CMU spring football, Pro Day set for mid-March
Chippewa spring football is just around the corner.
In meeting with Central Michigan Life on Feb. 9, CMU coach Jim McElwain said the spring football season will officially begin after March 17.
Last spring, CMU held camp in February and got 10 of 15 scheduled practices in before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States.
After going 3-3 in an abbreviated Mid-American Conference season last year, McElwain said he wanted to give his guys an opportunity to rest, recover and ready for the spring program. McElwain added he wanted to utilize the university wellness days to avoid having practice early in the morning on top of class for the players.
"(Using the wellness days) also helps the other sports with indoor that are in season that may need the space because they need their space during the season," McElwain said. "I've tried to help the other sports as much as possible with the increased usage of the indoor facilities."
The schedule has not been finalized and will be announced at a later date, along with the team's new roster. As with many other aspects of college sports, McElwain said there will need to be a significant degree of flexibility in terms of working around class and the ongoing pandemic.
McElwain added that he wanted to start the spring season later than last year to give the team an opportunity to practice outside. McElwain added the Chippewas are aiming to complete three scrimmages during the spring program.
A spring game has not been finalized.
Along with announcing the start of spring football, McElwain added that CMU will be hosting its Pro Day the morning of March 23. The Chippewas are scheduled to practice that afternoon.
Participants for Pro Day have not been announced. McElwain said that there will only be a few Chippewas participating as most of Pro Day-eligible players will be returning for a final season with an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA.
"As for a list of players, (Director of Player Personnel) Albert (Karschnia) puts that together," McElwain said. "Some of the scouts have asked, like usual, that there might be one or two of the guys from the (Division II) schools around that they want to get a look at.
"There's not a lot of numbers going through it."
