MONTAGUE — Even after an injury robbed Isaiah Atchison of most of his junior season at Montague, and even after a run-heavy offense kept him from putting up a flashy stat line, you can’t teach his height (6-8) and athleticism. Those qualities earned him an offer from Central Michigan University, which he immediately accepted after it was made last year. He made it official Wednesday, signing with the program.
Atchison told WZZM-13 that he will ‘grayshirt’ at CMU, a practice where prospects do not enroll until the second semester of their freshman year; it’s commonly used to allow college football teams to stay under the NCAA’s 85-scholarship limit. The extra time should allow Atchison to get bigger and stronger in preparation for the added grind of major college football.
Atchison said CMU immediately made him feel like part of the team during the recruiting process, especially when he attended one of the Chippewas’ camps, making it an easy choice for him to accept their offer.
“For me, I like that bonding,” Atchison said. “So the one-on-one texting that we have been doing forever now (is great). At the camp, (Coach McElwain)...was just with me and went to go find a quarterback and (they were) working with me, by myself. It felt awesome.”
Camps were the best way to get Atchison recruiting attention after he missed most of his junior season with a leg injury. Coach Justin Dennett said he “hopefully” helped by getting the word out about Atchison, but said CMU and his wideout’s mutual interest was clear very early in the process.
“He knew right away that if he got an offer from them, that’s where he wanted to go,” Dennett said. “That’s pretty cool, that he knew going into it that that was where he wanted to end up and it worked out. I’m really happy for him.”
Dennett credited Atchison with being a good teammate despite being in a run-heavy Wildcat offense that completed only 67 passes in 10 games. Atchison had 12 of those catches, second on the team, and scored three touchdowns. He also did well blocking as a receiver.
“Whatever we asked of him, he could do,” Dennett said. “That’s what I learned about him, is that he’s a team player. He was bought into the team. There were moments that he showed his true potential and I think that’s what we’re going to see at the next level.”
Atchison said he’s looking forward to improving both as a person and on the gridiron in Mount Pleasant and thinks the added competition for snaps will bring out the best in him.
“I feel like that will make me grow and just be a better me,” Atchison said.
