Western Michigan earned a bowl bid in head coach Lance Taylor’s second season leading the program, and the question is whether a winning season is in the equation in year No. 3.
The Broncos were 4-8 in Taylor’s first season in 2023 and followed that up with a 6-7 mark last year, which ended with a 30-23 loss to South Alabama in the Salute To Veterans Bowl.
Now Taylor will look to post his first winning season at Western Michigan, something that was last accomplished when the Broncos went 8-5 in 2021.
Many don’t like the Broncos’ chances at producing a winning campaign, but the key to improvement is shoring up the defense. After allowing 31.3 points per game, which was 107th in the FBS, Western Michigan has hired Chris O’Leary as the new defensive coordinator and safeties coach. A 2014 graduate of Indiana State, O’Leary was the safeties coach last year for the Los Angeles Chargers.
He is among the many new key additions this season for the Broncos.
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Western Michigan Football’s MAC Title Betting Odds
WMU’s odds to win the MAC are +1400, via BetMGM.
Western Michigan Football’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
- WMU’s win total Over/Under is 4.5.
- The Under is at +130.
- The Over is at -155.
Western Michigan Football’s 2025 Schedule
- 8/30 at Michigan State
- 9/6 vs North Texas
- 9/13 at Illinois
- 9/20 vs Toledo
- 9/27 vs Rhode Island
- 10/4 at UMass
- 10/11 vs Ball State
- 10/25 at Miami (OH)
- 11/1 vs Central Michigan
- 11/11 vs Ohio
- 11/18 at Northern Illinois
- 1125 at Eastern Michigan
Bold indicates Mid-American Conference games
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Key Western Michigan Football Returners
2024 All-MAC 2nd Team
S Tate Hallock
3rd Team
TE Blake Bosma
Western Michigan Season Preview
Broncos Have Plenty Of New Faces
The quarterback situation will consist of a new starter. The two main candidates appear to be redshirt sophomore Broc Lowry and junior college transfer Brady Jones.
Lowry began his career at Indiana, spending one season with the Hoosiers. Last year in his first season at Western Michigan, he was a reserve and attempted just eight passes. He is also a threat running the ball.
The ground game should be powered by junior Jalen Buckley, who rushed for 683 yards and nine touchdowns.
Cole Cabana, a transfer from Michigan, is among the players who should add depth at running back.
The top returning receiving option is tight end Blake Bosma, who had 37 receptions for 403 yards and six touchdowns.
As for receivers, Malique Dieudonne returns after catching 13 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Christian Leary, a graduate transfer from Georgia Tech, is among newcomers expected to contribute at receiver.
The offensive line should consist of many newcomers, including graduate center Raheem Anderson II, a Michigan transfer.
Adam Vandervest, who injured his knee during the first week of camp last fall, returns and is likely going to be the left tackle.
Redshirt senior John Hofer, who rotated in at guard last season, is among the others in the offensive line mix.
Western Michigan Strong At Safety
Safety provides the most experience that Western Michigan has returning on defense. Graduate strong safety Tate Hallock is Western Michigan’s leading returning tackler. He was second on the team with 84 tackles while adding team highs in interceptions (four) and pass breakups (five). Senior free safety Aaron Wofford had 64 tackles, one interception, and four pass breakups.
Joshua Franklin, who moved from wide receiver to cornerback last season, appeared in 13 games and had 19 tackles and one interception. Isaiah Paul, who broke his collarbone last year in training camp and ended up playing three games, is another candidate at corner.
Defensive tackle Tyson Lee and defensive end Popeye Williams each appeared in all 13 games last season. Lee recorded 26 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack, while Williams had 19 tackles, including two tackles for loss and one sack. Others expected to have defensive line roles are end Rodney McGraw, who recorded 22 tackles in 13 games, and defensive tackle Dalton Gustwiller, who had seven tackles in seven games.
Domanick Moon, who had 19 tackles in 13 games, is the leading returning linebacker. Other linebacker candidates include Dillon Moore, who had 12 tackles in 10 games for the Broncos, and James Camden, a transfer from Murray State who had 51 tackles and four pass breakups for the Racers.
Western Michigan’s Special Teams
Ryan Millmore, who averaged 40.34 yards on 53 punts, returns as the punter. Palmer Domschke, who appeared in just three games last season due to injury, is expected to handle the placekicking duties.
Western Michigan Football Season Prediction
I don’t expect Western Michigan to contend for the MAC title and the prediction here is that the Broncos will win five games. What will hold Western Michigan back is a difficult schedule. The Broncos have to start the season with non-conference games against Michigan, North Texas, and Illinois. If Western Michigan can win one of these three games, the win total could be revised, but that will be a difficult task.
Two keys for the season are how whoever wins the quarterback job performs and whether O’Leary’s hiring as defensive coordinator will have a major impact on the defense.
