Wisconsin Badgers post-spring review: A look at Central Michigan
As players, coaches, fans and, yes, even the media await the start of fall camp to arrive for the Wisconsin Badgers in less than two months, BadgerBlitz.com takes a look at some of UW's 2019 opponents.
On Sept. 7, Wisconsin will host Central Michigan inside Camp Randall Stadium. The MAC program comes off a 1-11 year, but it appears new head coach Jim McElwain is already setting his imprint on the program just months into the job.
We caught up with John Evans of ChippewaCountry.com, who answered some questions we had about Central Michigan before it enters fall camp.
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Former Florida head coach Jim McElwain takes over at Central Michigan after a brief stay at Michigan. What changes, if any, have been seen so far since taking over the program?
John Evans: Pretty massive changes. McElwain has overhauled the entire coaching staff, and only one coach remains from the previous roster. He's been very tough on the team and multiple players have transferred because they've either been told they aren't part of the future or just aren't a fan of his style. He has certainly done everything in his power to instill his "culture" with the program before even coaching a single game. He's also expanded the recruiting trails, big time, making offers to what seems like more than a hundred kids since taking over.
It seems like some winds of change have taken place with the CMU roster. First, who are the key returners on both sides of the ball?
John Evans: Key returners on defense include: Senior defensive lineman Sean Adesanya, senior linebacker Michael Oliver, junior defensive back Alonzo McCoy and sophomore defensive back Devonni Reed. Key returners on offense include: Senior quarterback Tommy Lazzaro, senior running backs Jonathan Ward and Romello Ross, senior wide receiver Brandon Childress, junior tight end Tony Poljan (making transition from quarterback) and senior offensive lineman Steve Eipper.
We know Mike Danna left to transfer to Michigan, but who else departed the program, and what impact will that have on McElwain's first year?
John Evans: As mentioned above there have been multiple others to transfer since McElwain took over with Danna obviously being the biggest. He's an All-American and a legit NFL talent. There's really only one name that was a surprise of a transfer, and that is sophomore wide receiver Julian Hicks. Hicks led the team in receiving last year as a freshman, and appeared to be on the right track for a big career. Instead, he decided to transfer in-conference to Akron. He will likely be sitting on this season. It shouldn't have a major impact on the program because CMU has a large amount of transfers coming in, and multiple other transfers that sat out last season and are eligible to play this year.
Who stood out the most during spring practices, and how could their potential roles help this team?
John Evans: On offense there were a couple of standouts this spring, the biggest being wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton. Pimpleton is a sophomore transfer from Virginia Tech. Originally from Muskegon, MI., Pimpleton is an absolute burner. Short, quick, agile and can take the ball all the way in the blink of an eye. He's expected to be an exciting addition to the offense. Other standouts from spring included senior transfer quarterback Quinten Dormady (Houston) and tight end Tony Poljan making his full transition from quarterback. Dormady brings experience and poise to the offense, and he will be battling this summer for the starting job. Poljan (6-foot-7) was a highly recruited athlete out of high school. He was offered to play tight end by the likes of Michigan State, Nebraska and others but he ultimately settled to stay close to home because he wanted to play quarterback. Obviously, that has not worked out, so this year he is making a full transition. He will be a big threat up the middle for CMU. On defense defensive back Darius Bracy really stood out, showing great athletic ability and ball skills. Also standing out was defensive lineman LaQuan Johnson. Johnson is a redshirt freshman who played down the stretch last season. He's very powerful and is a run stuffer.
After spring practices, what is the one big question you have for the program heading into fall camp?
John Evans:I think the biggest question after spring camp is the same as it was at the end of last season and the start of spring camp; who is going to be the starting quarterback? CMU has a lot more options this year with transfers Quinten Dormady (Houston), David Moore (Garden City CC JUCO), senior Tommy Lazzaro, redshirt-freshman George Pearson and true freshman Daniel Richardson. Dormady and Lazzaro appear to be the front runners, but Moore brings a different dynamic with his ability to make plays with his legs as well as his arm. I would expect to see multiple quarterbacks playing Week 1 against Albany. True freshman Daniel Richardson was a late steal for the Chippewas. A three-star quarterback from the Miami (FL) area, he's got a promising future but is expected to redshirt this year.
Lastly, 2019 season projections. How much of a rebuilding year is this, and what are your way-too-early predictions for a record?
John Evans: The team is certainly in a rebuild, but with as many changes that have happened so quickly it almost feels like the rebuild is very advanced compared to what most would expect. And especially in the Mid-American Conference, anything can happen. I think this is a team that could go from winning one game to winning seven or eight. But I won't go that far yet, but 5-6 wins would be the bar and making a bowl game would be considered an extreme success in year one under McElwain in my opinion. The 2021 roster is shaping up to be very strong.
