Central’s offense was explosive in 2023, but will need to find consistency to help control games.
The Central Michigan Chippewas were an interesting offensive unit in 2023, finishing top five in total offensive yards (4,136 yards) and total offensive touchdowns (36), but sitting out of the postseason with a 4-8 mark on the year.
There’s no one reason the offense wasn’t as successful as it could have been, but one could watch any of their games from the 2023 campaign and come away thinking more could have been done. (Though, a better defense might have been a boon to the offense’s ambitions.)
It’s much too bad, as on paper, this is one of the more talented units in the MAC form an individual and team perspective.
Thankfully for the Chips, much of what made the offense prosper returns to Mt. Pleasant in 2024 with another year of experience and, well, a chip on their shoulders after a lackluster year in the football desert.
We look at how the boys in Maroon and Gold stack up as we head into the start of the potential redemption tour:
Quarterbacks
Jay McDowell (CMU Athletics)
Departures:
- Jase Bauer (transfer to Sam Houston State)
- Tyler Pape (unlisted)
Arrivals:
- Joe Labas (transfer from Iowa)
- Logan Borodychuk (incoming HS recruit)
Returnees:
- Bert Emanuel Jr.
- Tyler Jefferson
- Jayden Glaser
The position with the most intrigue on the roster, as it always seems to be this time of year, is quarterback.
Last season saw Bert Emanuel Jr. and Jase Bauer (who has since departed from Mt. Pleasant) go back-and-forth in camps and go through the dreaded “OR” designation in the early parts of the season before Emanuel suffered a shoulder injury. Bauer would take over from there, collecting 1,881 yards, 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions through the air— with an additional 10 touchdowns and 365 rushing yards on 121 carries.
Now, the Chips find themselves once again in the same position as last season, pitting the since-recovered Emanuel against Iowa transfer Joe Labas. Emanuel is the favorite going into fall camps with 10 games of experience and four starts. He’s accumulated 716 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground, while also tossing three touchdowns on 51 percent completion percentage.
Labas is a bit of a mystery box. Recruited by Central out of high school, the former four-star prospect from Ohio held Iowa as his only Power offer coming out of high school and spent two years there, accumulating stats in just one contest— a bowl game at that— completing 14-of-24 passes for 139 yards and one touchdown vs. Kentucky. He presumably left due to a lack of access to the starting quarterback spot and will now fight with Emanuel for the QB1 role in Mt. Pleasant. With practices closed, we can’t provide any more information, but early indications from CMU’s spring scrimmage reports suggest he has acclimated quickly.
Left-hander Tyler Jefferson has also had some positive notes from spring practice reports in work with the third team and will likely be the alternate backup quarterback should one of the expected starters go down.
Running backs
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Departures:
- Jake Tafelski (transfer to Notre Dame)
- Sam Hicks (transfer to Abeline Christian)
- Christian Brown (unlisted)
Arrivals:
- Nahree Biggins (position change from safety)
- Kadenn Rose (incoming HS recruit)
Returnees:
- Marion Lukes
- Myles Bailey
- BJ Harris
- Jakivion Calip
- Brock Townsend
- Mehki Jenkins
- Tyler DeWitt
Central returns an experienced running back tandem in Marion Lukes and Myles Bailey, and that’s great news for a Chippewas offense which could see a reversion to a run-heavy approach after the departure of offensive coordinator Paul Petrino. Under Petrino in 2023, the Chips finished 62nd in rushing offense with 1,913 total yards and 21 touchdowns.
Lukes in particular has a lot of eyes on him, being named to several preseason award watchlists after placing first-team all-MAC as a kick returner and finishing ninth in the country in all-purpose yards per game (134.83). Lukes is a true three-down back, capable of running both inside and outside while also being a receiving threat, finishing with 5.1 yards per rush and 10.3 yards per reception.
Bailey is an excellent compliment back, notching up 588 total yards and three touchdowns in relief of Lukes in 2023, averaging 4.7 yards per carry on the ground over 101 attempts.
Former Mizzou transfer BJ Harris (19 carries, 43 yards in 2023) and position convert Nahree Biggins also figure to be part of the equation after both impressed in spring camps as members of the second team. Biggins, who was recruited as an athlete after playing quarterback, wide receiver and cornerback in his senior season (1,441 total yards and 16 touchdowns), is an interesting candidate to watch. His six-foot-one, 210 lb, frame should help give Central a power option to turn to in short-yardage situations. Harris slots in as an injury replacement to Bailey or Lukes should one of them go down as he is a similar build.
Passcatchers (tight ends and receivers)
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Departures:
- WR Jalen McGaughy (graduation)
- WR Kyren Ware (transfer to Lead Prep [MI] Academy [JUCO])
- WR Javorian Wimberly (medical retirement)
- WR Matteo Carriere (unlisted)
- WR Troy Wertman (unlisted)
- WR Thomas Pannunzio (graduation)
- WR Shatavious Hogan (unlisted)
- WR Javon Gantt (unlisted)
- TE Jesiah Stephens-Silva (unlisted)
- TE Mitchell Collier (unlisted)
- TE Bailey Smith (graduation)
- TE Marcus Young (unlisted)
Arrivals:
- WR Camden Kruisenga (incoming HS recruit)
- WR Nasir Williams (incoming HS recruit)
- WR Miles Shannon (incoming HS recruit)
- WR Josiah Booker (incoming HS recruit)
- WR Trevonte Davis (transfer from D-II Wayne State via FCS Florida A&M)
- WR Braeden Tillman-Jones (transfer from D-II Walsh College [OH])
- WR Tommy McIntosh (transfer from Wisconsin)
- WR Solomon Davis (transfer from FCS Valparaiso)
- TE Gavin Harris (transfer from FCS Howard)
- TE JJ Douglas (incoming HS recruit)
- TE Travis Ambrose (incoming HS recruit)
Returnees:
- WR Chris Parker
- WR Langston Lewis
- WR Jesse Prewitt III
- WR Stephen Bracey Jr.
- WR Evan Boyd
- TE Rory Callahan
- TE Decorion “DC” Temple
- TE Alec Pallela
- TE Nathan VanTimmeren
The good news for the Chippewa passing game is that all four of the most productive wide receivers return to the fold in 2024, which should give whoever wins the quarterback battle some experienced names top lean upon.
Jesse Prewitt III, a transfer from D-II Wayne State [MI] in 2022, was the most steady of the receivers in an offense which was limited by a quarterback rotation, finishing with 31 receptions for 438 yards and four touchdowns over 12 games. Tyson Davis was the team’s most explosive option, with 30 catches for 453 yards and four scores, with an average reception of 15.1 yards. Chris Parker was also industrious considering the general offensive situation, finishing with 22 receptions for 400 yards and three touchdowns.
Stephen Bracey Jr., who transferred in from Wisconsin last season, hopes to make more of an impact in 2024 after collecting 10 receptions for 66 yards. Bracey’s sheer speed and acceleration in the open field make him an intriguing potential puzzle piece, but so far, there haven’t been a lot of opportunities for him on the field. A fellow former Badger also looks to make an impact after transferring in this offseason, as the six-foot-five, 210 lb. Tommy McIntosh gives the receiving corps a big target to play with on the outside in certain formations, something they sorely missed in 2023.
Tight end loses a few contributors in Mitchell Collier (10 rec., 88 yards) and Marcus Young, but the position group is more about blocking in the run and pass games in the grand scheme of things. (After all, only three tight ends caught passes in 2023.) DC Temple will be the favorite to lead the position group going into the season, with Alec Pallela expected to be on the depth chart behind Temple, likely as an H-back. Rising sophomore Gavin Harris (10 rec., 153 yards, two touchdowns in 2023) transfers in from FCS Howard University to compete for reps at the position as well, with his six-foot-three, 245 lb. frame suggesting he’ll see time at move tight end.
Offensive line
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Departures:
- IOL Deiyantei Powell-Woods (graduation)
- OL Aiden DeCourte (unlisted)
- OL Lucas Dailey (unlisted)
- OL Joe Enick (unlisted)
- OG Cade Klimczak (transfer to Montana)
- OT Keegan Smith (transfer to UCF)
- OT Tyler Porte (unlisted)
Arrivals:
- OG Jemiel Jackson (transfer from D-II Fort Valley State)
- OG Luis Alejandro Martinez (transfer from D-II West Liberty University)
- OG Cohen Lantz (incoming HS recruit)
- OT Dane Steckler (incoming HS recruit)
- OT Dasan Smith (incoming HS recruit)
- OT Jacob Saurbeck (incoming HS recruit)
Returnees:
- OT Brayden Swartout
- OC Dominic Serapiglio III
- OT Davis Heinzen
- OG Voshon Bailey
- OT Martin Koivisto
- IOL Ryan Blum
- OG Brady Ploucha
- OG Brady Neu
- OL Matthew Nehf
Along the offensive line, four of the five expected starters return to the fold, with just Deiyantei Powell-Woods departing due to graduation. That’s a positive for Central’s offense, as the unit was responsible for producing a Top 5 offense in the MAC in total yards gained (4,129) even despite the general stop-and-start nature of the unit.
Brayden Swartout and Dominic Serapiglio III are the two starters to watch in terms of talent, especially the six-foot-seven, 305 lb. Swartout, who finished with second-team all-MAC honors in 2023 and has an ongoing 25-straight start streak dating back to his true freshman season. Serapiglio, meanwhile, has been an impact blocker on the interior line since his arrival from FCS Southeastern Louisiana, and should be in line for all-conference honors at season’s end.
The depth of the line, however, is a bit of a concern after suffering some unexpected losses in the offseason. Expected starter Cade Klimczak and key reserve Keegan Smith both transferred out for different opportunities, leaving experience pretty bare in the second and third strings.
To combat this, the staff brought in two Division II transfers in Luis Alejandro Martinez and Jemiel Jackson to shore up the interior depth.
Martinez was a serviceable guard option for West Liberty, with 15 career appearances and 10 career starts in his first two seasons. At six-foot-five, 300 lbs., Martinez has FBS size to hold his own along the interior.
Jackson is an extremely intriguing option as a backup interior option. Jackson’s breakout year was 2023, in his second year as a starter. Jackson finished with first-team all-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors after allowing just one sack in 12 starts. He also played some defensive line in spring scrimmage and practice sessions, notching some sacks. Jackson notched 30 FBS Division I offers before selecting CMU, an indication he was muc-desired as a potential diamond-in-the-rough.
With one guard spot vacant and the other occupied by a senior prospect, Martinez and Jackson could use their experience to set themselves up to move into those spots in the near future.
Incumbent prospects Ryan Blum, Brady Neu and Brady Ploucha could also compete for those spots after being reserves at the spots in 2023.