Luke Goedeke undergoes knee surgery, will miss 2020 season
Running back Jonathan Ward (left) and offensive tackle Luke Goedeke celebrate a Central Michigan touchdown Oct. 5 in Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Central Michigan starting offensive tackle Luke Goedeke underwent knee surgery and will miss the 2020 season. Coach Jim McElwain shared the news with reporters during his Webex press conference Oct. 5.
"He's gonna miss this season," McElwain said. "The surgery went great, he's in really good spirits."
Last season, Goedeke started all 14 games for the Chippewas at right tackle and was the team's highest graded player according to Pro Football Focus. He committed just five penalties throughout the season and played a large part in CMU having a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Jonathan Ward and Kobe Lewis.
Goedeke came to Central Michigan in 2018 as a walk-on after one season at UW-Stevens Point. He switched from tight end to tackle and flourished. He was named preseason First Team All-MAC by PFF and Second Team by Athlon Sports.
Replacing an integral piece of the offensive line will not be easy. The Chippewas graduated three starters upfront last season. Outside of Goedeke, senior Derek Smith is the only returning starter. Smith is expected to play left guard.
To combat a lack of depth issue, McElwain has moved a pair of players, tight end Bernhard Raimann and defensive lineman Keegan Cossou, to tackle. Additionally, sophomore lineman Romello Tarver is slated to return from an injury that caused him to miss all of last season.
"(Cossou)'s doing a heck of a job, just really happy about that," McElwain said. "Hindsight's 20-20, but I probably wish we would've done that from the get-go."
Goedeke is expected to make a full recovery and re-join the team in 2021.
