Through 1 week, Western Michigan's continuity is the biggest portal winner
The Broncos have lost just one starter from a 2025 MAC title team — the long snapper — and brought back many a key contributor.
It’s been a great week to be a Bronco, because it’s been a week of staying a Bronco.
Through the first week of the transfer portal period being open in 2026, Western Michigan has done something rather remarkable in this day and age of college football: Kept a Group of 5 conference championship roster intact.
At a time when monied collectives working with Power 4 institutions can and will raid rosters of the lower-level teams, something that’s come to be expected as a norm in the sport, Western Michigan, so far, has lost one starter from a 2025 team that won 10 games and the MAC — long snapper RJ Todd, who has committed to Oregon.
And of 25 starting roles across the offense, defense and special teams, Western Michigan has 16 players returning who were starters (or started notable games) in 2025. That includes the return of quarterback and MAC offensive player of the year Broc Lowry, star tailback Jalen Buckley, four offensive linemen and a majority of the secondary.
Right now, the following starters from 2025 are announced by Western Michigan to be back.
Offense
- QB: Broc Lowry
- RB: Jalen Buckley
- LG: Hunter Whitenack
- C: Jeremy Schleicher
- RG: Gavin Dabo
- RT: Chad Schuster
Defense
- CB: Josh Franklin
- CB: Jarvarius Sims
- CB: John Peters
Special teams
- K: Palmer Domschke
- P: Ryan Millmore
Beyond that grouping, the following players who made starts in 2025 are not in the portal and presumably returning.
Offense
- WR: Aveion Chenault
- WR: Baylin Brooks
- WR: Malik Dieudonne
Defense
- S: Joey Pope
- S: Micah Davis
The biggest area of need for the Broncos is in the defensive front, where losses to graduation have led to big-time attrition.
On the defensive line, star edge rusher Nadame Tucker is headed to the Senior Bowl (though part of a lawsuit seeking to win back JUCO years), his edge tandem Kershawn Fisher appears to be tapped out of eligibility, as are interior defensive linemen Mustafi Al-Garawi and Marcel Tyler.
And behind them at linebacker, the Broncos pair of starters — James Camden and Sefa Sapaia — are also out of eligibility.
Star safety Tate Hallock is also out of eligibility, but the Broncos return most of the pieces around him, unlike what will be a largely new-look defensive front.
Western Michigan will get a bit of in-house reinforcements on the defensive front, as defensive lineman August Johanningsmeier suffered a season-ending injury early in 2025 and should be ready for 2026. Rotational linebackers like Domanick Moon and Dillon Moore will likely get chances to win bigger roles in 2026.
And while managing to stave off portal exodus, the Broncos have managed to deftly add via the portal.
So far three defensive linemen have committed: DE Kedrick Burley (NAIA Kesier), DT Zavian Tibbs (Houston) and Scoop Gardner Jr. (Long Island). Keen observers will note that head coach Lance Taylor and Co. have dipped back into the Houston Cougars well after Tucker’s success, though Tibbs isn’t an edge rusher.
Linebacker Brenden Anes is an intriguing take, too, coming off his true freshman season appearing regularly for Tennessee.
And on the offensive line, the Broncos have added a pair of players to flesh out that group and build some depth: Jacob Bailey (James Madison) and Ben Roebuck (Michigan).
It’s the second year in a row that WMU has taken a Michigan transfer lineman and the move paid off in 2025 as Raheem Anderson II stepped in for an injured Jeremy Schleicher to start much of the season, including the MAC title game.
And with the way Western Michigan has kept a MAC championship roster intact, it wouldn’t be wrong for the Broncos to start thinking about getting back to Ford Field for a second-straight season.
