Spring game preview: Western Michigan
The Broncos will host a spring game at noon at Waldo Stadium on Saturday to cap off spring practice.
The final FBS spring game in the Mitten is this Saturday at noon in Waldo Stadium when Western Michigan hosts its final spring practice opportunity.
The Broncos are a fascinating team in 2026, the reigning MAC champions have loads of continuity with returning players on offense and a defense that, outside of the secondary, will be full of new faces and led by a new coordinator, with Greer Martini elevated from linebackers coach to replace Chris O’Leary, who left for the Los Angeles Chargers DC role.
Before getting into what to look out for when the Broncos take the field, catch up on Mitten Football’s spring reporting from Kalamazoo.
Andrew Graham
Andrew Graham
Andrew Graham
Andrew Graham
Now, let’s dig in.
New-look front seven
The Broncos had to replace, basically, everyone up front on defense this offseason.
WMU does get two players back from last season who were out with injuries in Noah Bishop and August Johanningsmeier, but will largely be relying on transfers or rising players to fill out the front seven.
The biggest void is edge rusher, where it will likely be impossible to replace Nadame Tucker’s production with a single individual, but the collective group has some juice. Three transfers, DeJuan Echoles Jr., KJ Burley and Scoop Gardner Jr., are likely candidates to compete for starting roles along with the aforementioned Bishop and Johanningsmeier.
Up and comers like Austin Alexander could also factor in.
On the interior, WMU has plenty of options but they’re largely unproven, like Dalton Gustwiller, Deshawn Robinson, Dakari Frazier, Jori Benson, Ahmed Tounkara, an Ohio State transfer, and Zavian Tibbs, a Houston transfer.
And at linebacker, it’s all about replacing Sefa Saipaia Jr. and James Camden. The Broncos have returning options in Dillon Moore, Domanick Moon and Gabe Welch but also added via the portal, bringing in Jermar McCarter, Brenden Anes, Justyce Betts and Teegan Haines.
How all the front seven players fit together, and who plays with the 1s, will be key to keep track of.
Can the passing game pop?
It’s not a secret that the Broncos want to expand on the passing offense in 2026 after playing to a simple philosophy — albeit in creative ways — that involved denting opposing facemasks in the run game.
Much of the progression will lie on the shoulders and right arm of quarterback Broc Lowry, who was relatively efficient in his low volume of passing in 2025, but lacked consistency in reading out concepts and accessing various areas of the field with his arm.
Now Lowry’s had a full offseason to develop and learn and advance, and the Broncos can tailor the passing game around what he and his pass catchers excel at.
As for the pass catchers, WMU is bullish on the receivers — and what running back Cole Cabana can do as a receiver. At wideout, Aveion Chenault and Baylin Brooks return after being the second and third most productive receivers on the team in 2025, with Chenault starting as a true freshman.
WMU added Emazon Littlejohn from South Carolina out of the portal and will get Egypt Nelson in the mix after he was ineligible last season.
If the Broncos can get one or more of those receivers to take a leap in 2025, along with Lowry, the passing game could be poised for a leap.
Who will play tight end
The Broncos lose three tight ends who contributed significantly in 2025 in Blake Bosma, Michael Brescia and Mareyohn Hrabowski. And none of the players returning on the roster had produced much.
It’s a pretty wide open competition, though the group has left a good impression on OC Walt Bell so far.
The returning tight ends include Nathan Sines, Ryan Brotherton, Brady Rhoad and Brennan Wooten.
WMU also added a number in the portal: Adam Parks, Enese Tonga and Nate Levicki.
As of right now, Parks, Tonga and Wooten might be the top three, but it’s quite murky. The Broncos have a wealth of skillsets to comb through, from Tonga’s sturdy ability as a blocker inline and in space to Parks ability as a mover and pass catcher.
Tight end is a hard position to learn because it touches on so many areas of the offense, from the run game to pass protection to being an offensive weapon. And that’s also why it can be so valuable for WMU to find the guys who can add value at this spot.
