BYU graduate transfer QB Joe Critchlow 'interested' in Central Michigan
Central Michigan football coach Jim McElwain still needs a graduate transfer quarterback.
McElwain might find the long-awaited answer in Brigham Young graduate transfer quarterback Joe Critchlow, who is "interested" in playing for the Chippewas, he told Central Michigan Life.
Critchlow has two years of eligibility remaining and can play immediately due to his graduate transfer status. His name is listed as "active" in the NCAA transfer portal.
The relationship between Critchlow and Central Michigan stems from defensive coordinator Robb Akey, who played college football with Critchlow's father, David, at Weber State in the 1980s.
"My dad knows coach Akey," Critchlow said in a brief conversation. "They played football together."
For most of the 2019 season, Critchlow was the fourth-string quarterback on the depth chart. He completed 9 of 12 passes for 73 yards in two games.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound transfer graduated from Franklin High School in Tennessee as a member of the 2015 recruiting class. Critchlow dedicated the next two years of his life, from July 2015 to June 2017, as a church missionary in Montreal, Canada.
Critchlow, who is married, is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church.
After learning to speak French and serving his mission in Canada, the quarterback went to play for BYU from 2017-19. During his true freshman season, he completed 55 of 101 passes for 642 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions in six games (three starts).
He took a redshirt in 2018 and only played two games in 2019 after being pushed down the depth chart, thus ending his career with the Cougars.
Staff members from CMU have also checked in on Indiana graduate transfer quarterback Peyton Ramsey. He tossed for 6,581 and 42 touchdowns against 23 interceptions in three seasons (2017-19) with the Hoosiers. He redshirted in 2016.
Like Critchlow, Ramsey is still listed as "active" in the transfer portal.
Central Michigan has quarterback options for the 2020 season in senior David Moore, redshirt sophomore John Keller, redshirt sophomore George Pearson, redshirt freshman Daniel Richardson and true freshman Tyler Pape.
The only signal caller with enough Division I experience to meet expectations is Moore, but he's suspended until October 2020 due to a positive test for an NCAA banned substance.
Keller and Pape have never played in a Division I game. That leaves Pearson and Richardson, who have played in one game (2018) and three games (2019), respectively.
The answer to McElwain's call was supposed to be Texas Tech graduate transfer Jett Duffey, but he was denied admission to Central Michigan after a previously unknown 2019 Title IX investigation was released to the administration.
Duffey remains active in the transfer portal and without a university to play football for his final season of eligibility in 2020.
