The Western Michigan football program and head coach Tim Lester signed 20 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent Wednesday. According to the 247Sports composite rating . . .
. . . calculator, the average rating of the 20 WMU signees is .8264, which is the highest ever in the history of the Mid-American Conference.
Western Michigan also landed the highest rated recruit in school history, signing Muskegon offensive lineman Antwan “A.J.” Reed.
Reed is a four-star recruit with an individual rating of .8949. Reed had previously committed to Penn State, but reopened his recruitment the first week of December. He is the highest rated MAC player since 2009.
High school players are evaluated at camps and games by 247Sports and given a rating. The composite rating for each player is derived from the three main recruiting websites, 247, Rivals and ESPN. Allen Trieu, the Midwest Recruiting Analyst, said that he has seen every player Western Michigan signed.
WMU also has the MAC’s top ranked* recruiting class according to 247Sports and Rivals.
Western Michigan also landed the highest rated recruit in school history, signing Muskegon offensive lineman Antwan “A.J.” Reed.
Reed is a four-star recruit with an individual rating of .8949. Reed had previously committed to Penn State, but reopened his recruitment the first week of December. He is the highest rated MAC player since 2009.
High school players are evaluated at camps and games by 247Sports and given a rating. The composite rating for each player is derived from the three main recruiting websites, 247, Rivals and ESPN. Allen Trieu, the Midwest Recruiting Analyst, said that he has seen every player Western Michigan signed.
WMU also has the MAC’s top ranked* recruiting class according to 247Sports and Rivals.
PLAYER PROFILES:
Antwan “A.J.” Reed: Originally committed to Penn State, became the highest rated recruit in Western Michigan history when he reopened recruitment and committed to WMU in December... received first Division I scholarship offer as a sophomore ... had offers from Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Tennessee and Virginia Tech ... ESPN No. 2 ranked player in the state, 20th offensive tackle nationally ... ranked No. 3 player in the state, No. 16 offensive tackle by Rivals ... first team all-area and Detroit News Dream Team selection ... three-year starter that anchored left side of the line ... spearheaded a line that helped Muskegon rush for 5,120 yards and win the Division 3 state championship in 2017 ... offense scored over 750 points and team went 14-0 senior season ... had 90 pancakes senior year and 250 total for career ... also played baseball and basketball ... cousin, Deyonta Davis, played basketball at Michigan State and is in the NBA.
Kaleb Eleby: No. 10 ranked player in the state ... No. 19 ranked dual-threat quarterback nationally ... first team all-state and all-conference ... played varsity all four years ... Class 5 Missouri Player of the Year ... team captain three seasons ... Elite Student-Athlete award winner ... holds every passing record at Pattonville High School ... totaled 9,735 yards and 95 touchdowns with a 64% completion rate ... also played basketball and ran track ... had offers from Arkansas State, Ball State, Illinois, Iowa State, Toledo, as well as others.
Patrick Lupro: Played both cornerback and running back ... quick, aggressive, and strong corner ... ranked No. 25 player in the state by Rivals ... honorable mention all-state by the Daily Tribune ... named to Detroit Free Press All-West Team ... had 39 tackles, three sacks, three interceptions - including one for a touchdown, and a fumble recovery ... teammates with WMU signee Kmare Carey ... received offers from Cincinnati, Syracuse, Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Buffalo and Bowling Green.
DaShon Bussell: Played senior season at Knoxville Catholic in Tennessee after starting high school career at Fort Wayne (Ind.) Bishop Luers ... led Knoxville Catholic to a Class 5A state title ... caught two touchdowns in state championship win ... named all-region, all-state and all-prep xtra ... totaled 58 catches for 1,100 yards ... rushed for 655 yards on 56 carries ... had 500 kickoff return yards ... scored 15 receiving touchdowns, seven rushing touchdowns and had three TDs off of kickoff returns ... scored a touchdown one out of five times he touched the ball ... earned special teams MVP as a junior ... also played basketball freshman season ... had offers from Iowa, Tennessee as well as six other MAC schools.
Anthony Torres: Originally committed to Iowa but selected WMU in December ... caught 11 passes for 196 yards (17.82 ypc) and one touchdown as a junior ... Penn went 36-4 overall, 16-0 in the Northern Indiana Conference, over his first three seasons ... Penn has been the Class 6A state runners-up in the 2017 and 2015 seasons with 12 wins in each of the last five years ... missed senior season after transferring briefly to IMG Academy and then returning to Penn ... ranked as the No. 14 recruit in Indiana and No. 48 tight end in the country by 247Sports ... graduated with a GPA over 4.0 ... played basketball freshman year ... mother, Brenda, played college soccer at Notre Dame; brother Austin, played basketball at Notre Dame ... had at least 13 Division I offers, also receiving offers from Air Force, Arkansas, Cincinnati and UCF.
Andre Carter: Named all-city, all-state and to Dream Team ... totaled 172 career tackles, including 132 solo ... recorded three fumble recoveries and forced four fumbles ... had 33.5 sacks ... also participated in wrestling and track ... had 14 Division I offers, including Purdue, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Temple, Boston College.
Keni-H Lovely: First team all-conference, second team all-state, top 63 Palm Beach ... had three interceptions in four games senior year, returned two picks for touchdowns ... recorded 80 tackles, 12 knock downs and forced four fumbles ... had 12 pass break-ups over four games ... played for state championship ... also ran track, posting a 10.6 in the 100m and a 22.5 in the 200m ... brother Kennard Banks played football at Western Michigan and Iowa State, brother James Looney played at Cal, brother Joe Looney played for Wake Forest and is playing in the NFL ... had 15 Division I offers, including Vanderbilt, NC State, Iowa State, Syracuse and Indiana.
Chase Brown: State champion ... leading rusher in Manatee County ... named offensive MVP, first team all-conference and second team all-state ... school’s all-time leading rusher ... anchored the state champion 400m relay in track and field and holds school record in the 100m ... as a senior, had 1,508 yards on 98 carries, averaging 15.9 yards per carry and 150 yards per game, scored 27 touchdowns ... father played in CFL for three seasons and mother was a figure skater ... had several Division I offers including Purdue, UCF, Syracuse, Illinois, Ole Miss, Indiana, Tulane and Wake Forest.
Braden Fiske: Three-time all-conference selection, two-time team captain ... named ASN all-area and New Dispatch all-area …led team to state semifinals for the first time in school history ... four-year letterwinner ... also played baseball ... was also offered by Ball State and Northern Illinois.
Ronnie Buford: Played quarterback at Burton Atherton his first two years in high school before moving to defensive end junior season at Chelsea ... athletic with a long frame ... AP first team all-state and was an all-conference selection ... named Ann Arbor Defensive Player of the Year and to Dream Team Defense ... recorded 84 tackles and 12 sacks during regular season senior year ... team only allowed 12.8 points per game ... career totaled 33 sacks, 185 tackles 10 forced fumbles, four blocked fields, six pass blocks and one interception … was second team all-conference sophomore year as a quarterback … also played basketball ... other offers include Miami, Toledo, Ohio and Northern Illinois.
Jayden Reed: Transferred to Naperville Central from Metea Valley for senior season ... over career recorded 1,792 yards, 60 receptions and 20 touchdowns ... all-state, all-conference, all-area selection ... named Team MVP and Offensive Player of the Year for Naperville Central ... also had scholarship offers from Toledo, Central Michigan and Miami … was a United States Achievement Academy Math Award Nominee.
Zaire Barnes: Class 7A honorable mention all-state as a running back and safety ... ranked the No. 45 player in the state of Illinois by 247Sports ... two-time all-conference, two-time all-area and was an all-state selection in 2017 … named MVP in 2017 and twice named most valuable back … team captain … had 77 tackles (28 solo), six touchdowns, 51 carries for 458 yards, averaging almost nine yards per carry … brother Zavier Barnes played football at Saginaw Valley State … also received offers from Cincinnati, Kansas State, Toledo, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Ball State and Bowling Green.
Lee Payton: First team all-state, first team all-city, first team all-metro selection ... academic all-state ... three-year team captain ... as a junior had 26 receptions, 460 yards and 12 touchdowns ... as a senior had 15 receptions, 320 yards and 10 touchdowns ... second team all-state in track ... had as many as 11 offers, including Michigan, Florida, Navy, Temple, Syracuse, Indiana and several MAC schools.
Austin France: Collected All-SAC honors ... as a senior, recorded 76 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks and forced a fumble ... also ran track ... had offers from Ball State, Indiana, Toledo, Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan.
Kmare Carey: Teammates with WMU signee Patrick Lupro ... offered by WMU following 7-on-7 camp in June ... Belleville was a top-ranked team in the state in 2017 ... had four interceptions, 27 tackles, three touchdowns, two sacks and eight pass deflections … also plays basketball, earning all-league honors ... had offers from Temple and Ball State.
Ginial Isma: Named second team all-Broward County ... totaled 106 tackles, seven interceptions and had three interceptions for touchdowns ... also ran track ... received offers from FAU, UCF, NC State, Colorado State, Southern Miss and Toledo.
Nick Mihalic: Named No. 1 punter in the country by 247Sports ... invited and attended Blue-Grey All-American game ... top 12 member according to Chris Sailer ... named all-area as a senior ... four-year starter ... recorded 42 touchbacks sophomore year ... as a junior had a 42-yard punt average, as a senior had a 47-yard punt average ... rated a 5-star punter by Chris Sailer and Kohl's Kicking ... captain of the track team, ran a 10.98 100-yard dash and a 50.9 400-yard dash ... father received a scholarship to Eastern Illinois for soccer, grandfather played professional soccer in Austria ... was also recruited by Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Rutgers.
Will McCabe: Second team all-state and was MSL Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2016 ... two-time all-area and all-conference, team defensive MVP ... had 110 tackles in 2016, including 26.5 tackles for loss, as well as five sacks, seven pass break-ups and 21 hurries ... played in just five games in 2017 due to injury, recording 48 tackles, five sacks, 19 TFL, 20 QBH, five PBU ... also played baseball ... father was a linebacker at Notre Dame from 1982-85, brother Matt is a currently defensive end at Yale, grandfathers played basketball at DePaul and Oklahoma State, aunt played professional basketball in Europe ... had multiple offers including Navy, New Mexico and several MAC schools.
Matthew Stuckey: Two-time all-state selection, three-time all-conference, two-time all-area ... recorded 420 career tackles, 200 tackles for loss, forced 20 fumbles and had 50 sacks and one pick-six ... also played basketball ... had several other offers including Toledo, Central Michigan, and Northern Illinois.
Ryan Selig: Three-year starter and honorable mention all-state selection ... two-time first team all-conference, earning as both linebacker and wide receiver ... recorded 60 tackles, two tackles for loss, three PBUs, one forced fumble, seven QBH, and five sacks in one year of playing defense ... also had eight receiving touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns on offense ... three-sport athlete, also playing basketball and baseball ... has multiple Division I offers in baseball.
Antwan “A.J.” Reed: Originally committed to Penn State, became the highest rated recruit in Western Michigan history when he reopened recruitment and committed to WMU in December... received first Division I scholarship offer as a sophomore ... had offers from Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Tennessee and Virginia Tech ... ESPN No. 2 ranked player in the state, 20th offensive tackle nationally ... ranked No. 3 player in the state, No. 16 offensive tackle by Rivals ... first team all-area and Detroit News Dream Team selection ... three-year starter that anchored left side of the line ... spearheaded a line that helped Muskegon rush for 5,120 yards and win the Division 3 state championship in 2017 ... offense scored over 750 points and team went 14-0 senior season ... had 90 pancakes senior year and 250 total for career ... also played baseball and basketball ... cousin, Deyonta Davis, played basketball at Michigan State and is in the NBA.
Kaleb Eleby: No. 10 ranked player in the state ... No. 19 ranked dual-threat quarterback nationally ... first team all-state and all-conference ... played varsity all four years ... Class 5 Missouri Player of the Year ... team captain three seasons ... Elite Student-Athlete award winner ... holds every passing record at Pattonville High School ... totaled 9,735 yards and 95 touchdowns with a 64% completion rate ... also played basketball and ran track ... had offers from Arkansas State, Ball State, Illinois, Iowa State, Toledo, as well as others.
Patrick Lupro: Played both cornerback and running back ... quick, aggressive, and strong corner ... ranked No. 25 player in the state by Rivals ... honorable mention all-state by the Daily Tribune ... named to Detroit Free Press All-West Team ... had 39 tackles, three sacks, three interceptions - including one for a touchdown, and a fumble recovery ... teammates with WMU signee Kmare Carey ... received offers from Cincinnati, Syracuse, Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Buffalo and Bowling Green.
DaShon Bussell: Played senior season at Knoxville Catholic in Tennessee after starting high school career at Fort Wayne (Ind.) Bishop Luers ... led Knoxville Catholic to a Class 5A state title ... caught two touchdowns in state championship win ... named all-region, all-state and all-prep xtra ... totaled 58 catches for 1,100 yards ... rushed for 655 yards on 56 carries ... had 500 kickoff return yards ... scored 15 receiving touchdowns, seven rushing touchdowns and had three TDs off of kickoff returns ... scored a touchdown one out of five times he touched the ball ... earned special teams MVP as a junior ... also played basketball freshman season ... had offers from Iowa, Tennessee as well as six other MAC schools.
Anthony Torres: Originally committed to Iowa but selected WMU in December ... caught 11 passes for 196 yards (17.82 ypc) and one touchdown as a junior ... Penn went 36-4 overall, 16-0 in the Northern Indiana Conference, over his first three seasons ... Penn has been the Class 6A state runners-up in the 2017 and 2015 seasons with 12 wins in each of the last five years ... missed senior season after transferring briefly to IMG Academy and then returning to Penn ... ranked as the No. 14 recruit in Indiana and No. 48 tight end in the country by 247Sports ... graduated with a GPA over 4.0 ... played basketball freshman year ... mother, Brenda, played college soccer at Notre Dame; brother Austin, played basketball at Notre Dame ... had at least 13 Division I offers, also receiving offers from Air Force, Arkansas, Cincinnati and UCF.
Andre Carter: Named all-city, all-state and to Dream Team ... totaled 172 career tackles, including 132 solo ... recorded three fumble recoveries and forced four fumbles ... had 33.5 sacks ... also participated in wrestling and track ... had 14 Division I offers, including Purdue, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Temple, Boston College.
Keni-H Lovely: First team all-conference, second team all-state, top 63 Palm Beach ... had three interceptions in four games senior year, returned two picks for touchdowns ... recorded 80 tackles, 12 knock downs and forced four fumbles ... had 12 pass break-ups over four games ... played for state championship ... also ran track, posting a 10.6 in the 100m and a 22.5 in the 200m ... brother Kennard Banks played football at Western Michigan and Iowa State, brother James Looney played at Cal, brother Joe Looney played for Wake Forest and is playing in the NFL ... had 15 Division I offers, including Vanderbilt, NC State, Iowa State, Syracuse and Indiana.
Chase Brown: State champion ... leading rusher in Manatee County ... named offensive MVP, first team all-conference and second team all-state ... school’s all-time leading rusher ... anchored the state champion 400m relay in track and field and holds school record in the 100m ... as a senior, had 1,508 yards on 98 carries, averaging 15.9 yards per carry and 150 yards per game, scored 27 touchdowns ... father played in CFL for three seasons and mother was a figure skater ... had several Division I offers including Purdue, UCF, Syracuse, Illinois, Ole Miss, Indiana, Tulane and Wake Forest.
Braden Fiske: Three-time all-conference selection, two-time team captain ... named ASN all-area and New Dispatch all-area …led team to state semifinals for the first time in school history ... four-year letterwinner ... also played baseball ... was also offered by Ball State and Northern Illinois.
Ronnie Buford: Played quarterback at Burton Atherton his first two years in high school before moving to defensive end junior season at Chelsea ... athletic with a long frame ... AP first team all-state and was an all-conference selection ... named Ann Arbor Defensive Player of the Year and to Dream Team Defense ... recorded 84 tackles and 12 sacks during regular season senior year ... team only allowed 12.8 points per game ... career totaled 33 sacks, 185 tackles 10 forced fumbles, four blocked fields, six pass blocks and one interception … was second team all-conference sophomore year as a quarterback … also played basketball ... other offers include Miami, Toledo, Ohio and Northern Illinois.
Jayden Reed: Transferred to Naperville Central from Metea Valley for senior season ... over career recorded 1,792 yards, 60 receptions and 20 touchdowns ... all-state, all-conference, all-area selection ... named Team MVP and Offensive Player of the Year for Naperville Central ... also had scholarship offers from Toledo, Central Michigan and Miami … was a United States Achievement Academy Math Award Nominee.
Zaire Barnes: Class 7A honorable mention all-state as a running back and safety ... ranked the No. 45 player in the state of Illinois by 247Sports ... two-time all-conference, two-time all-area and was an all-state selection in 2017 … named MVP in 2017 and twice named most valuable back … team captain … had 77 tackles (28 solo), six touchdowns, 51 carries for 458 yards, averaging almost nine yards per carry … brother Zavier Barnes played football at Saginaw Valley State … also received offers from Cincinnati, Kansas State, Toledo, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Ball State and Bowling Green.
Lee Payton: First team all-state, first team all-city, first team all-metro selection ... academic all-state ... three-year team captain ... as a junior had 26 receptions, 460 yards and 12 touchdowns ... as a senior had 15 receptions, 320 yards and 10 touchdowns ... second team all-state in track ... had as many as 11 offers, including Michigan, Florida, Navy, Temple, Syracuse, Indiana and several MAC schools.
Austin France: Collected All-SAC honors ... as a senior, recorded 76 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks and forced a fumble ... also ran track ... had offers from Ball State, Indiana, Toledo, Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan.
Kmare Carey: Teammates with WMU signee Patrick Lupro ... offered by WMU following 7-on-7 camp in June ... Belleville was a top-ranked team in the state in 2017 ... had four interceptions, 27 tackles, three touchdowns, two sacks and eight pass deflections … also plays basketball, earning all-league honors ... had offers from Temple and Ball State.
Ginial Isma: Named second team all-Broward County ... totaled 106 tackles, seven interceptions and had three interceptions for touchdowns ... also ran track ... received offers from FAU, UCF, NC State, Colorado State, Southern Miss and Toledo.
Nick Mihalic: Named No. 1 punter in the country by 247Sports ... invited and attended Blue-Grey All-American game ... top 12 member according to Chris Sailer ... named all-area as a senior ... four-year starter ... recorded 42 touchbacks sophomore year ... as a junior had a 42-yard punt average, as a senior had a 47-yard punt average ... rated a 5-star punter by Chris Sailer and Kohl's Kicking ... captain of the track team, ran a 10.98 100-yard dash and a 50.9 400-yard dash ... father received a scholarship to Eastern Illinois for soccer, grandfather played professional soccer in Austria ... was also recruited by Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Rutgers.
Will McCabe: Second team all-state and was MSL Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2016 ... two-time all-area and all-conference, team defensive MVP ... had 110 tackles in 2016, including 26.5 tackles for loss, as well as five sacks, seven pass break-ups and 21 hurries ... played in just five games in 2017 due to injury, recording 48 tackles, five sacks, 19 TFL, 20 QBH, five PBU ... also played baseball ... father was a linebacker at Notre Dame from 1982-85, brother Matt is a currently defensive end at Yale, grandfathers played basketball at DePaul and Oklahoma State, aunt played professional basketball in Europe ... had multiple offers including Navy, New Mexico and several MAC schools.
Matthew Stuckey: Two-time all-state selection, three-time all-conference, two-time all-area ... recorded 420 career tackles, 200 tackles for loss, forced 20 fumbles and had 50 sacks and one pick-six ... also played basketball ... had several other offers including Toledo, Central Michigan, and Northern Illinois.
Ryan Selig: Three-year starter and honorable mention all-state selection ... two-time first team all-conference, earning as both linebacker and wide receiver ... recorded 60 tackles, two tackles for loss, three PBUs, one forced fumble, seven QBH, and five sacks in one year of playing defense ... also had eight receiving touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns on offense ... three-sport athlete, also playing basketball and baseball ... has multiple Division I offers in baseball.
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