Western Michigan’s ‘exciting whites’ at safety are also key defensive cogs
The two safeties for WMU are very much in on the joke, and going to be two of the more impactful pieces on defense for the Broncos this fall.
Kalamazoo — They’re following in the footsteps of Cooper DeJean and Reed Blankenship with the Philadelphia Eagles, or Dillon Thienemen and Bryce Boettcher with the Oregon Ducks.
Yes, safeties Micah Davis and Joey Pope, two veterans set to anchor Western Michigan’s defense from the back end in 2026, are well aware of the jokes.
The WMU defensive backs group chat is even called “Exciting Whites,” and the photo for the chat is the famous meme — a grocery store sign in the alcohol section advertising white wines. They’re even working on their own nickname for the tandem, apart from the group chat name. DeJean and Blankenship were the originals on the Eagles defense a few years ago. Thienemen and Boettcher dubbed themselves the “caucasian collision unit” last season and had T-shirts.
But for all the jokes and leaning in to the bit from Pope and Davis, the duo is also going to be integral to Western Michigan fielding another staunch defense after that group helped power the Broncos to a MAC title in 2025. On top of being returning starters, along with the outside corners and nickel Josh Franklin, they play a key position on defense.
“I mean, there are a lot of jokes about it in the locker room,” Pope said. “We definitely talk about it a lot. We got a group chat called The Exciting Whites. So we really just want to go out there and make a play. At the end of the day, it is like a joke, but, you know, we are two really good safeties.”
