Western Michigan Broncos Have The Top Recruiting Class In Mid American Conference

Sep 21, 2013; Iowa City, IA, USA; Western Michigan Broncos Head Coach P.J. Fleck walks the sidelines during their game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

National Signing day was on Wednesday.  It was the first chance new college recruits had to commit to their school of choice. A few days after the player announcements and fan fare one of the biggest surprises came out of the MAC.  According to the ESPN recruiting class rankings, Western Michigan has the #68 ranked class in the country. Aside from being the best in the MAC, the Broncos class out ranks Purdue and is only two spots behind Illinois at #66.

The MAC best ranking is fueled by a pair of four star recruits WR Lance Johnson and QB Chance Stewart.

Lance Johnson is the #52 ranked wide receiver and has a wide catch radius and the ability to shed tacklers with size and quickness. (according to ESPN insider).  Johnson, a product of Westside High School in Gary Indiana, was recruited by several Big Ten schools including Purdue and Ohio State. He has big play ability and figures to impact the Western Michigan line-up as a true freshmen in the 2014  season.

Chance Stewart is the #19 ranked quarterback in this years class.  The 6′ 5″ pocket passer has great size and the ability to take the physical abuse that comes with the position.  Stewart will fit nicely into the Western Michigan offensive scheme but is a year or two away from getting a chance to start. Stewart received offers from Wisconsin and Illinois before deciding settling on the Broncos.

This strong draft class is just what PJ Fleck and the Western Michigan Broncos needed after the 1-11 debacle that was the 2013 season.  Fleck said the key to his recruiting success was landing some recruits who could “boost the Broncos brand.”

Robert Spillane, three star linebacker recruit from Illinois, was instrumental is helping bring more talent to Kalamzoo. Spillane and Chance Stewart both had offers to play at bigger programs and by choosing Western they helped Fleck bolster the Broncos class.

"Those guys really stuck out to me for being able to glue this thing together,” Fleck said, noting Spillane’s desire to boost the Broncos’ brand. “He knew the responsibility that, if I do commit here, I can bring the type of players that I want to surround myself with.”"

While the Broncos class is ranked #68 by ESPN, the recruiting guru’s at Rivals.com has the class ranked at #60.  All in all the Broncos 2014 recruiting class could be the highest ranked class in MAC history.  P.J. Fleck is hoping that high-ranking can immediately impact the Broncos on the field and help the Broncos bounce back from a dismal 2013.