Central Michigan University Athletics
Bernhard Raimann (76) is in his second season as CMU's starting left tackle after moving from tight end.
Photo by: Steve Jessmore
Cohesiveness Critical For Offensive Line Production
8/13/2021 1:11:00 PM | Football
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The run-pass option, the wishbone, the fullhouse, the run-and-shoot, the double-wing pitch, the dive option.
All were the offense du jour at one time or another. All had their day in the sun.
But no matter what a football team does with the ball, if a play has no blocking, it's dead in the water.
Central Michigan's offensive line in 2021 is intriguing; there are plenty of promising parts along with experience. Meshing it and getting the most out of it is crucial to how good the Chippewas could be.
CMU returns a veteran at center -- "The root of the tree," as line coach Mike Cummings calls the position – in junior Jamezz Kimbrough. The tackles are a pair of converted junior tight ends, Luke Goedeke and Bernhard Raimann, both of whom could be among the best at their position in the Mid-American Conference.
The guards are sophomores Danny Motowski and Tyden Ferris, both of whom made four starts a year ago.
While there is plenty of experience up front, all five have never started a game as one unit. Cohesiveness is always a priority with the offensive line and that will come with experience, beginning with the Sept. 4 season opener at Missouri.
"I think it's going to take everyone just trusting each other because most of us haven't played together -- all five of us collectively," Goedeke said.
The rest of the equation? The seeds have been planted.
"It really starts and goes back to (Director of Strength and Conditioning) Joel Welsh in the weight room," Cummings said. "He kinds of builds that team throughout the summer and gets that mentality and then we carry it forward with the techniques and we start with really the base fundamentals on this, which is pad level, your eyes, finish and obviously you've got to be a tough guy or you're not going to make it."
While Kimbrough is a steadying force over the ball, Goedeke and Raimann are perhaps the most intriguing stories among the up-front starters.
Goedeke started all 14 games in 2019 and then missed the 2020 season and 2021 spring practice with a knee injury.
It's not the first time the 6-foot-5, 310-pound Wisconsin native has dealt with and overcome health issues.
He played his entire senior year at Valders High School with a shoulder injury and had no plans to play college football as he was set to enroll at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, a Division III school.
"I wasn't interested in playing football after high school just because I played my senior year injured and I kind of lost the love for the game," he said. "I was going to Stevens Point for chemical engineering and with a month left in the summer it literally clicked one day. I was like, 'Why would I just quit? I've come this far. Why don't I just play football and see how far it gets me because it was my dream growing up to play in the NFL.'
"It was kind of one of those dreams that you have as a little kid and you don't think it'll ever happen. And here I have an opportunity."
Goedeke caught 12 passes for 132 yards during his freshman season, 2017, at Stevens Point. Having been recruited by CMU while he was in high school, he had nothing to lose in contacting the Chippewas about possibly transferring. Three days later, he was in Mount Pleasant and received a scholarship offer. He was on the roster heading into the 2018 season.
It was during a 2018 talk with tight ends coach Tavita Thompson that Goedeke made the decision to switch to tackle.
"The end goal is always to get to the next level; I don't want to just stop here," Goedeke said. "So I was like, 'What would be the best for me to do?'"
Raimann, a native of Austria, is still improving by leaps and bounds. His football experience was limited when he came to the United States and enrolled at Delton Kellogg High School – staying with Ferris and his family – as a foreign exchange student.
With a 6-foot-7 frame and obvious athleticism, Raimann drew the attention of college coaches. It also helped that Ferris' father, Rollie, had played at CMU from 1995-97 and maintained ties to the football program.
Raimann made 20 catches for 164 yards during his first two years at CMU and then made the transition to tackle heading into 2020.
His days catching passes were behind him, but the move clearly raised his pro stock.
"My first reaction, I wasn't super excited," he said about the move. "But after the first practice I ended up loving it. And I've just enjoyed it so much I haven't regretted my decision.
"The most difficult part was really trusting the technique and (doing) whatever coach tells me to do. Sometimes, especially in the beginning, I didn't feel comfortable, it didn't feel smooth. It felt unnatural in certain movement but then being able to push through that and see that those techniques or those little wrinkles actually worked (and) helped a lot. Now it's just part of a daily routine and it's become second nature and I'm more comfortable with it."
Raimann is now getting accolades for his pro potential. He was named to Bruce Feldman's annual list of 101 freak athletes, which has become a point of pride in the college game and, to some degree, a predictor of which players will be drafted or invited to NFL training camps.
"Obviously it's a great honor to be on a list like that and to get the attention, but at the end of the day it doesn't change anything in what I'm doing in how I'm preparing for the next game or how I'm practicing today," Raimann said. "I'm here to win some football games. It's exciting to hear those things, but I'm trying to stay away from it as much as possible."
All were the offense du jour at one time or another. All had their day in the sun.
But no matter what a football team does with the ball, if a play has no blocking, it's dead in the water.
Central Michigan's offensive line in 2021 is intriguing; there are plenty of promising parts along with experience. Meshing it and getting the most out of it is crucial to how good the Chippewas could be.
CMU returns a veteran at center -- "The root of the tree," as line coach Mike Cummings calls the position – in junior Jamezz Kimbrough. The tackles are a pair of converted junior tight ends, Luke Goedeke and Bernhard Raimann, both of whom could be among the best at their position in the Mid-American Conference.
The guards are sophomores Danny Motowski and Tyden Ferris, both of whom made four starts a year ago.
While there is plenty of experience up front, all five have never started a game as one unit. Cohesiveness is always a priority with the offensive line and that will come with experience, beginning with the Sept. 4 season opener at Missouri.
"I think it's going to take everyone just trusting each other because most of us haven't played together -- all five of us collectively," Goedeke said.
The rest of the equation? The seeds have been planted.
"It really starts and goes back to (Director of Strength and Conditioning) Joel Welsh in the weight room," Cummings said. "He kinds of builds that team throughout the summer and gets that mentality and then we carry it forward with the techniques and we start with really the base fundamentals on this, which is pad level, your eyes, finish and obviously you've got to be a tough guy or you're not going to make it."
While Kimbrough is a steadying force over the ball, Goedeke and Raimann are perhaps the most intriguing stories among the up-front starters.
Goedeke started all 14 games in 2019 and then missed the 2020 season and 2021 spring practice with a knee injury.
It's not the first time the 6-foot-5, 310-pound Wisconsin native has dealt with and overcome health issues.
He played his entire senior year at Valders High School with a shoulder injury and had no plans to play college football as he was set to enroll at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, a Division III school.
"I wasn't interested in playing football after high school just because I played my senior year injured and I kind of lost the love for the game," he said. "I was going to Stevens Point for chemical engineering and with a month left in the summer it literally clicked one day. I was like, 'Why would I just quit? I've come this far. Why don't I just play football and see how far it gets me because it was my dream growing up to play in the NFL.'
"It was kind of one of those dreams that you have as a little kid and you don't think it'll ever happen. And here I have an opportunity."
Goedeke caught 12 passes for 132 yards during his freshman season, 2017, at Stevens Point. Having been recruited by CMU while he was in high school, he had nothing to lose in contacting the Chippewas about possibly transferring. Three days later, he was in Mount Pleasant and received a scholarship offer. He was on the roster heading into the 2018 season.
It was during a 2018 talk with tight ends coach Tavita Thompson that Goedeke made the decision to switch to tackle.
"The end goal is always to get to the next level; I don't want to just stop here," Goedeke said. "So I was like, 'What would be the best for me to do?'"
Raimann, a native of Austria, is still improving by leaps and bounds. His football experience was limited when he came to the United States and enrolled at Delton Kellogg High School – staying with Ferris and his family – as a foreign exchange student.
With a 6-foot-7 frame and obvious athleticism, Raimann drew the attention of college coaches. It also helped that Ferris' father, Rollie, had played at CMU from 1995-97 and maintained ties to the football program.
Raimann made 20 catches for 164 yards during his first two years at CMU and then made the transition to tackle heading into 2020.
His days catching passes were behind him, but the move clearly raised his pro stock.
"My first reaction, I wasn't super excited," he said about the move. "But after the first practice I ended up loving it. And I've just enjoyed it so much I haven't regretted my decision.
"The most difficult part was really trusting the technique and (doing) whatever coach tells me to do. Sometimes, especially in the beginning, I didn't feel comfortable, it didn't feel smooth. It felt unnatural in certain movement but then being able to push through that and see that those techniques or those little wrinkles actually worked (and) helped a lot. Now it's just part of a daily routine and it's become second nature and I'm more comfortable with it."
Raimann is now getting accolades for his pro potential. He was named to Bruce Feldman's annual list of 101 freak athletes, which has become a point of pride in the college game and, to some degree, a predictor of which players will be drafted or invited to NFL training camps.
"Obviously it's a great honor to be on a list like that and to get the attention, but at the end of the day it doesn't change anything in what I'm doing in how I'm preparing for the next game or how I'm practicing today," Raimann said. "I'm here to win some football games. It's exciting to hear those things, but I'm trying to stay away from it as much as possible."
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