Spring is in the air

Frigid temperatures outside did not stop the Central Michigan football program from kicking off the 2020 season Saturday with its first spring practice of the year.

The team is entering its second year under head coach Jim McElwain, with no other major coaching changes to report. If anything was learned from last season its that spring practice will be relatively dialed back. It's a chance for players to get their feet under them, get some conditioning in and get some football strength back heading into the summer.

No date has been set for the annual spring game, which is more like a glorified scrimmage under McElwain. Still, after an 8-win season, it will give fans a chance to check out the defending Mid-American Conference West division champions.

While the team is still young and returns multiple starters, there are still a ton of question marks heading into the 2020 season with the biggest being at the quarterback position. Three QBs come back from last season in senior David Moore, sophomore George Pearson and redshirt freshman Daniel Richardson. Moore, who is currently suspended by the NCAA, is awaiting a response after the university appealed the suspension.

Richardson was one of the biggest signing day steals for McElwain in his first recruiting class and will be expected to compete for the starting job. Also joining the room are transfers John Keller, Tyler Shearer and true freshman Tyler Pape.

CHANGING IT UP

The Chippewas announced multiple position changes heading into 2020 including some players moving from one side of the ball to the other.

Junior Norman "Bubba" Anderson, who played in multiple games last year at cornerback, will move over to wide receiver. Offensive lineman Jamezz Kimbrough will move from guard to center in an effort to fill the void left by the graduation of Steve Eipper. Kimbrough started almost every game as a true freshman but did not play in 2019. He will provide some athleticism at the center position.

Redshirt freshman Ormondell Dingle moves from safety to lineback and senior Kumehnnu Gwilly moves from running back to linebacker. McElwain said Gwilly has embraced the change and it's something he actually wanted. Gwilly certainly has the frame to be a defender, standing at 6'2", 245 pounds. Gwilly has always been a bruising running back and it will be interesting to see how he fares on defense.

One big question mark that looms for the Chippewas is the eligibility of sophomore defensive back Kyron Mckinnie-Harper. Harper started 12 games last season in true freshman but did not travel with the team to the bowl game. He had an arrest warrant out for him last week on multiple counts of computer larceny of more than $1,000 but less than $20,000. If convicted, he will likely never see the field again wearing a CMU uniform.