Each year, new players enter the Mid-American Conference (MAC) through the transfer portal, finding a new home in one of the 13 teams and beginning a new chapter in their careers.
Each new player is looking to make an immediate impact on their new team and aims to lead the team to the MAC Championship game.
Here is a player from each MAC school that can have an immediate impact on their respective team this season:
Akron Zips – Evan Mahaffey (senior forward)
The 6-foot-6 forward has spent his last two seasons at Ohio State after his freshman season at Penn State.
Mahaffey makes his presence known on the defensive end of the court first, as last season with the Buckeyes, he was able to tally 28 blocks and 23 steals.
He also has a knack for grabbing offensive rebounds, with 41 last season coming off the bench, getting those second-chance opportunities can change the momentum of the game.
Although scoring is not Mahaffey’s calling card, he has a soft touch at the rim, leading him to shoot an outstanding 67.1% from the field. Mahaffey also knows how to find the open spot down low and is a patient player, giving his teammates ample time to find him down low for an easy finish.
Adding the high-energy player to a Zips team looking to defend their MAC title will help in those close games where just a moment can change everything.
Miami RedHawks – Almar Atlason (junior forward)
The forward from Iceland lands with the RedHawks after two seasons with Bradley. Atlason was a part of the 2023-24 Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team.
Atlason is a career 39.5% three-point shooter, fitting into a RedHawks team that last season had the best three-point percentage in the MAC at 39.7%.
It is not just the 3-point shooting of Atlason that is dangerous, but his ability to put the ball on the ground and get to the rim. Sporting a 6-foot-8 frame, Atlason can get to the rim when needed and find the open shooter when the defense collapses.
Grabbing a stretch four to bolster the offense, Atlason will add a new dimension to the RedHawks’ offense.
Kent State Golden Flashes – Rob Whaley Jr. (graduate student)
During the 2023-24 season, Whaley started the final 16 games for the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, averaging 9.6 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game during that stretch.
The forward shot 61.1% from the field, with only four 3-point shot attempts during the season. Playing down low in the paint for almost all the time, Whaley has plenty of different moves to get open.
Coming off an injury where he did not play during the 2024-25 season, Whaley is looking to bounce back with the Golden Flashes.
Additionally, Whaley joins his cousin, Delrecco Gillespie, at Kent State.
Toledo Rockets – Mynor Strong (sophomore guard)
Strong spent the last season at Dodge City Community College, where he led the Conquistadors in steals with 61. Those 61 steals were enough to break into the school’s single-season steals record, leading him to seventh in school history.
Defensive pressure is not the only thing that Strong brings to the court, as last season Strong averaged 15.8 points per game.
Strong did most of his scoring by getting into the paint, but leaving Strong open is not a good idea, as last season he shot 38.9% from three.
Putting Strong next to returning guard Sonny Wilson can create a dynamic one-two punch in the backcourt for the Rockets.
Ohio Bobcats – Jalen Breath (redshirt senior forward)
Starting 30 of the 32 games with UNC Greensboro, Breath averaged 6.6 points and 7 rebounds a game in 21.5 minutes of play.
A pure paint player, Breath averaged 47.6% from the field and 67.9% from the free-throw line, making him a difficult player to foul in any attempt to slow down in the paint.
Scoring a season high of 16 points two times vs High Point and Mercer, the forward is more than capable of taking over the game in the scoring department. Taking over for AJ Clayton down low in the post, Breath has big shoes to fill with the Bobcats.
Eastern Michigan Eagles – Addison Patterson (redshirt senior forward)
Last season with the Northwestern State Demons, Patterson led the team in scoring with 13 points per game, had the most assists with 102 and steals with 43. Patterson was also second in total rebounds on the season with 171.
Helping lead the Demons to a 12-8 record and a fourth-place finish in the Southland Conference.
Patterson’s 6–foot–7 frame allows him to create plenty of mismatch opportunities for the Eagles this season, as he likes to get downhill to do much of his scoring.
Although he does not have the most consistent 3-point shot, shooting only 26.6% last season, when left open, Patterson can knock down three-point shots.
Western Michigan Broncos – Hudson Ward (sophomore forward)
The former Penn State Nittany Lion was a three-star recruit and a top 200 prospect in the 2024 high school class.
Although Ward saw limited time with Penn State, he played on Team Canada’s U17 team in the FIBA World Cup and participated in the 2023 EYBL Peach Jam circuit.
Standing at 6-foot-7, Ward has the ability to impact every aspect of the game. In his high school career, Ward averaged 26.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
Having a do-it-all mentality on the court, Ward can quickly come in and make an impact for the Broncos.
Bowling Green Falcons – Troy Glover II (senior forward)
Glover spent the last two seasons with the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL), where he led the team in steals and blocks and took home the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) defensive player of the year.
Standing at 6-foot-10, Glover has a soft touch at the rim as he led the entire GLVC in field goal percentage with 62.5% from the field.
The 10.6 points per game scorer has plenty of upside on the offensive end.
Glover has an explosive first step that helps him to get into the paint when he is stationed outside the arc. That size, combined with solid ball-handling skills, makes him a hard player for bigs to guard.
Adding a high-level paint protector to the Falcons’ roster gives them a dynamic one-two punch on the defensive end with Javontae Campbell returning.
Ball State Cardinals – Armoni Zeigler (junior guard)
Zeigler started all but four games last season with the Saint Peter’s Peacocks, where he averaged 11.1 points per game.
With a quick first step, Zeigler can get into the paint almost at will. With soft touch, shot 46.5% from the field last season and plenty of post moves to choose from. Zeigler is a threat to score any time in the paint.
Zeigler, standing at 6-foot-4, is a great rebounder, averaging 6.1 on the season with 165 total rebounds. During play last season, Zeigler was able to grab 13 rebounds on two different occasions.
Central Michigan Chippewas – Tamario Adley (senior guard)
Adley spent two seasons with Wayne State, where he was named to the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) second team. Adley was also named to the GLIAC All-Defensive first team, as he led the conference in steals with 41
Starting all but one game last season, the guard averaged 13.8 points on 52.5% from the field. The highly efficient guard can fill up the stat sheet, adding 6.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
Although Adley is not the most efficient 3-point shooter as a guard, going 14-50 for 28% last season, he is not afraid to let it fly, attempting 2.1 three-point attempts per game.
Landing in Mount Pleasant for the next season, expect plenty of well-rounded performances from the 6–foot-1 guard.
Buffalo Bulls – Ezra McKenna (fifth-year forward)
McKenna averaged a double–double since the 2022-23 season with the University of Mobile Rams.
A threat anywhere on the court, McKenna shot 59% from the field and 35.2% from behind the arc. However, he did not take many shots from beyond the arc, with 54 attempts last season with the Rams.
McKenna can rebound with the best of them, only held to under 10 rebounds nine times last season.
Although McKenna only had 2.1 assists on the season, his passing vision is something that opposing teams will have to prepare for. Standing at 6-foot-10, he can see over a double set to him in the post and hit the open player cutting to the basket.
A player who can be utilized as a hub on the offensive end of the court, the Bulls have a plethora of ways to put the forwards multiple talents to use.
Northern Illinois Huskies – JJ Taylor (junior forward)
The former four-star spent time in Memphis and UCF before finally landing with the Huskies for this upcoming season. Ranked 92nd in his high school class, the forward looks to restructure his career with Northern Illinois in the upcoming season.
Last season with the UCF Knights, Taylor averaged 4.4 points in 13.8 minutes per game, only playing in 25 of the 37 games.
Although Taylor has had limited minutes so far in his career, he has still shown his scoring prowess, landing a career-high of 14 points in a win over the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Taylor has plenty of upside on the defensive end, as he recorded seven blocks and nine steals in his limited time last season.
Massachusetts Minutemen – Donovan Brown (senior guard)
Last season, Brown led the Florida Tech Panthers in points, assists, field goals, free throws made and was second in steals. Standing at 6-foot-2, the guard is always looking for an opening to score.
Joining a UMass team that last season, in the Atlantic-10 Conference (A-10), was ninth in scoring with 72.9 points per game and had only three scorers who notched more than 10 points per game. Unfortunately for the Minutemen, all three of those double-digit scorers have left the team in the transfer portal.
Brown may be handed the keys to the offense for the Minutemen in their first season within the MAC and has a chance to make some big noise this season.
