Chris Creighton enters his 12th season as head coach at Eastern Michigan. During his time, the program has had its ups and downs. In his first 11 seasons, Creighton guided the Eagles to six bowl games and four winning seasons. Last year, the Eagles went 5-7 and snapped a three-year bowl streak.
As with many college football teams in the NIL era, programs have roster overhauls each season, whether through graduation or transfers. Eastern Michigan is in this boat, and like many teams, how the newcomers adapt will be key.
The Eagles have not won a MAC Championship since 1987. So much of Eastern Michigan’s success will be winning the close games. Last year, EMU was 2-3 in games decided by eight or fewer points.
One of the keys to the situation will be settling the quarterback situation.
Eastern Michigan Football’s MAC Title Betting Odds
Eastern Michigan’s odds to win the MAC are +2500, via BetMGM.
Eastern Michigan Football’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
Eastern Michigan’s win total Over/Under is 4.5, with Under 4.5 and Over 4.5 at -110.
Eastern Michigan Football’s 2025 Schedule
8/30 at Texas State
9/6 vs. LIU
9/13 at Kentucky
9/20 vs. Louisiana
9/27 at Central Michigan
10/4 at Buffalo
10/11 vs. Northern Illinois
10/18 at Miami (Ohio)
10/25 vs. Ohio
11/8 vs. Bowling Green
11/15 at Ball State
11/25 vs. Western Michigan
Bold indicates MAC games
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Key Eastern Michigan Football Returners
2nd Team All-MAC
WR Terry Lockett Jr.
Eastern Michigan Football Offense Has Potential, Defense Rebuilding
The key will be replacing quarterback Cole Snyder, who passed for 2,684 yards and 15 touchdowns while also throwing nine interceptions. Snyder, who previously played at Buffalo and Rutgers, also rushed for 323 yards and four scores.
Four quarterbacks, who all played in the spring game, were competing for the job.
Junior Jeremiah Salem appeared in three games and attempted 11 passes for the Eagles last season. Jace Stuckey is a redshirt freshman who didn’t see action last year. The other two are transfers. Noah Kim is a well-traveled graduate student who began his career at Michigan State and played last season for Coastal Carolina, appearing in seven games and completing 30 of 56 throws for 333 yards and four touchdowns. The other quarterback who played in the spring game was Maryland transfer Cameron Edge, who played sparingly the previous two seasons for the Terrapins.
It appears as if Salem and Kim are the two main frontrunners.
Graduate student Terry Lockett Jr. leads the receiving corps. He was a second-team all-MAC choice last season after catching 46 passes for 660 yards and five touchdowns. Last season was his second at Eastern Michigan after beginning his career at Michigan State, where he appeared in 15 games. Lockett recorded two 100-yard receiving games last season.
Another person to look to in the passing game is tight end Tanner Lemaster, who caught a TD pass in the spring game. Lemaster is a transfer from Kentucky, where he didn’t see any action last year.
There are several running backs vying for carries. Tavierre Dunlap was among the standouts in the spring game with nine carries for 41 yards and a touchdown. Dunlap is a transfer from Michigan, where he played sparingly on offense, appearing in 34 games. He did see extensive action on special teams. Dontae McMillan was a starter at running back last year before breaking his leg during the second game of the season against Washington. He should be a big factor in the backfield.
One of the biggest additions to the offensive line is coach Chris Wiesehan, who brings more than three decades of coaching experience. He was at Temple the past three seasons, his second stint with the Owls. Wiesehan is known for developing offensive linemen.
The one starter back on the offensive line is graduate student Mickey Rewolinski. Chris Mayo, a graduate guard/tackle who was injured last year, did see action in 10 games in 2023 with four starts.
Eastern Michigan must replace its top 11 tacklers from last year. Senior linebacker Zach Mowchan is the leading returning tackler. He had 26 tackles in three games before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
A player who emerged this spring is linebacker Marco Patierno, a transfer from Elon. He had two sacks in the spring game and is projected to vie for time with Bryce Eliuk, who was injured last year in fall camp.
Carter Evans, who had 15 tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss, and Tyrell Martin, who had 16 tackles and two tackles for loss, are among the key returning defensive linemen.
The strongest area is the secondary, led by Jaivian Norman and Dramarian McNulty, who appeared in 12 and 10 games, respectively, last year. Another player to watch in the secondary is Joshua Scott, who missed most of the last two years but was a key player before that, leading the Eagles with three interceptions in 2022.
Mitchell Tomasek, who was third in the MAC with a 42.4 punting average, should again be among the top punters in the MAC.
Eastern Michigan Football Season Prediction
While I don’t see Eastern Michigan challenging for the MAC title, I predict the Eagles will win at least five games.
The key is being able to get off to a good start in their four non-conference games. If the Eagles go 2-2 in those games, then it should give them momentum entering MAC play.
One break is not having to play against conference favorite Toledo, but there will be plenty of challenges. Six wins and bowl eligibility isn’t out of the question, but matching last year’s win total of five is a realistic expectation.
