I tried something different this time, which was to play and record all of the videos for the whole season before uploading them to YouTube. It was fun to just play and see what happened next, but then when I was done it was a bit of a chore to make the videos after the fact and upload them to YouTube. I guess the only positive thing about it was that I’d completely forgotten what had happened in each game so editing the videos was somewhat novel and surprising.
Still, it meant that I didn’t play NCAA 12 or Madden 12 for a very long time, and I started tweaking, man. I want to keep going with these series until we make some genuine progress.
After three full seasons, the Eastern Michigan Eagles have gotten marginally better, though we still can’t defeat the top teams for the most part. Our recruiting classes tend to be comprised of mostly 3-star players and below with an occassional 4-star guy. We had our strongest season yet in 2013 but will regress on offense in 2014 thanks to graduations and defections.
Madden was particularly challenging in 2013 as we lost Greg McLain for the season. One would think that we could be fine without a QB who threw 10 TDs and 20 interceptions but our backups are somehow worse! We’ll definitely need to address that position next year.
If you haven’t been watching the videos, then here’s what you’ve missed:
2013 Eastern Michigan Eagles
The Eagles finally got to unleash their standout transfer, running back Bo Gordon, who had to sit out the previous season. He gave them an instant boost on offense. It also allowed them to redshirt their 4-star running back recruit, Mike Hicks. The Eagles had the 53rd ranked recruiting class during the 2012 campaign and they were able to redshirt many of those players in 2013. They also saw good progression from many of their juniors, which would result in the best season ever (at least in this Dynasty) for the Eastern Michigan Eagles.
Stats Leaders
The emergence of senior quarterback Julius Schmidt compelled Coach Keron Day to give last year’s starter, Jared Tolbert, the redshirt during his sophomore season. Schmidt started the year as a 79-overall and ultimately finished as an 82-overall. His numbers were similar to Tolbert’s, throwing for 2,571 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions despite missing some time.
Backup quarterback Brad Dahl also saw action during Schmidt’s downtime, but he also got hurt which led to the Eagles having to play RB Adam Dowdell and FB Michael Clemons at quarterback for a time.
The long-awaited tenure of HB Bo Gordon began, and he led the team with 958 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. He also added a kick return touchdown. Unfortunately, he missed a bit of time with injuries, so he couldn’t crack 1,000 yards.
With Gordon missing time, Adam Dowdell found himself pressed into action for the third consecutive season. He finished with 428 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.
What would become of the receiving game with Anthony Gillette and Blair Guidry moving on (into the workforce, not the NFL)? Both of those guys had over 1,000 yards receiving in 2012, and nobody reached that milestone in 2013. Instead, the receiving yards were distributed to many different guys. The leader was WR Jonathan McConnell, who logged 47 catches for 981 yards and 11 touchdowns. It was an impressive career arc for him, as he was a 59-overall in 2011 and was redshirted, and he finished as an 80-overall his senior season. True freshman Justin Workman added 748 yards and 7 touchdowns.
MLB Blake Clark and ROLB Jeremy Heath led the team in tackles, with 62 and 61, respectively. Defensive tackle Russ Reid led the team with 12.5 sacks and even won the Lombardi Award. The interceptions lead was a three-way tie between FS Kyle Holley, CB Steven Wynn, and LOLB Mike Williams. Each of them had 4. This year we scored three defensive touchdowns. They were recorded by Mike Williams, Blake Clark, and Roger Dennis (who also had 10 sacks and was named a First Team All-American.)
Recruiting
The Eagles were able to land eleven 3-star recruits and one 4-star recruit. The 4-star recruit is a good one, though. He is a quarterback named Robert Bonner who comes in as a 76-overall. They also secured some 1-star players that are a bit deceptive in their rankings. They got a JUCO punter named Justin Cole, who is an 84-overall and will replace Steven Higgins, and a 60-overall fullback named Gabe Swanson (all fullbacks were 1-star recruits).
Coach Keron Day’s recruiting class was ranked 75th overall, so some might consider it a bit of a setback compared to the prior year.
As for the Immersion Owners, Oklahoma WR Josh Hammond improved in year two, basically doubling his stats. He finished the year as a 97-overall and will likely be the top guy in 2014. Alabama QB Adam Franssen didn’t get any playing time at all in 2013 as he sat behind Jeremy Barron, who ended up getting drafted in the 3rd round of the 2014 draft. Franssen was buried on the depth chart but Alabama didn’t redshirt him cause they’re dumb. Halfback Jason Enright got recruited by Oregon, much to real Enright’s dismay (he’s an Oregon State guy). It seems like every time I do this project, Enright gets recruited by Oregon.
Offseason
Running back Bo Gordon declared for the draft and Coach Keron Day could not convince him to stay. As a 90-overall, he didn’t even make the draft class and disappeared into the ether, like Jay McBride.
Had he stayed, he probably would have been something like a 94-96 overall and had he stayed healthy he might have been in the running for some awards. He would have been our first drafted Eagle! Now we seem very far away from having an Eastern Michigan player drafted (I predict QB Robert Bonner will one day be our first draft pick.)
The Heisman Trophy went to QB Nate Hill from Wisconsin. Wisconsin lost the title game to Maryland. Nate Hill’s career will continue, as he was drafted in the 5th round by the Sullivan’s Island Silvertips.
2013 Batavia Colliders
The Colliders lost QB Greg McLain, who had progressed to an 88-overall, for the entire year when he went down in the preseason. That put the team into the hands of Josiah Reed. Reed’s career started with 13 interceptions before he threw his first touch down pass. Reed started the season so poorly that the Colliders even tried out F-potential 7th rounder TJ Lyles, and he was somehow worse.
The Colliders started the season 1-5 and I was wondering if I’d be in the running for the first overall draft pick. But then Reed got it together a little, and they finished 9-7. They weren’t able to overcome their bad start, however, as they missed the playoffs. The Cleveland Battery won the division again, finishing 10-6 (they swept the Colliders.)
Stats Leaders
Despite his rough start, QB Josiah Reed actually finished with a better season than Greg McLain did the year before. He threw for 2,874 yards, 14 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. Are those numbers good? No, but that’s why we’ll be trying to find a new QB next year.
Rookie running back Brian Harris wasn’t much better than Jyhe Holliday was in 2012. He finished with 711 yards and 5 touchdowns and only averaged 3.5 yards per carry. Perhaps the issue is with the offensive line. Or maybe I don’t know how to run the ball. I promise I’m not hitting the sprint trigger too early.
Wide receiver Morgan Montoya posted very similar numbers to his rookie campaign, with 69 receptions (nice), 923 yards, and 4 touchdowns. Those numbers seemed highly unlikely at the start of the season when Josiah Reed was the Worst Quarterback of All-Time. Montoya led Colliders receivers in all categories except touchdowns. That went to TE Ron Lewis, who had 5, despite being injured for much of the season (his numbers were boosted by a 3-TD game.) Rookie AJ Muse caught the longest pass of the season, a walk-off 75-yard touchdown in overtime of their final game.
Middle linebacker Jaquese Price was once again our tackle leader with 68. Defensive end Shawn Arnold exploded for 19 sacks despite being a 70-overall. He was named Defensive Lineman of the Year for the third straight time. Elisha Wright was named Defensive Back of the Year, thanks in part to his team-leading 7 interceptions. Corner Javec O’Neal was the only player to score a defensive touchdown, and he added a safety for good measure.
The Draft
In 2012 a punter went second overall. In 2013, a tight end went first overall. So it’s no surprise that the 2014 draft was also wack, with a fullback going first overall. Then it started to make more sense as 3 corners went in the top five picks. National Champion Quarterback Mark Lambert was the first QB to go, getting picked 7th overall by the Bestine Banthas. But I think the best pick was South Carolina’s Gerald McGrew, a running back who went 4th overall to the Tooz Town GIMB (he’s got stupid numbers and 97-speed.)
The Colliders got an unusually high draft pick for them (19th overall), thanks to missing the playoffs. They went with the best value available to them, picking up RE Jake Jones, who turned out to be an 83-overall. He’ll replace a declining James Hardaway.
Next the Colliders added to their receiving corps with Brandon McNair, who looks to move into the slot as AJ Muse moves to the outside, opposite Morgan Montoya. That pushes Antione Parodi, Batavia’s favorite fighting Frenchman, to 4th on the depth chart. McNair is a 76-overall as a rookie. Then they got Ahmad Mark, the Heisman finalist QB out of Boise State. He’s a 76-overall as well, with B-potential, so he’ll look to move into the starting role as a rookie. Hopefully he can change the fortunes of the passing game. Center Chris Clarke ended up only being a 72 with C potential. Paul Boyd is a 65-overall and Will Davis provides depth at running back as a 70-overall. Boyd and Davis probably won’t last long, but they ended up getting a decent punter in Kasey Sellers, who replaces Dwayne Davis (his F-potential led to a catastrophic regression.)
No Eastern Michigan players were drafted. Bo Gordon, you should have stayed for your senior season.
Thoughts on Year Three
The college game has been fun, and I learned that having a stellar 90-plus player does make a difference. It still seems like a long way off until I can recruit those guys on the regular. I’ve never had a 4-star player interested in my program, let alone a 5-star player. Winning the MAC and my bowl game seemed to raise my profile, but my Program Stability rating fell to a D for some reason (I don’t think any of my coordinators left, and Keron Day is still there.) So my best recruiting tools are now Coach Prestige and Coach Loyalty. Hopefully we can find some 5-stars who are into that.
The pro game has proven to be much more difficult than I anticipated after my initial 12-4 season. The other teams seem to be getting better faster than I am, partly because I don’t allow myself the luxury of signing free agents. I want my players to be home grown, and I want to keep the challenge going. I’m honestly amazed that I finished 2013 at 9-7, and I think I can make the playoffs in 2014 if Ahmad Mark is even a little better than the quarterbacks I’ve been playing with.
I’m excited to get back to playing the games. I think I’ll return to the routine of playing a game and then posting it, rather than playing all the games at once.
Have a great day everyone!
© 2026, Josh Hammond. All rights reserved.
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