On the Beat: Where former Florida coach Jim McElwain has Central Michigan football
Eric Blum
Here's this week's On The Beat, the Tribune's weekly question-and-answer session with a beat writer who covers Missouri's opponent.
This week's beat writer is Christian Booher, a student at Central Michigan, who covers the Chippewas for Central Michigan Life.
Booher talks about Jim McElwain's successes and failures guiding Central Michigan, who some of the Chippewas standouts are and more below.
The full conversation with Booher can be heard on this week's episode of the Tribune's Mizzou Sports Podcast.
This conversation has also been slightly edited for length and clarity.
Eric Blum: A lot of Mizzou fans remember McElwain from his days coaching Florida. Where do things stand with him leading Central Michigan two years after appearing in the Mid-American Conference Championship?
Christian Booher: "It's really uncertain because at the end of the day, Jim McElwain is Jim McElwain and he showed what he can do in year No. 1. If he's on the hot seat, who else is coming to Mount Pleasant of his caliber? So I wouldn't necessarily put him on the hot seat. I will say that this is a big year because it kind of defines where the program's at. McElwain, in his first two years, did a really good job recruiting. He did a really good job selling this program. ... Interesting enough, McElwain sent home a bunch of the freshmen in 2020 because the MAC originally cancelled at season. So he sent home a bunch of the freshmen. ... You're going to see them traveling to Missouri and in a couple weeks they're going to go down to Baton Rouge and play LSU. It's really interesting because at the end of the day, McElwain, if he wants to continue bringing in these guys, he's got to sell this team with wins. They got a nice new building, the Chippewas Champions Center Facility. And that's going to help with recruiting. But at the end of the day, winning's winning. And so McElwain, if he wants to help his case, he's got to get the team back on the right track. He's got to get him back to .500, above .500 and he's got to get them back in the MAC title game."
EB: McElwain said earlier this week that he anticipates multiple quarterbacks playing against Missouri. I'm not sure I buy that, but what's your read on the quarterback situation?
CB: "McElwain's a former quarterback himself and he's kind of bought into that strategy that's going on today where if you don't name a quarterback heading into the game, it's kind of a strategic advantage, which I understand, because these guys on Central Michigan's roster have very different distinct skill sets. The way I see it, it's between three guys. Jacob Sirmon, a Washington transfer from the 2018 recruiting class. Sirmon spent three years with the Huskies. He sat behind Jacob Eason, who's now with the Indianapolis Colts for two years and then lost out on a quarterback battle. ... From all indications, Sirmon's got a very good arm and that fits well with what Central Michigan wants to do. ... They want to stretch the field. They want to throw the ball deep. They want to set themselves up comfortably so that in the second half, they can pound the run game. Sirmon and his skill set fits well with that. However, the mobility with him is a little bit of a concern. That brings me to Daniel Richardson. Daniel Richardson's a redshirt freshman, his third year on campus. ... Richardson was the guy last season for the first four games and Richardson showed some promise. The arm talent is unquestionably there. He can throw the ball with the best of them. His problem is his size. He's only 5-foot-10. And that caused some trouble. ... There's also a little bit of a durability concern. He missed the last two games a high-ankle sprain. Just questions about whether or not he can withstand the rigors that come with battling in the MAC. My third candidate for this quarterback job is Tyler Pape ... a guy who redshirted in 2020. Asking McElwain about it, he says he wishes he never would have sent him home. I think if Pape was on campus for 2020, he could be a guy who could very well win this job. All indications out of fall camp have been nothing but good things about Tyler at 6-foot-4, really good arm and he has the mobility as well. And I think that's something McElwain likes. He likes guys who can get things done with their feet. He said the biggest thing in his press conference with his quarterback and he wants a guy that can move the field on their own. ... I still think this is Sirmon's job to lose."
EB: Outside of the quarterbacks, who are some of Central Michigan's players that MU fans should familiarize themselves with?
CB: "(Wide receiver) Kalil Pimpleton is going to be all over the field. He's going to be in the slot out wide. He's going to be in the back and he's going to be the quarterback. He's going to be the punt returner. That's the name that you're going to need to familiarize yourself with, coming from Virginia Tech in the transfer portal. He's just a heck of a player and can play with the best of them. Outside of him on the offensive side, (running back) Lew Nichols at running back. ... Nichols is a guy who's the co-MAC Freshman of the Year last year, really impressive season and that six-game slate. He's another guy who's in his third year on campus, but it's still just a redshirt freshman thanks to the new rules. There's a lot of guys who are kind of on the verge of breaking out. ... On the defensive side, look out for (defensive end) Troy Hairston. I think he's a fifth-year, might be a sixth-year senior. A former walk-on, was the MAC Defensive Player of the Year last year. Just a beast off the edge. You look at him, he's not going to blow you away with his measurables. I think he stands 5-foot-11. He's not going to wow anybody with his size. But that guy's got the heart and he comes off that edge with a purpose."
EB: Who do you think wins this game and what's your final score prediction?
CB: "I think the Chippewas are going to battle a little bit to start. I think that the offense can hang with Missouri for maybe a half, maybe they make it interesting and go three quarters. But at the end of the day, I just don't think they've got enough. And I think that there's still a lot of question marks. And for that reason, I think the Chippewas lose. I've got Missouri 38, CMU 24."
You can follow Booher on Twitter @CBooher_.
Contact Eric Blum at eblum@columbiatribune.com. Follow @ByEricBlum on Twitter.
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