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Heading into the 2024 GMAC football season and this year seems more wide open then ever. Here are my thoughts and rankings for each team heading into the new season.
1. Findlay - Not only the coaches pick as preseason favorite but mine too. Returning the best OL in the league with perhaps the 2 best lineman overall in Yoesph Carter and Te’Jamere Nash. With a talented skill group and one of the top WR’s in Cam Childers you can expect the Oilers to be one of the top offenses in the league. Coach Allen in his 17th season always has a good defense so I have Findlay as my most balanced team that will need to show consistent top play week in and week out to win the championship. Can’t have a week like they did against Northwood last year.
2. Tiffin - Returning champs after having a huge 2023 season. Coach Ekkens in his 1st season will have a lot of holes to fill from last years squad but they are very talented in the skill positions. Tiffin may need to lean on their defense this year if they are to win back to back championships. They have the defense to do it to led by DB Chucky Lewis the defense is fast and the secondary might be the best in the league. On offense they will need to figure the QB situation out and find some offensive lineman. The WRs are very fast and shifty but can they find a QB to get them the ball. Returning champs can’t be ranked lower then 2nd even with a new head coach.
3. Ashland - Coach Geiser enters his 2nd season and has plenty of returning starters and talent to win the league title this year. The Eagles return 6 second team all conference players and ended the year on an 8 game win streak. Defense is going to be the strength of the team again and if the offense can be more consistent this could be the team to beat. Ashland will need to find it’s running game again and a little better play at QB and I like their chances.
4. Hillsdale - New leadership at Hillsdale as Coach Shreffler takes over but has been there over 25 years and all the coaches are the same, so has anything really changed? Had the Chargers as the 2nd best team but after looking into the other teams I couldn’t place them that high. I do love their offense and along with Findlay will have one of the top offensive lines in the league led by the Affholter twins. I just can’t get over how bad defensively they were last year especially against the pass. I thought they might make a change at D coordinator as he seems to struggle judging talent. Defense was slow and soft but LB Jacob Vance is very good and he didn’t even travel to start the season, only got a chance because of injuries. Sorry Charger fans I couldn’t pull the trigger and put you at #2, we’ll see how that defense looks.
5. Thomas More - A surprise pick maybe but Coach Norwell had a great inaugural season and returns some very good talent. If the defense can slow people down the TM offense should score some points. With 2 of the best WRs in the league in Freshman of the Year Evan Brown and fellow running mate Freddie Johnson along with TE Mike Kirch the Thomas More offense should be very good. There is very little separation between TM and the next 3 teams in the league.
6. Ohio Dominican - Coach Cummings enters his 9th year and looking to rebound after one of the worse seasons in recent years. They should be very good on defense again with one of the top safeties in the league returning in Daishaun Hill. Pair him with defensive lineman Qwyn Williams and Ohio Dominican returns 2 of the top defensive players in the league. Defense won’t be the problem. Offense couldn’t score and will need a huge overhaul to beat the top teams in the league.
7. Northwood - Coach Beurer is in his 2nd year and has a lot of returning players and should be much more consistent week in and week out this season. Their offensive line basically returns everyone and QB Jacob Barlage could have a good season with the help of RB Devin Brown who sat out last season but was a top RB in the league in 2022 with Lake Erie. On defense DB Stephen Douglas is very good and if he can get some help this could be a surprise team in the GMAC. Watch out for the wood.
8. Walsh - 7th year Coach Fankhauser returns his best team in many years. With returning defensive player of the year in LB Cam Hollobaugh and freshman of the year WR Anthony Harris there is great hope at Walsh. This team will not be an easy win for any team in the GMAC this year and might be able to pull off a surprise or 2.
9. Kentucky Wesleyan - Coach Young starts his 3rd season with 9 returning starters on offense and 7 on defense. The Panthers might be the most experienced team in the GMAC but the effort and performance at the end of last season was concerning. KW starts the season with 2 winnable games so hopefully they get off to a good start.
10. Lake Erie - Coach Price, the former DC at Tiffin, takes over one of the worse football programs in DII football. He will have plenty of work to do with many holes to fill. This is a tough job and I hope Coach Price can begin to turn things around. The AD didn’t do him any favors by scheduling Ferris State for his 1st game he does play Post in week 2 and we will see if the program has taken any steps forward as Post is beatable. Hoping the Storm pulls this together.
1. Findlay - Not only the coaches pick as preseason favorite but mine too. Returning the best OL in the league with perhaps the 2 best lineman overall in Yoesph Carter and Te’Jamere Nash. With a talented skill group and one of the top WR’s in Cam Childers you can expect the Oilers to be one of the top offenses in the league. Coach Allen in his 17th season always has a good defense so I have Findlay as my most balanced team that will need to show consistent top play week in and week out to win the championship. Can’t have a week like they did against Northwood last year.
2. Tiffin - Returning champs after having a huge 2023 season. Coach Ekkens in his 1st season will have a lot of holes to fill from last years squad but they are very talented in the skill positions. Tiffin may need to lean on their defense this year if they are to win back to back championships. They have the defense to do it to led by DB Chucky Lewis the defense is fast and the secondary might be the best in the league. On offense they will need to figure the QB situation out and find some offensive lineman. The WRs are very fast and shifty but can they find a QB to get them the ball. Returning champs can’t be ranked lower then 2nd even with a new head coach.
3. Ashland - Coach Geiser enters his 2nd season and has plenty of returning starters and talent to win the league title this year. The Eagles return 6 second team all conference players and ended the year on an 8 game win streak. Defense is going to be the strength of the team again and if the offense can be more consistent this could be the team to beat. Ashland will need to find it’s running game again and a little better play at QB and I like their chances.
4. Hillsdale - New leadership at Hillsdale as Coach Shreffler takes over but has been there over 25 years and all the coaches are the same, so has anything really changed? Had the Chargers as the 2nd best team but after looking into the other teams I couldn’t place them that high. I do love their offense and along with Findlay will have one of the top offensive lines in the league led by the Affholter twins. I just can’t get over how bad defensively they were last year especially against the pass. I thought they might make a change at D coordinator as he seems to struggle judging talent. Defense was slow and soft but LB Jacob Vance is very good and he didn’t even travel to start the season, only got a chance because of injuries. Sorry Charger fans I couldn’t pull the trigger and put you at #2, we’ll see how that defense looks.
5. Thomas More - A surprise pick maybe but Coach Norwell had a great inaugural season and returns some very good talent. If the defense can slow people down the TM offense should score some points. With 2 of the best WRs in the league in Freshman of the Year Evan Brown and fellow running mate Freddie Johnson along with TE Mike Kirch the Thomas More offense should be very good. There is very little separation between TM and the next 3 teams in the league.
6. Ohio Dominican - Coach Cummings enters his 9th year and looking to rebound after one of the worse seasons in recent years. They should be very good on defense again with one of the top safeties in the league returning in Daishaun Hill. Pair him with defensive lineman Qwyn Williams and Ohio Dominican returns 2 of the top defensive players in the league. Defense won’t be the problem. Offense couldn’t score and will need a huge overhaul to beat the top teams in the league.
7. Northwood - Coach Beurer is in his 2nd year and has a lot of returning players and should be much more consistent week in and week out this season. Their offensive line basically returns everyone and QB Jacob Barlage could have a good season with the help of RB Devin Brown who sat out last season but was a top RB in the league in 2022 with Lake Erie. On defense DB Stephen Douglas is very good and if he can get some help this could be a surprise team in the GMAC. Watch out for the wood.
8. Walsh - 7th year Coach Fankhauser returns his best team in many years. With returning defensive player of the year in LB Cam Hollobaugh and freshman of the year WR Anthony Harris there is great hope at Walsh. This team will not be an easy win for any team in the GMAC this year and might be able to pull off a surprise or 2.
9. Kentucky Wesleyan - Coach Young starts his 3rd season with 9 returning starters on offense and 7 on defense. The Panthers might be the most experienced team in the GMAC but the effort and performance at the end of last season was concerning. KW starts the season with 2 winnable games so hopefully they get off to a good start.
10. Lake Erie - Coach Price, the former DC at Tiffin, takes over one of the worse football programs in DII football. He will have plenty of work to do with many holes to fill. This is a tough job and I hope Coach Price can begin to turn things around. The AD didn’t do him any favors by scheduling Ferris State for his 1st game he does play Post in week 2 and we will see if the program has taken any steps forward as Post is beatable. Hoping the Storm pulls this together.
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