2024 Central Michigan
4–8 (2–6 Mid-American Conference), coached by Jim McElwain. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Central Connecticut 66–10Aug 29
By 56 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Ball State 37–34Sep 21
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29 | vs Central Connecticut | W 66–10 | 85% |
| Sep 7 | vs Florida International | L 16–52 | 66% |
| Sep 14 | at Illinois | L 9–30 | 27% |
| Sep 21 | vs Ball State | W 37–34 | 51% |
| Sep 28 | vs San Diego State | W 22–21 | 53% |
| Oct 12 | vs Ohio | L 25–27 | 39% |
| Oct 19 | at Eastern Michigan | L 34–38 | 32% |
| Oct 26 | at Miami (OH) | L 7–46 | 21% |
| Nov 5 | vs Bowling Green | L 13–23 | 37% |
| Nov 12 | at Toledo | L 10–37 | 18% |
| Nov 19 | vs Western Michigan | W 16–14 | 45% |
| Nov 30 | at Northern Illinois | L 16–24 | 23% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Northern Illinois 24–16; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 9th in the Mid-American Conference.
In program history: The 44th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 68 on file).
- Record
- 4–8
- Conference
- 2–6 tied for 9th in Mid-American Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 271–356
- Coach
- Jim McElwain
- Elo
- 1340 −93 this season
- SP+ rating
- -15.8 No. 120 of 134; offense No. 122, defense No. 115, special teams No. 42
- SRS
- −13.1 No. 122 of 134 in FBS
- Returning
- 52% of last season’s EPA, No. 57 of 133
- Recruiting class
- No. 106 roster talent No. 117 in FBS
- Defensive coordinator
- Robb Akey
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.04 | 39% | 1.20 | 102nd of 134 |
| Defense | 0.18 | 39% | 1.45 | 99th of 134 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.03 off 0.20 def | 37% off 42% def | — | 115th off 115th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.8 | own 27 | 20% allowed |
| Defense | 3.6 | own 33 | 18% caused |
CORE rating -16.8, 118th of 134 (offense -7.1, defense 9.8).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Joey Labas QB | 1,114 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Joey Labas QB | 7 TD |
| Rushing yards | Marion Lukes RB | 788 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Marion Lukes RB | 5 TD |
| Receiving yards | Chris Parker WR | 360 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Chris Parker WR | 3 TD |
| Tackles | Jordan Kwiatkowski LB | 97 tkl |
| Sacks | Jason Williams DL | 5.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Aakeem Snell DB | 1 INT |
Top recruits in the 2024 class
| Bryce Rowe CB | ★★★ | No. 1541 |
| Josiah Booker WR | ★★★ | No. 1794 |
| Travis Ambrose TE | ★★★ | No. 2049 |
| Tysen Campbell S | ★★★ | No. 2114 |
| Brock Townsend RB | ★★★ | No. 2157 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2024 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 2 | 3.0 | 0.818 |
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.833 |
| Receivers | 4 | 3.0 | 0.829 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 2.7 | 0.790 |
| Defensive line | 1 | 2.0 | 0.789 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.798 |
| Defensive backs | 3 | 3.0 | 0.832 |
| Athletes and specialists | 2 | 3.0 | 0.821 |
| Whole class | 17 | 2.9 | 0.817 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2025
The 2025 draft| Rd 7 | Donte Kent CB | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Roster 118
The 2024 roster118 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2024 line; 56 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 6
The 2024 portal Nolan Ziegler LB | ★★★ | from  Notre Dame |
 Joey Labas QB | ★★★ | from  Iowa |
 Solomon Davis WR | ★★★ | from  Valparaiso |
| Brenden Deasfernandes CB | ★★★ | from Iowa |
 Tommy McIntosh WR | ★★★ | from  Wisconsin |
 David Chapeau P | from  East Carolina |
Transfers out 16
 Quindario Lee DL | ★★★ | to  Houston |
| Kyle Moretti LB | ★★★ | to  San Diego State |
| Trey Jones S | ★★★ | to  Texas A&M |
| Jase Bauer QB | ★★★ | to  Sam Houston |
| Keegan Smith OL | ★★★ | to  UCF |
| Jarvarius Sims CB | ★★★ | to  UConn |
| De’Javion Stepney S | ★★★ | to  Marshall |
| Jalen McGaughy WR | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Javon Gantt WR | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| DeAnthony Becton CB | ★★ | no new school on file |
| Fred Stokes DE | ★★ | to  Prairie View A&M |
| Jesiah Stevens-Silva TE | ★★ | no new school on file |
And 4 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2024 Mid-American Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 7–1 | 11–3 | |
| Miami (OH) | 7–1 | 9–5 | |
 Buffalo | 6–2 | 9–4 | |
| Bowling Green | 6–2 | 7–6 | |
| Western Michigan | 5–3 | 6–7 | |
| Northern Illinois | 4–4 | 8–5 | |
| Toledo | 4–4 | 8–5 | |
 Akron | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| Eastern Michigan | 2–6 | 5–7 | |
| Central Michigan | 2–6 | 4–8 | |
| Ball State | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
 Kent State | 0–8 | 0–12 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.