Image via Eastern Michigan Athletics
Roster, Depth Chart
(Players in bold listed as starters (or shared starters) in EMU’s team notes)
Listed on preseason depth chart (END)
#33 Carter Evans — Sixth-year signee. Career: 13 starts.
#90 Hector Gonzalez — Third-year signee. Last year: 2 starts.
Listed on preseason depth chart (MAXX)
#54 Quincy Byas — Second-year signee. Last year: 3 starts.
#88 Ronn Hardin — Second-year transfer from Mt. San Antonio (JUCO, 2023-24). Last year: 1 start.
Listed on preseason depth chart (TACKLE)
#55 Javon Thomas — Third-year signee. Last year: 9 games.
#64 Noah Patterson — Last year: 10 games.
Listed on preseason depth chart (NOSE)
#99 Warren-Stevens Tayou — Second-year transfer from West Georgia (FCS, 2024) and Northern Arizona (FCS, 2022-23). Last year: 12 games.
#58 Peyton Christian (Lamar, FCS) — Incoming transfer with 15 career starts made (2023-25).
Also on roster:
#5 Makhi Gilbert — Second-year transfer from Samford (2022-24). Last year: 4 starts.
#43 Marvell Eggleston — Third-year signee. Last year: 11 games.
#44 Mark Debiak (Butler C.C.) — Incoming transfer.
#50 CJ McCoy — Freshman.
#53 Alijah Lacy (Georgia Military J.C.) — Incoming transfer. Also played at Georgia Southern (2023-24)
#56 RJ Alphonse — Freshman.
#85 Jefferson Adam — Third-year transfer from Iowa State (2023) and Hocking College (2022).
#91 Reggie Gardner — Third-year signee. Last year: 3 games.
#93 Owen Edlen (Air Force) — Freshman.
#94 Brandon Simmons Jr. — Freshman.
#95 Milan Colvin — Second-year signee.
#96 Antoniyo Smith Jr. — Second-year signee.
#97 Jahbarri Frost — Freshman.
#98 Joseph Oluwayemi (Harding, D2) — Incoming transfer (2024-25).
Need playmakers
You can never have too much depth along the defensive line, but this season’s squad needs a playmaker or two to step up and show that they’re a cut above the rest here.
This year’s D-line unit features five players who made starts with the team last year, five more who played and didn’t start, one who missed the 2025 season to injury, four new transfers, and seven true or redshirt-freshmen. A mix of returning familiarity, varying amounts of playing experience, and some wiggle room for maybe another freshman to break through.
But EMU’s not exactly looking for a younger cat to make an early surprise. EMU’s looking for there to be an all-hands-on-deck approach to fixing last year’s glaring issues: poor tackling and tackling behind the line of scrimmage (or the lack thereof).
While defensive linemen aren’t the only players able to drop opponents for negative yardage, I do personally give DL rooms everywhere a lot of credit (good and bad) for how a defense performs in the tackles for loss department. Last year’s defense had 50 total TFL (fewest since 2021, 51) and 14 sacks (second-lowest full-season total of Creighton era, 12 in 2014), which ain’t good.
Whatever the reason is for not having so much production last year, the results are pretty clear. EMU didn’t do a great job in the trenches defensively, and this group’s best chance at doing their part to turn a 4-8 record around is by simply beating blockers better in 2026.
Defensive backs and linebackers can certainly help by getting hits of their own, or by giving linemen time to disrupt with great coverage against receivers. It’s just up to D-linemen to make sure that disruption actually happens.
All that to say a point: It’d really behoove this team to have a league-besting pass rusher on its roster.
Listed starters at the D-end spots, Carter Evans and Quincy Byas were two of three players to lead EMU’s defense last year with 5.5 tackles for loss each (third: LB Barry Manning). Evans is back for his sixth year of college ball with 8 career TFL and 2.5 sacks made, while Byas was a freshman in 2025 who led the team with 3 sacks.
Ronn Hardin and Hector Gonzalez are back behind them. So is Jefferson Adam, who missed 2025 to injury. Marvell Eggleston was previously listed as a linebacker, but it looks like he’ll be playing closer to the line of scrimmage.
New transfer Mark Debiak recorded 12.5 TFL with 9 sacks in his 19 junior college games played. Maybe there’s something there. Alijah Lacey’s also a candidate.
In the interior, Makhi Gilbert, though he wasn’t listed as a starter on the preseason two-deep, is the name to watch. The Samford transfer was limited to just five games played last year, but he’s expected to be a standout player for this year’s team.
Next to Gilbert, there are definitely a rotation of guys EMU could go with. Though, considering Peyton Christian was an All-Southland Conference player after 35 career games played for Lamar, I’d consider him an immediate possibility for this year’s team.
Alternatively, Joseph Oluwayemi joined EMU after a successful 2025 season that placed his team in the Division II National Championship game.
Javon Thomas (preseason-listed starter at DT), Noah Patterson (backup), Reggie Gardner, and Warren-Stevens Tayou all return with some playing time, too.
The absolute need for EMU’s defensive line to make big strides in 2026 is paramount to the team’s greater desires. Sure, a first-ever league championship would be nice. But digging its way up from a 4-8 season is going to mean improvement in the trenches.
