EMU Athletics offseason questions: Expectations within the football program, Noah Farrakhan, is Stan Heath in the hot seat?
A summer filled with no Eastern Michigan University sports is just so much fun, isn’t it?
The EMU football program has continued to make moves, as always, with 14 new commits to the 2024 recruiting class since June started. In an attempt to produce once again the best recruiting class in the program’s history as they did with the incoming 2023 recruiting class, the Eagles have a promising future ahead of them on the football field that gives fans something to rave about.
While getting commitments from high school football players from around the country, EMU athletics personnel have some questions in the office pertaining specifically to EMU head basketball coach, Stan Heath, and the future that lies ahead.
In the first installment of The Eastern Echo’s EMU Athletics mailbag, Sports Editor Blake McQueary answers questions about Stan Heath’s future as EMU basketball head coach, Noah Farrakhan’s transfer portal status, EMU football’s upcoming season, and more.
“What is the feeling in the department about EMU basketball head coach Stan Heath? Is this upcoming season one where he is in the hot seat?” — @SSN_EMU
After last year’s very disappointing and letdown of a season for EMU basketball and the fans, it’s a trending topic about head coach Stan Heath’s future within the program. A hire that appeared so good just two years ago, now there are questions about whether this will be Heath’s last year at the helm or not.
From what I have heard, the feeling isn’t great within the program about Heath’s future. After failing to even make the MAC tournament last season with stars Emoni Bates and Noah Farrakhan on the roster, and producing a losing record, there is pressure being applied within the program, mostly from GameAbove, to get something done at the head coach position, per sources.
With that being said, is this upcoming season a hot-seat year for Stan Heath? Yes, it is 100%. To my knowledge, if Heath doesn't win and get something accomplished this year, he will be out.
“Any updated news on Noah Farrakhan?” — @YamZquad
It seemed to go pretty under the radar that Noah Farrakhan was moving on from EMU, despite @VerbalCommits and I reporting on Twitter back in April that he had entered the transfer portal.
After a declined year in production for Farrakhan on the court, which led to slight decreases in his numbers compared to two seasons ago, it was pretty clear to me by the end of the season that Farrakhan was moving on.
From what I have been seeing and hearing, it looks like Farrakhan and Seton Hall have some mutual interest that could be a done deal by now. Back in June, Farrakhan posted on his Instagram story that he was in attendance at Seton Hall’s head coach, Shaheen Holloway’s, basketball camp and was wearing a camp shirt, meaning that it is likely he was some sort of camp coach/mentor.
It is known that Seton Hall currently only has one scholarship left to use, so a decision by them hasn’t been made yet but should be coming soon. It’s also known that Farrakhan was born in Newark, New Jersey, the home of Seton Hall University, so all the signs are pointing to Farrakhan returning home and becoming a Pirate next season. Only time will tell.
“What are the expectations like, within the program, about this upcoming football season?” — @YamZquad
The expectations go pretty hand in hand with what the fans are expecting, from my knowledge, which is a MAC championship. The players want to win the MAC, it’s that simple. When I got the chance to talk to the captain of the defense, Chase Kline, after this year’s spring game, he expressed the ‘sour’ feeling it left the players with coming up just short of that championship last season.
“I want to win a MAC championship, that's the number one goal,” Kline said. “I still have a sour taste in my mouth from the way last year happened, I’ll never forget the heartbreak after losing to Toledo, and that’s a good thing because it’s driving us to get better than we ever have been before.”
For the coaches though, especially the man in charge of the whole thing, they want something deeper than just winning on the field this season. When I talked to head coach, Chris Creighton, in that same post-spring game press conference, he expressed the importance of being their best, then everything else will fall into place.
“Within the season, yes, we want to win a MAC championship, but that comes underneath being our best,” Creighton said. “If we get a group of guys that really, truly intrinsically are motivated to be our very best, man, that’s when the magic happens.”
“How does this year’s 2024 football recruiting class compare to the incoming 2023 class?” — @sportsfan4848
So right now, it’s pretty hard to tell since it’s early to project where teams will finish in the recruiting rankings, but it’s trending in a very good direction.
It’s going to be very difficult to beat this year's ‘23 recruiting class that’s coming in, which is the best in school history. EMU had the #1 recruiting class in the MAC for 2023 with 23 commits, 17 of those being three-star recruits, so beating that will take a lot (need to win this season, at least be in MAC Championship).
Now, I say it’s trending in a very good direction because the 2024 class already has 15 commits, compared to our 2022 recruiting class that FINISHED with only seven commits.
2021 was also a pretty good year with 21 commits, the same as 2020 when we had 27 commits.
Overall, beating last year's class will be very tough but it can easily be done with winning this season. It also helps that within the past year, EMU has become, I’d say, the most intriguing and enticing place to come play sports within the MAC. The University of Miami (OH) is going to be tough to beat if we want to repeat as the #1 class in the MAC, they’ve had a great early start with commits, but to have 15 right now, with more to come before the season starts, it’s a good start and I think they will easily finish with one of the best ‘24 recruiting classes within the conference if not top 3.
“Which EMU sports team will have the best season this year and why?” — @sham_poole
This almost feels like a trick question to me, just because there are many programs this upcoming year that could propel and reach new heights. It’s also funny answering this question this summer because last summer I believe this wouldn’t even be a question to answer; of course, Eastern Michigan basketball would’ve been the easy pick.
If you want my safe, betting odds answer, then I have to say the EMU men’s and women’s track and field/cross country teams. The track and field/cross country program here at EMU is the best sports program we have when we are talking in historical terms. Led by legendary coach, Sue Parks, EMU’s track and field/cross country programs have produced an Olympian in every summer game since 1960 and have dominated the Mid-American Conference.
Since 1974, the men’s indoor and outdoor track and field programs have won a total of 41 MAC championships. The women’s indoor and outdoor track and field programs have won 19 MAC championships since 1982. For Cross Country, within the past 50 years, the men’s and women’s teams have combined for 30 MAC championships.
The answer that I’m going to go out on a limb for is the Eastern Michigan University football team. Yes, it is understood that the expectations are already high for this football team after last year's historic season that ended with a Famous Idaho Potato Bowl victory, the program's first bowl game win since 1987.
My question is, to those who are expecting a MAC championship this season, why expect anything more if we haven’t done anything more in one season since 1987? Not saying that this year’s team can’t win the MAC championship, because they damn sure can and I believe they will, but expecting it is just a little too much for me, and that’s why they are my dark horse answer. Let’s just broadly expect winning from them this season, and then the rest will take care of itself.
