CFB: Predictions for the MAC in 2024

By Simon Carroll

The 2024 College Football season is on the horizon! As Saturday ‘ball gets ever closer, we bring you a series of conference previews. Today, Simon Carroll makes his predictions for the MAC Conference, which will be moving to a division-less structure for the first time since 1996:

Conference Winner - Toledo Rockets

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Much like last year, the MAC will likely boil down to a tight championship game between Miami (Ohio) and Toledo. Honestly; it’s far too close to call at this stage. But seeing as I’m talking about the RedHawks a little later, let’s go with the Rockets to pick up their second conference title in three years…

Head coach Jason Candle heads into his ninth full season at the helm of Toledo’s football program – and has been the catalyst for success Rockets fans are unaccustomed to at the Glass Bowl. Having never won the MAC in their history before his arrival, they’ve done so twice under his tenure – the latest in 2023, where Toledo went undefeated in conference play. Candle had them back in the Championship Game again last season, pipped to the crown by a feisty Miami team that defied everyone’s expectations. Nevertheless, his 65-35 record is impressive – and the Rockets have never endured a losing campaign during his time in charge.

There’s some work to do for Candle to see this team pick up the hardware in 2024 – gone is star quarterback DeQuan Finn (Baylor, transfer) and 1st round NFL Draft corner Quinyon Mitchell (Eagles). Tucker Gleason (once of Georgia Tech) is expected to assume play calling duties, and has a healthy cast around him with which to operate. But if Toledo are to lift the crown, they’re going to have to do it the hard way – after four non-conference games, their MAC campaign kicks off against the RedHawks. A game not to be missed!

Most Valuable Player - Brett Gabbert, QB, Miami (Ohio)

I could just as easily have gone for Miami to win the MAC – they have an experienced, talented roster, and in Chuck Martin a head coach who knows how to galvanise a locker room. It was a credit to the RedHawks that they were able to win it last year, considering the injury to their starting quarterback – cruelly inflicted against Toledo in late October. Despite that setback (and the loss that accompanied it), this program wouldn’t taste defeat again until their Bowl Game.

Brett Gabbert’s return is a huge boost to this program. Immediately having surgery after the injury (where a rod had to be inserted into his right leg) means that Gabbert (brother of NFL QB Blaine Gabbert) should be ready for Week 1. A five year starter at Yager Stadium, Gabbert is the undisputed leader of this football team, understands MAC football inside out, and if he can stay healthy has every chance of matching his special 2021 season, where he threw for 2,648 yards, 26 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions.

That is a big IF though – Gabbert’s last two seasons have ended abruptly. But in Cade McDonald and Javon Tracy he has the tools to help him achieve a big season – and have Miami back in the MAC Championship hunt once again.

Offensive Player of the Year - Harold Fannin Jr, TE, Bowling Green

How about some tight end love! Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin is as dangerous a weapon in this conference as you will find. At 6’4” and 230lbs, he sometimes looks like a man amongst boys when catching a bit of midweek #MACtion. Essentially a ‘big slot’, Fannin has the size to concern linebackers, safeties and slot corners, but also speed and soft hands that make him a deadly target for experienced quarterback Connor Bazelak.

In fact, the Falcons have a legit offense this season – good enough to trouble the top dogs in the conference if things break their way. Entering his junior year, Fannin will be keen to improve on a campaign that saw 623 yards and 6 TD’s in 2023. An NFL career beckons for Fannin, who grew up in the same area as LeBron James – and similarly makes the sport he plays look so easy.

Defensive Player of the Year - CJ Nunnally, EDGE, Akron

That’s right – you didn’t really think you’d get through a MAC Conference preview and not expect me to somehow shoehorn Akron into the conversation?! It’s true, the Zips have had it tough the last few years, with a paltry 11-55 record since 2018. And with Joe Moorhead still at the helm after two 2-10 campaigns, there’s not really a lot to suggest that things are going to be any easier this season. But head to the defense, and you’ll find not just one of the best edge rushers in the conference – but in all of college football.

Back in 2021, Clarence ‘CJ’ Nunnally was on literally nobody’s radar. Hailing originally from Douglasville, Georgia, he had very little interest in his services as a two-star recruit – originally committing to Jackson State. He actually ended up going to community college instead. Fast Forward to last year and Nunnally plays well enough at Independence CC to attract the attention of Akron, who need to think outside the box when it comes to talent acquisition. They brought him in, and were instantly rewarded when CJ delivered 65 tackles, 15.5 TFL’s and 7 sacks his first year on a college campus.

Coming back for his senior year, Nunnally looks set to double down on those numbers. Thriving as the ‘Leo’ rusher in Tim Tibesar’s hybrid scheme, I would have thought he may have tested the transfer portal waters for his final season. But repaying the faith that the Zips showed in him is commendable – Nunnally can definitely build a resume worthy of pro interest in 2024.

Freshman of the Year - Jordan Toney, CB, Eastern Michigan

How does a three-star recruit from one of the biggest recruiting hotbeds in the nation, who had seventeen scholarship offers (including one from an SEC school), decide to head to ‘The Factory’? Answer; I have no idea. But Eastern Michigan fought off some stiff competition to land cornerback Jordan Toney this past year. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Toney was a two-way star for Hapeville Charter High school, serving as a captain for the past two seasons. As a senior, he recorded 33 tackles, 20 PBU’s, and one pick – which he returned for a touchdown – all the while adding 200 yards from 12 catches on offense.

Fairly high-profile in ‘A-Town’, Toney also plays for Cam Newton’s ‘C1N’ 7v7 team – and looks to be polished enough to help contribute for the Eagles immediately. This will be a huge boost for head coach Chris Chreighton as he heads into his 11th season in charge in Ypsilanti – EMU have a job on their hands if they are to get back to the MAC Championship game which they featured in two years ago. The Eagles are paper thin on the back end of their defense – presumed starters Joshua Scott (missed almost all of 2023 due to injury) and Daiquan White (strong showing as a freshman) seem fairly entrenched, but Toney could definitely vie Charleston Southern transfer Bryce Llewellyn for immediate game time at nickel.

And you never know – if QB Cole Snyder needs a little bit more to work with in the passing game, Toney could be called upon on offense too.

Breakout Player of the Year - Khalil 'Red' Murdock, LB, Buffalo

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It’s been an offseason of unexpected change at the University of Buffalo. Head Coach Mo Linguist, who was doing a solid job rebuilding the foundations of the UB football program, bounced over to Alabama to take a defensive assistant role as part of Kalen DeBoer’s staff overhaul. That caught the Bulls off guard a little, but they pivoted nicely, hiring South Carolina special teams coach Pete Lembo to take over. Lembo has experience in the MAC as the head coach of Ball State from 2011-2015. That tenure included a nice 19-7 stretch over two seasons before fading away – Buffalo will be hoping he can recapture that sort of record.

To help him do that, Lembo will have a talented linebacker to work with. Red Murdock had a strong freshman season after redshirting in 2022, racking up 60 tackles, 9.5 TFL’s and a pair of sacks. It was his first real taste of football at this level – the Virginia product spent one year at prep school before embarking on a college career. And there’s a definite feeling that there’s a lot more to come from the hard hitting enforcer.

Murdock has plenty of eligibility remaining, and if he continues on his current trajectory, bigger programs will begin to take notice. But for 2024 at least he’s a Buffalo Bull and ready to snuff out MAC run games each week. One final thought – last year, Murdock had the most forced fumbles in the conference. As a freshman. Offenses be warned – this kid is a big play waiting to happen.

Surprise Team of the Year - Northern Illinois Huskies

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The beauty of the MAC is that, on their day, any team in this league can beat another one. Well, maybe that cliche is a little less watertight when it comes to Kent State and Akron, but if surprises and competitiveness are what you look for in college football, then this is the conference for you. So when it comes to a program that could possibly bulldoze their way into championship contention, I literally could have stopped off at Kalamazoo (Western Michigan), Athens (Ohio), Bowling Green or even Mount Pleasant (Central Michigan) at a push. Instead though, we’ll head to the western outpost of the conference to DeKalb, Illinois to talk a little Husky football…

It was only three years ago that I predicted Northern Illinois to prop up this conference, only for head coach Thomas Hammock to make me look stupid. That season the Huskies won 9 games and crowned MAC Champions, with now Cincinnati Bengal Rocky Lombardi leading his team to glory. True, NIU have found it harder since, winning just ten games the last two seasons. Nevertheless, they have enough pieces still in place to be a dark horse in 2024.

This confidence stems from their strength on offense. True, the successor to Lombardi is unclear, but in terms of weapons the new QB1 (currently Ethan Hampton leads Jalen Macon) has plenty to work with. He’ll have maybe the best o-line in the MAC to operate behind, a trio of reliable receivers (Kenji Lewis (transfer, Arkansas Pine-Bluff), promising redshirt freshman Kyle Thomas and slot Trayvon Rudolph) and a run game that should carry the workload. Defensively, they were fairly happy last season and things look to have gotten even better this offseason. Fool me once, shame on you. But fool me twice? Hammock loves upsetting the odds – I’m not betting against this Husky program again!

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SIMON CARROLL

HEAD OF CFB/NFL DRAFT CONTENT

PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST.

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