Mid-American Conference

Preview courtesy of Western Michigan Sports Information

The Western Michigan football program enters year two under head coach P.J. Fleck and the coming season brings a lot of excitement. The Broncos were able to land the best recruiting class in both program and Mid-American Conference history.

Coach Fleck has not been shy about it either, stating publicly that as many as 14 freshman could start for the Brown & Gold. Mixed in with the youth are a bevy of talented returners.

One of those is reigning MAC Freshman of the Year, Corey Davis. Davis, who was also named a FWAA Freshman All-American, led all freshmen wide receivers in receiving yards (941) and receiving yards per game (85.5 ypg). The Wheaton, Ill., has been added to the 2014 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List.

Senior running back Dareyon Chance returns after being granted an extra year of eligibility. Chance ran for 692 yards and three touchdowns last season and will be depended on to help move along freshmen Jarvion Franklin, Leo Ekwoge and Jamauri Bogan along with sophomore Fabian Johnson in the backfield. 

Even with all the influx of young talent, the secondary remains the most experienced position group on the team. Seniors Rontavious Atkins, , Donald Celiscar and Justin Currie all bring a plethora of experience. Celiscar and Currie, along with Davis and Willie Beavers, were named Preseason All-MAC by Athlon Sports. Celiscar, who led the team with three interceptions, was named to the Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List. Currie led the team in tackles last season with 113 to go along with three interceptions.

Up against the Broncos is a challenging schedule. The non-conference portion features road trips to Purdue, Idaho and Virginia Tech. WMU opens up MAC play against rivals Toledo on Oct. 4 before two straight road games at Ball State and Bowling Green. The Broncos also host Ohio on Oct. 25 and Eastern Michigan on Nov. 15. This season's Battle for the Cannon takes place in Mount Pleasant, Mich., on Nov. 22.