Depth chart for EMU at Ball State

Here it is folks, the much-anticipated first EMU depth chart of the fall! I’m also trying out a different format for the depth chart, so let me know what you think in the comments. For comparison, here’s the spring football depth chart.

Offense

X receiver
Donald Scott
Quincy Jones

Z receiver
Dustin Creel
Dustin Daniels

H receiver
Demarius Reed
David Gibson

Y receiver
Garrett Hoskins
Dylan Brooks
Tyreese Russell

Left tackle
Korey Neal
Bobby McFadden

Left guard
Corey Watman
Campbell Allison

Center
Andrew Sorgatz
Jordan Erbes

Right guard
Orlando McCord
Campbell Allison

Right Tackle
Lincoln Hansen
Bobby McFadden

Quarterback
Alex Gillett
Tyler Benz
Mark Iannotti

Running back
Dominique Sherrer
Javonti Greene
Ryan Brumfield
Bronson Hill

Defense

Defensive end
Kalonji Kashama
Matt Price

Nose tackle
Cy Maughmer
Arron Pipkins

Defensive tackle
Travis Linser
Devin Henderson

Rush end
Andy Mulumba
Pat O’Conner

Weak-side linebacker
Justin Cudworth
Ike Spearman

Middle linebacker
Colin Weingrad
Sean Kurtz

Strong-side linebacker
Bryan Pali
Blake Poole

Left corner
Marlon Pollard
Darius Scott

Right corner
Marcell Rose
Dominique Rouse

Strong safety
Kevin Johnson
Pudge Cotton

Free safety
Donald Coleman
Corey Manns

Special teams

Punter
Jay Karutz
Kody Fulkerson

Place kicker
Kody Fulkerson
Dylan Mulder

Long snapper
Mike Zupancic
Matt Bowman

Kickoff specialist
Kody Fulkerson
Dylan Mulder

Kickoff returner
Darius Scott
Javonti Greene

Punt returner
Demarius Reed
Marlon Pollard

Holder
Alex Gillett

Notes:

• Although EMU lists a “rushbacker”, which suggests a 3-4 defense, this position is really a down lineman, not a linebacker. They fooled me on this at the start of the season last year.
• Several commenters here thought Tyler Allen would be the man on kickoff returns, and I thought he might crack the depth chart at running back, so his absence here is noteworthy. Instead it looks like Javonti Greene will be joining Darius Scott as the primary kick returners. Last year four guys seemed to be in this rotation, so perhaps we’ll see Sherrer and Allen take some returns also. Alternatively, it may be that English is planning on putting more of the running back load on Sherrer, and doesn’t want to wear him out with returns also. Also, if the team  will go to a less run-heavy offense this year, there won’t be as many carries to share, and this may be a bit of a consolation prize for Greene
• Fulkerson is listed for kickoffs as well as place-kicking. With the rule changes relating to kickoffs, perhaps the coaching staff thought Fulkerson’s skills were more suited to the job (i.e., accuracy over distance). However, if Fulkerson struggles, I’d expect them to go back to Yocum pretty quickly.
• Gillett is listed as the holder. On the one hand, I’m a little surprised English would risk his senior quarterback on special teams plays, but on the other hand, having someone as versatile as Gillett holding the ball will really force defenses to respect the possibility of a fake field goal every time.
• The offensive line is mostly as expected, though Orlando McCord is listed as the starter at right guard, and I’m a little surprised not to see Scott MacLeod listed at all, after he got several starts last year.
• I’m fairly surprised to see Dylan Brooks listed ahead of Tyreese Russell, given that Russell is the #4 returning receiver. Brooks must have really impressed the coaches in the off-season. I have a feeling we’ll see a lot of production from the tight ends.
• There are two true freshmen (Dustin Creel, Quincy Jones) and a redshirt freshman (David Gibson) on the chart as receivers.
• I’m guessing there’s a story behind Dustin Daniels. He’s listed as a junior non-transfer, but his bio says he joined the team  in January 2012. Is he, like Dominique White last year, a walk-on who cracked the two-deep, or is there something else going on?
• As expected, we have a whole bunch of new names on defense, particularly the defensive line and the safeties, which saw most of the starters and top back-ups graduate last year.