-92d0d9002831be39-2.JPG

Western Michigan football coach P.J. Fleck.

(Bryan M. Bennett | MLive.com)

KALAMAZOO, MI -- Quarterback Matt Little and linebacker Tristian Pipp are no longer on the Western Michigan football roster.

Both freshmen joined the Broncos program as early enrollees this past spring, but a team spokesperson confirmed Little and Pipp are not on the roster. No reason was provided, other than the players left before the first practice.

The duo's departure comes as a surprise and a bit of a blow to Western Michigan's 2016 class. Both players were mentioned in the Broncos preview section for their respective positions, and they were two of the recruits who helped Western Michigan land the top-ranked class in the MAC for the third straight year.

Little was unlikely to see the field this year, but his size and arm made him one of the top contenders for the Broncos' quarterback of the future. The 6-foot-4, 216-pound Evanston, Illinois, native was rated as a three-star recruit coming out of high school.

Pipp came to Kalamazoo from Greendale, Wisconsin. The 6-foot-1, 227-pound linebacker was rated as a three-star prospect and the No. 6 player in Wisconsin by 247Sports composite rankings. He chose the Broncos over offers from Wisconsin and Iowa, among others.