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 (BANDIT)
#6 Bryce Llewellyn — Third-year transfer from Charleston Southern (FCS, 2022-23), 14 starts with EMU. Last year: Second Team All-MAC.
#20 Ray Hester — Third-year signee. Last year: 12 games.
Listed on preseason depth chart (STAR)
#8 Jaivian Norman — Fourth-year signee. Career 22 games, 9 starts.
#29 Donmiel Rogers — Third-year signee. Last year: 8 games, 3 starts.
Listed on preseason depth chart (FREE)
#13 Jason Marshall — Fifth-year signee. Career 24 games, 4 starts.
#4 Juan Salas Jr. — Second-year transfer from Mt. San Antonio College (JUCO, 2024) and Southwest Baptist (D2, 2023)
Listed on preseason depth chart (CB)
#16 Caleb Coley — Second-year transfer from Michigan State. Last year: 8 games, 4 starts.
#25 Rayquan Adkins (Iowa Western) — Incoming transfer (JUCO, 2024-25) who also spent freshman year at Cincinnati (2023).
Listed on preseason depth chart (CB)
#17 Caleb Dobbs — Fourth-year signee. Last year: 11 games, 3 starts.
#7 Jordan Toney — Third-year signee. 10 games, 3 starts in 2024.
Also on roster:
#9 Davion Williams — Second-year transfer from Charleston Southern (2022-24).
#10 Tylan Boykin — Second-year signee. Last year: 4 games, 1 start.
#18 Dior Boyd — Second-year transfer from Dodge City (JUCO, 2024), Maryland (2023), and Garden City (JUCO, 2022). Last year: 1 game.
#19 Jonnie Carter — Second-year signee.
#22 Fa’Rel Carter — Freshman.
#23 Eli Lovett — Third-year signee.
#24 Horace Glenn III — Freshman.
#27 Marty Collins — Freshman.
#28 Davontey Oliver — Freshman.
#31 Antonio Solares-Vitti — Freshman.
#35 Jabari Monds — Freshman.
Unit is team’s biggest strength
Eastern Michigan’s secondary, on paper, has a lot of things going right that a lot of teams probably wish they could say the same for themselves. The defense’s top tackler and All-MAC safety Bryce Llewellyn (87 total, 37 solo, 4.5 for loss, and 2 interceptions) returns, and three other penciled-in starters for the the defensive backs are fourth- or fifth-year signees out of high school.
Only one of the DBs listed on the team’s summertime 2-deep is an incoming transfer. All nine other listed players enter the 2026 season with some playing experience with the team.
While EMU feels good about Noah Kim as its starting quarterback and there’s reason to feel optimistic in the pass-catching rooms led by All-MAC guys like wide receiver Nick Devereaux and tight end Joshua Long, EMU’s defensive secondary has collectively played the most football, and will be a big, collective responsibility for how this season goes.
You’ve got to find cohesion and camaraderie across five trustworthy dudes for an offensive line, and I think it’s worth thinking about defensive backs in similar fashion. While offensive linemen have to physically block big, beefy linemen in the trenches from bringing their quarterback into the turf, defenses have to block agile and speedy athletes at receiver and tight end in space from catching the football, and from them getting into the end zone for a touchdown.
This defense, which fell dead-last nationally against the run, wants this year’s team to live by a simple motto: “tackling, turnovers, and effort.”
Take some advanced metrics with a grain of salt, but per Pro Football Focus, six returning DBs had a missed tackle rate of 20% or more last year.
EMU was -5 in the turnover margin last year with two fumbles and seven interceptions for the defense, but the offense turned the ball over 14 times. EMU was actually even on the turnover-takeaway scale through 11 games in 2025, but the offense surrendered two fumbles and three interceptions to Western Michigan’s defense.
As far as effort is concerned, I don’t think Eastern’s defense, even with its lowlights, was the reason why it lost all eight of its games last season. But, hey, the kids need to be motivated to play in a sport like this. It’s going to take effort to whiff on fewer tackles and make more turnovers happen.
Coverage sacks
The defensive line will need to step up to improve on its lowest havoc totals (50 tackles for loss, 14 sacks) since 2021 (51, 8), and that unit may even need to see an all-conference level of performance out of somebody to make a big difference on the season.
The DBs can help them out without touching an offensive lineman.
Of course, this team’s best defensive days are back in 2017 and 2018. Maxx Crosby was an incredible reason for EMU to have the defensive success that it did (Combined 146 TFL, 55 sacks), but he didn’t do everything by himself.
Crosby’s play wasn’t without solid secondary play behind him. There were All-MAC level contributions from DBs like Vince Calhoun, Brody Hoying, and Kevin McGill, as well as linebackers Jason Beck and Kyle Rachwal, and defensive end Jeremiah Harris.
EMU had a good roster, and the secondary helped the D-line out with its coverage. They were able to cover receivers well enough and just long enough for Crosby or Harris or Rachwal to break through the O-line and make a play against a quarterback. I like to call those coverage sacks.
And, like offensive linemen, those moments that help the team win don’t show up cleanly in the box score. It won’t tell you how many times a lineman pancakes another guy, or how many times a receiver gets blanketed. When an offensive line wins its battles, it shows up in the form of rushing touchdowns. Sometimes, for DBs, those moments show up as sacks or throwaways.
The way I’ve viewed EMU’s best days is the way I see this year’s team being able to have success. We’ll know if the defensive backs are doing their jobs if the defensive linemen are able to battle long enough to rip through the trenches.
