Enos: Whoever wins CMU QB job will be given a 'very good opportunity to keep it'
With the Central Michigan football team on the heels of a three-player position battle at quarterback heading into preseason camp next week, development and patience from the coaching staff will prove to be key for the winner.
Head coach Dan Enos addressed those issues on Thursday during an appearance on "Crunch Time" with Jared Sandler on ESPN Radio 100.9-FM in Midland, saying the decision of who starts at quarterback early in the season will be made on a "case-by-case basis."
"Who the second guy is and how close that race is," Enos said of the factors. "For the guy that wins it, I’d like to give him the job and let himself play into it a little bit. I don’t want to be the guy over there with a short hook and having a guy having to play while looking over his shoulder the whole time.
"I’ve played that position since I was in the fifth grade and coached it for many years. I know people don’t like to perform under those circumstances."
Enos has said publicly that junior Cody Kater, sophomore Alex Niznak and redshirt freshman Cooper Rush will each be given equal opportunity in camp to win the starting job. Kater served as the backup to starter Ryan Radcliff last season, but he saw limited playing time in an offense that heavily relied on Radcliff's arm early in the season. Niznak, while available, did not see the field, and Rush was redshirted.
Players are scheduled to report to camp on Sunday.
COLUMN: Could redshirt freshman QB Cooper Rush be 'the guy'?
Enos told ESPN Radio that if the named starter struggles in CMU's Aug. 31 season opener at Michigan, the coaching staff will sit down and analyze why. Was he not getting enough protection from the line? Did receivers drop passes? Did they not get open?
Or, did they just struggle?
"We have to do what's best for our team to win," Enos said. "It'll be a game-by-game deal as far as if a guy’s struggling, we have to figure out why he’s struggling. ... Right now, the way we’re going into it is if whoever wins the job will be given a very good opportunity to keep it and play the position."
CMU players in the NFL
Enos says he remains in contact with former Central Michigan offensive tackle Eric Fisher, the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Fisher recently signed a five-year, $22 million contract that includes a $14 million signing bonus.
"We’ve texted, and he texts messages with our offensive line coach (Mike Cummings)," Enos told ESPN Radio. "I know he’s just real excited to get to camp and get participating. He’s a real old-school guy young man, and he loves football. I know the money’s very important to him, and it’ll be great for him and his family and help them for the rest of his life, but he wanted to get in camp and prove to everybody that he should be the first pick."
In addition to Fisher, undrafted free agents Jahleel Addae (San Diego), Darren Keyton (Detroit) and Cody Wilson (Detroit) continue to earn roster spots in the NFL. Enos said some of the CMU coaching staff plan to attend Lions training camp Friday in Allen Park.
"I’ve had conversations with all of them and text messaged with them about a week or so ago before starting camp," Enos said. "I can’t say enough good things about them accomplishing their careers. They’ll certainly be missed. Hopefully, we can start doing this every year and have three or four guys into camps off our team, and if we can continue to do that, that means we’ll have success here at CMU.”
And what did Enos do with his time off?
Count Dan Enos as a blues man.
For college football, the summer months are a quiet period. Coaches aren't allowed to recruit and cannot hold organized team practices, giving them a little bit of -- gasp -- free time. And Enos took advantage of it in July.
He told ESPN Radio he was able to visit with the in-laws in southern Illinois, escaped with his wife to the Traverse City Blues Festival to watch Kenny Wayne Shepherd in-concert and visited Grand Haven.
"It's been good, we try and make sure all our coaches and players get time with their families," Enos said. "But you know, there’s a lot of excitement – our coaches came back early, I see them in the office, and everybody’s chomping at the bit to get started. Some of (the players) have been saying they’re having trouble sleeping at night because they’re so excited about camp starting. We’ve had a little time off, but we’re ready to get started and excited about our football team."
To listen to Enos' full interview with ESPN Radio 100.9 FM, click here.
Contact Aaron McMann: aaron.mcmann@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @AaronMcMann. Follow @CMLIFE_football, too.
