Fannin MAC Player of the Year....Other All-MAC Selections

Big news today.  Harold Fannin, Jr. was named the MAC Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year.  He was the only choice, but you never know.  He is the first TE in FBS history to be a conference player of the year and the second TE to be offensive player of the year.

He is an all-time Falcon great.  Just a matter of time before he goes in our Hall of Fame, and if he makes All-American, he will go in the Cast of Honor.  And he should be All-American...from AP, as well as all the off-brand lists.  He has proven himself in every way.

In total, BG placed 9 players on the All-MAC team. Five were on first team, our most since 2015, which makes sense.  Miami tied us with 5 first-team picks.

Besides Fannin, first team players were 

• CB Jordan Oladokun
• ILB Joseph Sipp Jr
• RB Terion Stewart
• OL Alex Wollschlaeger

Second team was:

• P John Henderson 

Third team was:

• QB Connor Bazelak
• DL Anthony Hawkins
• CB Jacorey Benjamin.

Congrats to all of these guys who were part of a successful season.  Of the nine of them, 5 were recruited to BG out of high school.

Other awardees were:

2024 MAC Football Postseason Specialty Awards & All-Conference Teams

Coach of the Year:  Tim Albin, Ohio

Defensive Player of the Year:  Shaun Dolac, LB, Buffalo

Special Teams Player of the Year: Malcolm Gillie, KR, Ball State

Freshman of the Year:  Kadin Semonza, QB, Ball State

Dolac would have been the heavy favorite.  Albin or Lembo would have been good picks for Coach of the Year.

Gabbert was first team QB and Navarro second team.  Hard to argue too much, though I think Bazelak could have been 2nd team.  Navarro plays in a very different system, so it can be difficult to compare.

Signing Day, Loeffler wants HS recruiting, portal news and additional signee

Coach started by saying we had 20 commits and we would keep recruiting HS kids. That will be our formula.  We will go to the portal to fill gaps, but we want to recruit HS kids, even while acknowledging some may only stay 2 years.

He was asked how we keep the momentum going given the massive player loss the team will experience. First, he thinks last year's class was strong and "a bunch" of them will contribute next year.  We will use the portal to equal everything out.  This year, we have 30 guys graduating...so we will be in the portal a little deeper than we wish this year,  After this year, we will revert to a majority of our team being HS kids. He mentioned 15 portal players...I don't know if that was this year or a normal year moving forward.

The biggest news came to BG at 10:30 the night before signing day when JT Kitna called BG to commit.  Loeffler and Kitna's father--NFL QB Jon Kitna--know each other back to 2008 when they were both part of the Detroit Lions' 2008 winless season. He had called recently and wanted to visit BG.  He was committed to UAB, where his brother plays.  Loeffler's assumption was he was looking ahead to maybe a year from now--unsaid was the turmoil around the program with Trent Dilfer.  And then he committed. Was a highly recruited young man.

Wants a high school starter at QB.  For all the football guru stuff, he hasn't produced one HS QB in 6 years.

He doesn't know if the HS class is over...the early signing day means we haven't been on the road. When we get on the road, we might sign others. (In fact see below).

He says our retention rate is very high. He says there are guys in the program that everyone thinks are going to leave and they are not.  Which is interesting.

Speaking of which...since I last posted on the portal, Terrion Stewart and Dierre Kelly have both entered the portal.  Kelly did not play much this year and Stewart played a huge role. I don't think anyone is surprised that Stewart is leaving, however.

So, the full list of signees is here.  There are 20 listed.

Also, I had Reece Little of Findlay as a commit.  It's hard to tell sometimes, but he was part of the Findlay ceremony but wasn't signing an NLI, so I assume he is a PWO.

We offered two OLs in the portal since the presser.

And we have an additional signee.  He is Cash Lewis, from Windsor, CT and is currently playing in the state playoffs.  He is 6'3" or 4, and 215 pounds, WR and LB in college.  Tweets from BG indicate we will slot him at edge rusher. He was offered by UMass, UConn, BG and Morgan State.

Here is what BG lists on him:

• Played wide receiver and linebacker at Windsor High School for head coach Rob Fleeting 

• As a senior caught 45 passes for 895 yards and 11 touchdowns as team is in the midst of the state playoffs in 2024 with a 10-0 record

• Is 34-6 all-time so far in his high school career

• Has notched three interceptions and returned for 100 yards 

• As a junior in 2023 he caught 15 passes for 230 yards and four touchdowns 

• All-state honoree  

• Two-time all-conference

Welcome to the Falcons, Reece and Cash.  And best of luck to Terrion and Dierre in their future endeavors.

BG Flips Ball State Recruit

BG announced a flip from Ball State--who just hired their new coach today--and that is Tyron "Ba" Steed of St. Louis. He is a 6'2" and 164 pound safety, with 3 stars.  Offers from CMU, Indiana, Jackson State, Kansas, Louisville, Marshall, Memphis, Missouri State, Ole Miss, UCF and WVU.

Welcome to the Falcons, Ba.

Signing Day, Portal News

So, it is signing day.  A couple of interesting additions for BG...

First, the year's first contributor heading to the portal.  Joseph Sipp, Jr., has entered the portal.  He was a big contributor and it wouldn't surprise me to see him on the all-MAC team. 

It's about 9 AM, and of the 18 players I had publicly identified, 11 of them are in.  We are two commits right now who are new to me, both highly recruited.

Aiden Brewer, who had been a TE commit, de-committed in November.

The first is JT Kitna.  JT is from the Cincy area and played for his Father, NFL QB Jon Kitna.  He is a flip from UAB and also a QB.  He would be the 2nd QB in the class when Carsen Melvin signs.  Melvin still lists BG commit on his x handle.

His brother is also a QB at UAB, which is interesting because former NFL QB Trent Dilfer is the head coach there...NFL connections at work.

JT had offers from Ball State, Baylor, UConn, Duke, Houston, Indiana, James Madison, K-State, Kent, Liberty, UMass, N. Texas, OU, Pitt, Syracuse, Texas Tech, UT, UTSA, WVU and WMU.

Even better, he will enroll in January.

Here's the bio BG is providing.

• Was a two-year starting quarterback at Lakota East High School for head coach Jon Kitna 

• Holds Lakota East records for most passing touchdowns and most passing yards in a game, season and career 

• Completed 187 of 316 passes for 2,711 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior for the Thunderhawks, who improved from a 1-9 to an 8-4 record while winning their first playoff game since 2020 

• Rushed for 203 yards and four touchdowns as a senior 

• Started as a sophomore at Burleson High School in Texas, playing for his father and head coach, Jon 

The other is Brendon Rice from Farmington Hills, MI.  He's a 6'3" and 250 lb DL who had offers from Rice, Akron, Arkansas State, BSU, UB, CMU, much of the Ivy League, Howard, Kent, Marshall, UMass, Miami, UT, WIU, WMU and Youngstown State.

He had committed to Rice, but de-commited due to the coaching change.  He was all-conference and all-district.  Presumably more to come on him...

(Update;  Here is what BG has now).

• Played defensive line for head coach Jon Herstein at North Farmington High School 

• Two-time first-team All-State honoree 

• Team captain 

• Also earned all-region, All-OAA and all-area twice 

• Three-time all-league honoree  

• Posted 49 tackles, 24.0 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, 11 pressures 

• Also participated in track and field, 2 forced fumbles and one fumble recovers as a senior in 2024 

• Led state in tackles for loss 

• Notched 55 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, nine pressures, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and secured one safety in 2023 

• Led the state in tackles for loss in 2023 

So JT and Brendon, welcome.  And best of luck to Joseph Sipp, Jr.

Football Roster Updates Before Signing Day

So, tomorrow is signing day.  Nothing like the off-season for what has become the silliest season of all--roster re-build year in college football.

Let's start with the roster before there are any portal moves.  BG had an "old team," and it shows.  The Falcons lose a lot of talent on offense, and for this purpose I have Fannin and Stewart still on the roster--Fannin is likely to leave....not sure about Stewart.  But the defense is decimated.  17 contributing players will no longer have eligibility.  There are young players on the next level, but this is a huge amount of talent we need to replace.

The vision--the idea that there would be a self-replacing wave of players--is going to be even more difficult to achieve in today's world.  At least half of those 17 players were transfers.

From the portal, BG has three players who have entered, none of them real contributors.  One is Jaylon Tillman, the Grand Valley transfer, who might have contributed but left the roster early in the year and is likely to be part of the promised LoefflerRant.

Also, Chris Edmonds, a RB from Toledo Central Catholic, who has carried three times. Also, OLB Alijah Williams who made one tackle against Fordham.

The known players who have verballed are listed in the left sidebar for the blog.  Let the silly season begin.

Past Opponent Land. How did it all shake out?

Past Opponent Land:

Fordham: (2-9)  

PSU:  (11-1) Beat Maryland, in Big 10 Title Game

TX A&M: (8-4) Lost to Texas, on playoff bubble

ODU:  (5-7)  Beat Ark State

Akron:  (4-8) Closed with win over Rockets

NIU: (7-5)  Closed with win over CMU

KSU:  (0-12) First non-COVID winless season in FBS in 5 years

UT:  (7-5) Lost to Akron

CMU (4-8)  New coach time.  Mora??

WMU: (6-6) Bowl eligible.

BSU (3-9): New coach time.

MU:  (8-4) Playing for the title.

Vs. P4   2-21

Vs. G5:  8-6

Vs:  FCS: 10-1

MBB Wins Close One in Tempe

 BG went to Tempe to play two games in an MTE.  They ended up with the two best teams in the tournament and both games came down to the final possession.  And, BG picked up the win in the second, a nice win for our club.

First, BG played both games without Sam Towns and Youssef Khayat, presumably to injury.  The BG starters were Johnson, Butler, Thomas, Campbell and Exacte.

It was a close game the entire way, with no team leading by more than 7.  That was even truer in the first half, when no team led by more than 5 and BG held the lead for 12 minutes.  BG led by 3 at the break.  Key note is that while the game was close, the shooting was terrible on both sides.

Dr. Naismith explains basketball to a Springfield resident

The Falcons held the lead for the first five minutes of the half before the Aggies took a 31-30 lead.

The next few minutes were closely contested, with leads within 2 points either way. 

With 7 minutes left, a short run put the Aggies up by 7, but a 10-3 run tied the game with 3:22 left.

The game went from 3:22 to 1:23 with no scoring at all.  NM State got a 3FG with 1:33 left.  Felt was fouled after getting an offensive rebound and missed both FTs (4-6 on the night). 

With 1:14 left, the Aggies were fouled and split the pair, now up 4.  At that point, New Mexico State has a 90% chance of winning. 

Campbell missed a 3FG, but Johnson got the offensive board.  BG called time and Johnson scored and was fouled...converting the and-one and the lead was down to 1 with :50 left.

NM State ran clock and finally shot with :23 left.  They missed and Johnson cleared the board. 

BG called time with :15 left.  Campbell drove to the rim and drew the foul.  He converted both FTs and BG was up 1.

Aggie timeout.  They get a drive to go for the win, and though it doesn't show up in the play by play, Derrick Butler blocked the shot and preserved the Falcon win.

The game was played at 67 possessions.  It was a terrible night for the art of offensive basketball.  BG had .91 points per possession, shooting 32% on 2FG and 24% on 3FG.  I went to try and see when BG shot this poorly and won, and I didn't have to look any farther than last year's Southern Indiana game. The Aggies had .89 points per possession.  They shot a little better (32% on 2FG and 36% on 3FG), but had double the turnovers but were very good on the offensive glass.  

The key difference was at the line.  BG committed 15 fouls and the Aggies committed 22.  Here, BG got the ball into the peach basket. BG was 26 of 30 at the line.  NM was 8-10.

BG is #9 in the country in FT%.

Marcus Johnson had a big night.  He scored 23 on 5 of 8 and 2 of 5 shooting. He made all 7 FTs, added 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.  Butler had 15, though less efficient.  He was 2 of 8 and 2 of 7 shooting.  He did have 5 rebounds 5-5 at the line and the game's most important defensive play. Campbell had 12...1 of 9 2FG shooting, but 10-12 at the line and 8 rebounds.  Felt has 12 rebounds in 29 minutes and 2 blocked shots.

Exacte started but only played 4 minutes.  No idea why.

So, BG has the week off.  Next up is Morgan State at home....a game they should absolutely win.

For today, they are 3-5, 2-5 in D1 games. The conference is off to a poor start as everyone tries to find their way.