CMU football open to utilizing transfer portal to add depth
Quarterback Quinten Dormady (right) and offensive lineman Oge Udeogu (left) celebrate on the sideline during Central Michigan's football game against Toledo on Nov. 29 in Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Since the conclusion of the 2020 season, CMU has seen eight of its players enter the NCAA transfer portal.
Ranging from established contributors like Mohamed Diallo and Chuck Jones to players like Joshua Crawford and Deron Irving-Bey who never got to show their potential, the Chippewas are in the midst of an offseason featuring a plethora of roster turnover.
Yet, as he has in each of his seasons with the Chippewas, coach Jim McElwain used the transfer portal to his advantage. In quarterback Jacob Sirmon, linebacker Marcel Lewis and defensive lineman Thomas Incoom, McElwain has three new guys to help fill out his roster heading into 2021.
And according to McElwain, they might not be finished making additions.
"We've got two or three spots (available) that we kind of always keep in our pocket just for that reason," McElwain said. "As long as it's the right fit."
Adding depth
Last season, quarterback Ty Brock, offensive lineman Aarion Harvey and defensive back Richard Bowens III joined the team through the portal. The year before, offensive lineman Oge Udeogu, quarterbacks Quinten Dormady and David Moore and defensive backs Dishon McNary and Brian Edwards joined the group, along with Diallo.
Having depth is paramount in college football. With grades and eligibility to worry about, along with all of the natural obstacles that come with the physicality of the game of football, having a backup ready to go is important. It's even more so now, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage on.
Along with adding depth, the portal allows for McElwain and his staff to pick up an experienced option who may have been unhappy at their previous stop. The key is experience, as an addition from the portal may provide the necessary insurance that allows a freshman to grow and develop naturally without the worry of being thrown into the fire right away.
"I don't believe you build your team with (the transfer portal)," McElwain said. "But I almost think, what it's become a little bit, you maybe have a need for somebody who is more developed at a certain position."
This year's group
This year's additions, Sirmon, Lewis and Incoom, all bring much needed depth to their positions. Sirmon replaces Brock, who retired following the season. Lewis and Incoom both fill voids left by transfers at their positions, Jones and Diallo.
But these additions are about more than just depth. Sirmon and Lewis come to Mount Pleasant as motivated options from Power Five schools, while Incoom is an experienced addition from Division II powerhouse Valdosta State.
Incoom was a first-team selection in the Gulf South Conference in 2019, when he totaled 9.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 11 games. He was unable to play in the fall of 2020, as all Division II competition was postponed until the spring.
Sirmon and Lewis have smaller sample sizes to view but were both once highly touted prospects. Sirmon was once the top prep quarterback in Washington, while Lewis was the 23rd-ranked recruit in the state of Michigan coming out of Chippewa Valley high school.
After stints at Power Five schools, Sirmon and Lewis come to Mount Pleasant to contribute.
Assessing the past
McElwain has brought in an array of transfers in his first two seasons. Harvey did not play in 2020 but suited up for a pair of games, while Brock and Bowens each contributed in a majority of contests. In five games, two starts, Brock threw for 351 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 118 yards and a TD on 25 carries.
Bowens, meanwhile, played in all six games with four starts. He intercepted a pass in the season finale against Toledo, and totaled 19 tackles. He'll likely be counted on to be a contributor in the secondary next season.
Harvey, meanwhile, played in one game for the Chippewas last season. Though his participation and production were limited, there's a chance for him to contribute down the road thanks to the transfer of Romello Tarver and injuries to tackle Luke Goedeke and guard Danny Motowski.
McElwain hopes both Goedeke and Motowski can be ready by the start of fall camp.
The group that McElwain brought in from the portal in 2019 can be viewed largely as a success. In Dormady, the Chippewas got a stabilizing, while unspectacular, force that guided them to eight wins and a berth in the Mid-American Conference championship game. Moore showed his potential but his tenure ended abruptly thanks to a positive test for a banned substance.
Udeogu was phenomenal for the Chippewas prior to a season-ending broken arm. He started the first 12 games and did a good job of keeping Dormady upright. Diallo had a similar effect, as he enjoyed a spectacular 2020 season and was named first team All-MAC.
The verdict on the secondary transfers is still out. Both Edwards and McNary have shown flashes of being solid options, but both have also endured their fair share of struggles.
Regardless, McElwain is hoping that the three he brought in, all having at least two years of eligibility, will help his pursuit for a MAC championship.
And, in that chase for a title, we likely haven't seen the last addition.
