Central Michigan football: Four storylines and questions heading into fall practice
Fall football practice is finally underway, and this year's Central Michigan football team faces a multitude of questions after a 1-11 season under former coach John Bonamego in 2018.
The first official team event of the 2019 campaign is Thursday, Aug. 1, as the Chippewas begin preparations for the season opener Aug. 29 against Division I FCS Albany at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
The first true practice takes place Saturday.
But with a new year comes a whole lot of questions, especially for a team that was only able to defeat FCS Maine, lost every game against FBS opponents, did not win a single Mid-American Conference battle, missed a bowl game and, of course, fired the head coach.
Here are four key topics leading into fall camp.
1.) Can McElwain find success early?
When McElwain took the job at Florida in 2015, he inherited a team coming out of a tumultuous era under Will Muschamp, which included a loss to Georgia Southern at home in 2013.
Fans and analysts questioned whether that Gator team was going to be successful, or even make a bowl game in 2015.
It won the East Division in the Southeastern Conference, finished 10-4 (7-1) and was ranked No. 25 overall. McElwain was named SEC Coach of the Year.
McElwain has shown that he can win taking over a program that was struggling. The Chippewas had their worst season to date in 2018 and look to right the ship in 2019 under the nationally-recognized coach.
2.) Is Quinten Dormady "the guy?"
Dormady is a graduate transfer quarterback from Houston, and he spent time at Tennessee as the starter.
While nothing has been confirmed, Dormady has been seen taking leadership roles off the field as much as on.
Dormady took the lead of a group during the CMU Football Family Day heading into the April 13 spring practice. He was then seen greeting Special Olympians at the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics Summer Games in Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Those examples may not be related to the game, but the leadership that he shows helps his case. As for the on-field action, Dormady showed his talent throughout the spring season and stood out to teammates and coaches under center.
3.) The coaching carousel of assistants
Over the offseason, McElwain was a busy man trying to find his position coaches.
All but one member of Bonamego's coaching staff was replaced by McElwain and with the overhaul, approach and mindset will be changed, too.
With former Akron and NFL signal caller Charlie Frye leading the offense and former NFL assistant coach Robb Akey calling the shots defensively, the 2019 Chippewas will likely feature plenty of action and energy on both sides of the ball.
However, the question will be whether the entire coaching staff will be able to gel together.
During the spring season, Eipper said that the transition was invigorating and the coaches were pushing for everyone to be leaders.
"I think that everybody should be able to lead in their respective ways," Eipper said. "So if a redshirt freshman needs to lead a freshman, that's what he has to do because that freshman is going to look up to him."
4.) How will CMU replace (or reload) NFL caliber secondary?
Cornerbacks Sean Bunting and Xavier Crawford were lost to the 2019 NFL Draft in April, meaning that the Chippewas will need to find replacements.
Sophomores Darius Bracy and Brandon Brown will be the main guys to take on the cornerback duties. Bracy played in the rotation to allow Crawford and Bunting to catch a break when necessary.
Fellow sophomore Dishon McNary could be part of a three-man rotation to help alleviate pressure on the two main starters.
