Central Michigan University Athletics
Center Jamezz Kimbrough leads a strong CMU offensive line into 2022.
Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw
Football 2022: 'Bubs' Look To Continue The Tradition
8/16/2022 8:54:00 AM | Football
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – New position, two big holes to fill, but the same attitude, the same tradition, the same expectations.
The 2022 Central Michigan football team is no different than any other in the country: It will be only as strong as its offensive line.
That's a truism as old as the game itself and it is ingrained in CMU's men up front, the latest version of the often-anonymous position group affectionately known as 'the bubs.'
"It's a level," junior guard Tyden Ferris said, "that we put on ourselves at, that we're going to be the best, we're going to make each other the best.
"It's kind of like a creed among (us) to make sure there's no one outworking us, outsmarting us. We're going to be the unit that everyone can count on, we're going to be consistent every single day and we're never going to lack, we're always going to excel."
The line comes under new leadership in 2022 with the arrival of William Vlachos, a three-year starter at Alabama from 2009-11. Vlachos, 34, joined coach Jim McElwain's staff in the offseason after two seasons as an assistant at Colorado.
Vlachos said CMU's well-documented tradition of strong offensive lines, and his longstanding relationship with McElwain, were major factors in landing in Mount Pleasant.
"I know what kind of person coach Mac is, know what kind of coach he is, I know what kind of culture his football teams are going to have," said Vlachos, whose resumé includes four national championships two as a player and then two more as an assistant at Alabama. "And I know the history of Central Michigan too. There's a very strong offensive line tradition and the longer that I've been here the more versed I've become in that."
Ferris is one of three returning starters on the line. Junior guard Deiyantei Powell-Woods and senior center Jamezz Kimbrough are the others.
Kimbrough has started 19 consecutive games at center and has appeared in more than 30 games in his career.
"Jamezz Kimbrough, he's the train conductor if you will," Vlachos said. "He's played a lot of football; (he's) really sharp, savvy, experienced football player, and a great leader.
"Jamezz may be as good a leader as I've ever been around on any team I've been on, coached, been a part of, whatever. He's the real deal when it comes to that.
"I think Jamezz has a rare ability to connect with people, to connect with all different types of people in the locker room. He's very special in that regard in addition to being a special football player. He's a tremendous crutch for me. Can't say enough good things about the guy."
The Chippewas face the daunting task of replacing a pair of standout tackles in Luke Goedeke and Bernhard Raimann, the latest in a long line of 'bubs' to go from Kelly/Shorts Stadium to the NFL. Goedeke was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the April NFL Draft, while Raimann went to the Indianapolis Colts in the third.
"I know that we lost both Luke and Bernhard and they're both amazing players, but I think we've replaced them really well," Ferris said. "The guys that we've got coming back this year … We've got a great bond. I feel like we're going to be as strong as ever."
Sophomore Brayden Swartout and Powell-Woods started at the tackle spots when Goedeke and Raimann opted out of the Chippewas' 24-21 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl victory over Washington State on New Year's Eve.
Regardless of personnel, the Chippewa linemen are fully aware of the expectations, both past and present, placed upon them. CMU returns the nation's leading rusher in Lew Nichols III, a battering ram who touched the ball some 350 times a year ago.
"I've been around some really talented running backs," Vlachos said. "I've played with some Heisman Trophy guys, been on coaching staffs where Derrick Henry won the Heisman Trophy.
"So I've kind of seen what really good lines with really good running backs look like. I don't think we're lacking in either department here. I think we're trending in the right direction, but you never know until game day."
The 2022 Central Michigan football team is no different than any other in the country: It will be only as strong as its offensive line.
That's a truism as old as the game itself and it is ingrained in CMU's men up front, the latest version of the often-anonymous position group affectionately known as 'the bubs.'
"It's a level," junior guard Tyden Ferris said, "that we put on ourselves at, that we're going to be the best, we're going to make each other the best.
"It's kind of like a creed among (us) to make sure there's no one outworking us, outsmarting us. We're going to be the unit that everyone can count on, we're going to be consistent every single day and we're never going to lack, we're always going to excel."
The line comes under new leadership in 2022 with the arrival of William Vlachos, a three-year starter at Alabama from 2009-11. Vlachos, 34, joined coach Jim McElwain's staff in the offseason after two seasons as an assistant at Colorado.
Vlachos said CMU's well-documented tradition of strong offensive lines, and his longstanding relationship with McElwain, were major factors in landing in Mount Pleasant.
"I know what kind of person coach Mac is, know what kind of coach he is, I know what kind of culture his football teams are going to have," said Vlachos, whose resumé includes four national championships two as a player and then two more as an assistant at Alabama. "And I know the history of Central Michigan too. There's a very strong offensive line tradition and the longer that I've been here the more versed I've become in that."
Ferris is one of three returning starters on the line. Junior guard Deiyantei Powell-Woods and senior center Jamezz Kimbrough are the others.
Kimbrough has started 19 consecutive games at center and has appeared in more than 30 games in his career.
"Jamezz Kimbrough, he's the train conductor if you will," Vlachos said. "He's played a lot of football; (he's) really sharp, savvy, experienced football player, and a great leader.
"Jamezz may be as good a leader as I've ever been around on any team I've been on, coached, been a part of, whatever. He's the real deal when it comes to that.
"I think Jamezz has a rare ability to connect with people, to connect with all different types of people in the locker room. He's very special in that regard in addition to being a special football player. He's a tremendous crutch for me. Can't say enough good things about the guy."
The Chippewas face the daunting task of replacing a pair of standout tackles in Luke Goedeke and Bernhard Raimann, the latest in a long line of 'bubs' to go from Kelly/Shorts Stadium to the NFL. Goedeke was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the April NFL Draft, while Raimann went to the Indianapolis Colts in the third.
"I know that we lost both Luke and Bernhard and they're both amazing players, but I think we've replaced them really well," Ferris said. "The guys that we've got coming back this year … We've got a great bond. I feel like we're going to be as strong as ever."
Sophomore Brayden Swartout and Powell-Woods started at the tackle spots when Goedeke and Raimann opted out of the Chippewas' 24-21 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl victory over Washington State on New Year's Eve.
Regardless of personnel, the Chippewa linemen are fully aware of the expectations, both past and present, placed upon them. CMU returns the nation's leading rusher in Lew Nichols III, a battering ram who touched the ball some 350 times a year ago.
"I've been around some really talented running backs," Vlachos said. "I've played with some Heisman Trophy guys, been on coaching staffs where Derrick Henry won the Heisman Trophy.
"So I've kind of seen what really good lines with really good running backs look like. I don't think we're lacking in either department here. I think we're trending in the right direction, but you never know until game day."
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