KALAMAZOO, MI –– Western Michigan and head coach Lance Taylor put in some major work during college football’s spring transfer portal window.
And got some major results.
The Broncos landed a total of 10 players via the transfer portal, adding a mix of talents at the Division-I, Division-II and JUCO levels. Of the 10 additions, seven are defensive players –– including San Diego State safety Jason Mitchell II and Indiana defensive tackle Race Stewart.
Mitchell is perhaps the most touted player of the bunch, as the redshirt freshman was rated as a four-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals out of St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California.
The 6-foot-3, 175-pound defensive back was ranked as California’s 28th-best prospect by ESPN and graded as the 19th-best safety recruit in the country by Rivals.
Mitchell held a plethora of Power Four offers, including LSU, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Oregon, Maryland, USC, Utah, Washington and Arizona.
His father, Jason, was a wide receiver for USC and head coach Pete Carroll from 2002-04 before playing in both the NFL and CFL.
Stewart, a former Indiana walk-on, spent four seasons with the Hoosiers but only appeared in one game during the 2023 season, where he recorded a tackle in a game against Indiana State.
With the departures of safety Joseph Jefferson II (Louisville), and defensive lineman Mason Nelson (Vanderbilt) and Isaiah Greene (Memphis), both Stewart and Mitchell should compete for playing time in their respective rooms.
Elsewhere, the Broncos cleaned up at the Division-I FCS and JUCO levels, where they grabbed two more safeties, three linebackers, two wide receivers and a defensive back.
Check out more on those players below.
Jayden Davis (Sacramento State)
Position: Safety
High school/college: Bishop O’Dowd (CA), Diablo Valley College, Contra Costa College, Idaho State, Central Michigan
2024 stats: n/a
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Ray Hall (College of the Canyons)
Position: Wide receiver
High school: Valencia (CA)
2024 stats: n/a
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Amarian Louis, Dodge City Community College
Position: Defensive back
High school: Miami Southridge (FL)
2024 stats: 21 tackles, 2 interceptions, 4 pass breakups
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Jaden Lyles (Austin Peay)
Position: safety
High school: Lipscomb Academy (TN)
2024 stats: 96 tackles, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery, 5 pass breakups
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Egypt Nelson (Virginia Military Institute)
Position: Wide receiver
High school: Booker T. Washington (VA)
2024 stats: 20 receptions, 269 yards, 1 touchdown
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Iosefa Saipaia (Ferris State)
Position: Linebacker
High school: Canton McKinley (OH)
2024 stats: 93 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 interception, 3 fumble recoveries
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Marvin Smith III (Alabama A&M)
Position: Linebacker
High school: Grayson (GA)
2024 stats: 62 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble
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Gabe Welch (Butler Community College)
Position: Linebacker
High school: Arkansas City (KS)
2024 stats: 70 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 interception
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