It was a team with an upcoming pick. He answered, prepared for a conversation he’d remember for the rest of his life.

He got a sales pitch. A team calling to lure him in case he goes undrafted.

The phone rang again from a team with a pick. Another sales pitch. Then another.

“That was a little upsetting,” Gregory said, serving up an understatement the size of the chip on his shoulder. “I wanted to turn the phone off, but I knew I couldn’t.”

Instead, he turned on dad mode. In the most stressful moment, Gregory poured attention into his 1-year-old daughter, Aurora. That part was easy for the 24-year-old. Understanding how to handle setbacks and the perspective of what truly matters.

Gregory’s dealt with a quarter-century of adversity. His father recently died, and he moved from his hometown of Memphis in his senior year of high school to expand his profile at IMG Academy. He’s had to live with coaches in the process.

“I have been on my own for a long time, so I kind of grew up fast,” Gregory said. “With that type of stuff, you mature fast.”

So, when Bengals defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery called after a draft where his team, surprisingly, didn’t draft a single defensive tackle, Gregory realized the frustration of the day no longer mattered. Not for his career, not for his football future, not for his daughter or his son due in November.

“I knew immediately when I got off the phone with them,” Gregory said. “Going in, I was a little mad I didn’t get drafted. I felt like I should have been drafted. But the opportunities I have with the roster, I have a great opportunity to come in and produce right away.”

Welcome to the new landscape of college football and rookie expectations. Gregory might be a rookie feeling like a freshman again in the hallways of Paycor Stadium during minicamp, getting fitted for pads and finding his locker. But he’ll turn 25 the day before the Bengals’ home opener and is a grown man in every way.

Gregory played a whopping 61 games for the Razorbacks. He played against current teammates Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase in the Battle of the Golden Boot in 2019. LSU won in a 56-20 rout, as they did against most teams that year, but Gregory shared the field. He’ll do it again six years later.

Every year brought a decision of whether to declare or stay. He stuck around, put on 90 pounds early in his career, changed positions from end to tackle and graduated. He could have come out last year, but NIL compensation kept him comfortable, and the extra COVID-19 year of eligibility gave him options.

“The plan is never to stay that long, but injuries come and life happens,” Gregory said. “Just like last year, I decided to come back, I had a baby. I didn’t want to be going through this new process right here with a newborn baby, so that’s why I decided to stay there last year. It definitely was hard to stay that long. You want to get out there and come in younger.”

Being 25 used to warrant a red flag next to a name on the draft board. That’s not the case anymore. The Bengals have four rookies who will turn 25 this year, including second-round linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr.

Scouts would prefer younger, of course, with second contract considerations and growth potential all part of the equation. But with so many older players around, there’s an increasing number of situations where age and maturity are an advantage, especially at positions where a team needs immediate impact.

That includes Knight, who drove for DoorDash after games to support his family while playing for Charlotte, then transferred to become a captain and play for an extra year at South Carolina. He’s spending OTAs lined up next to veteran Logan Wilson as a starting linebacker.

“I develop the tenacity to hunt” – Demetrius Knight Jr. #WhoDey x @iam_the1knight pic.twitter.com/85NNx1TpQz

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) May 5, 2025

“It’s definitely an advantage at times,” Bengals director of college scouting Mike Potts said. “Obviously, you would like the guy that’s younger that has the same amount of experience … You take all the factors, but with a guy at that position that we want to come in and be a leader, part of the evaluation is the character and the makeup that he’s bringing to our team. I think the maturity and everything he brings off the field, as well as on the field, were all pluses across the board.”

Gregory arrives with six seasons of SEC football and life motivation already baked in as the Bengals seek immediate depth help at defensive tackle. The same goes for fellow undrafted defensive tackle Howard Cross, who played six seasons and 66 games at Notre Dame, including the last three under current Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden. He turns 24 this summer and was a second-team All-American and team captain.

Gregory and Cross are older than five of the other 12 defensive linemen on the roster. The cumulative experience in football and life hits fast forward on rookie expectations in the eyes of head coach Zac Taylor.

“They’ve seen more, they have experienced maybe different coaching staffs,” he said, acknowledging Gregory had three defensive coordinators and five defensive line coaches in Fayetteville. “Like all of us, there is a maturity that takes over when you get older in life. For some of these guys, you can bank on that quality being beneficial for them and us. It gives a whole different perspective to people as they have kids and real commitments. Causes you to grow up quickly. Focus on, ‘Hey, this is my career, this is a tremendous opportunity.’ Some guys maybe see that more quickly as they get older in life than some of the younger guys who have talent and ability and are eager, but again, we all know that maturity can really help you in a lot of ways.”

As for the sales pitch Taylor and Montgomery gave Gregory and Cross, there weren’t many promises about the future. They focused on past examples. Linebacker Maema Njongmeta spent five years at Wisconsin before making last year’s team and playing a key role on special teams. Undrafted tight end Cam Grandy saw action on offense. Undrafted punter Ryan Rehkow won the job over a former draft pick, Brad Robbins. Back in Taylor’s first season in Cincinnati, he started undrafted rookie Damion Willis in his coaching debut, partially to send a message.

“If you are undrafted and want an opportunity to play football, come to Cincinnati. We are going to give you the same opportunity we give draft picks,” Taylor said. “We’ve shown that over the years.”

Nobody can say for sure whether Gregory will have a chance to contribute, whether on the practice squad or as a depth player. We’ll see this August.

That leads us back to the phone he wanted to throw in a lake on April 26. He quickly realized what Cincinnati could provide. He didn’t get caught up in the flash of bigger markets or perfect weather or slick sales pitches.

Gregory saw the past. He saw the path. He saw his daughter. Now, he recognizes his long journey uniquely positions him to take advantage of this spot.

“I don’t like to say it, because I was motivated (when I was younger), for sure, but especially last season, it was an extra boost in motivation,” Gregory said. “I have a young girl to support, and I want her to have a life better than what I had. It was definitely a huge motivation. I got another (child) on the way. Can’t ask for a better opportunity.”

(Photo: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)