Toledo: Head coach Tim Beckman’s 2011 recruiting class has a clear emphasis on the passing game. Beckman signed four receivers, two of which are considered three-star recruits by Scouts.com. 6’4″ wide outs Justin Olack and Alonzo Russell are considered by Beckman to be instant impact additions. Scouts.com ranked the Rockets’ class the best in the MAC.

“We really put a lot of emphasis on recruiting in our own backyard,” Beckman said. “Not only in northwest Ohio, but in the five-hour radius around Toledo that we call Rocket Nation.”

Western Michigan: Only three three-star recruits are included in WMU head coach Bill Cubit’s 2011 class, but the Bronco boss is nonetheless satisfied with the class as a whole. The WMU offensive line gave up 30 sacks in 2010, which is why Cubit signed five offensive linemen to letters of intent.

“We had needs at offensive line and I definitely feel that we filled them with the five guys we brought into the program,” Cubit said.

A day after national signing day, the Broncos signed three-star recruit Jesse York out of Boyd Anderson HS in Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.

Ball State: Much like Doeren, first-year head coach Pete Lembo had to work fast to sign his first recruiting class after being hired in December.

“It’s been a hectic month, but we’re real proud of this class,” Lembo said. “Any time you take on this challenge you are trying to do a year’s worth of recruiting in one month.”

With no shortage of needs in Muncie, Ind., Lembo said he believed receiver and linebacker to be among the most pressing. The first-year coach signed four receivers and five linebackers, all of which were rated as two-star recruits.

Eastern Michigan: Coming off a two-win season in 2010, Ron English signed five junior college players that he feels can contribute immediately. English wanted to upgrade the speed of the defense with the 2011 recruiting class. With that in mind, the third-year coach signed nine defensive backs. Representing as the team’s only three-star recruit, safety Sean Wooten comes to the Eagles from Walter Lutheran HS in Melrose Park.

“I thought we did the best job since we got here of evaluating talent,” English said. “We really addressed our needs. We got some stand-up players on defense, and some explosive players on offense.”

Central Michigan: Head Coach Dan Enos signed 27 players to play for the Chippewas in 2011. CMU signed 12 offensive players, 11 defensive players and three recruits that can play either offense or defense. Quarterback Alex Niznak highlights the 2011 class. Niznak ranked as the 59th-best prep quarterback in the nation, according to Scouts.com.

“We had a lot of holes and needs and we feel like we addressed most of those,” Enos said. “We obviously had a full year this year, unlike last year when we had two weeks to recruit. We found out as much as we could this year and we feel like it was a very diverse class.”