Western Michigan

Zaire Barnes is part of the second wave of leaders for Western Michigan Chapter after co-founders Jamauri Bogan and Justin Tranquill move on. He joined the leadership team at WMU after his 2018 freshman season and attended the Leadership Development Conference. Holding a Lift For Life is an important big step for a new chapter, and Zaire served as chapter Vice President when the Western Michigan Chapter held its inaugural signature event to inspire the Rare Disease Community with hope.

A native of Illinois, Zaire appeared in all 13 games for the Broncos as a true freshman in 2018 and made 11 starts at linebacker in 2019. He recorded his first tackle for a loss in 2019 and finished with a career-high 29 tackles for the season. Projected to start again in 2020, Barnes suffered an injury and was unable to play for the Broncos in the spring 2021 season.

Official Western Michigan Bio

Jake Moertl found the field early in his Broncos career and is now looking to make an impact serving the Rare Disease Community. Jake participated in the inaugural Western Michigan Lift For Life in 2019 and volunteered to assume a leadership role. He attended the 2020 and 2021 Leadership Development Conference and is excited to help the Western Michigan program support the rare disease cause.

A native of Illinois, Jake has appeared in 23 games as a safety his first two years at Western Michigan. He is a key reserve at safety and plays a pivotal role on special teams. Jake has six tackles and has logged nearly 275 career snaps for the Broncos.

Official Western Michigan Bio