EIU Bolsters Football Roster With Six Players

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois football has bolstered its football roster as head coach Kim Dameron has announced the addition of six players that joined the Panthers program with the start of spring classes on the EIU campus.  Coming to EIU are four FBS transfers – Devin Church (RB, Illinois), Mitch Kimball (QB, Syracuse), Korliss Marshall (RB, Arkansas) and Jarvis Williams (DL, Troy); one junior college transfer – Cal Ibanez (OL, Fullerton CC); and one early enrollment high school player – Corey Patterson (WR, Christian Brothers HS, St. Louis, Mo.).
 
Devin Church (5-8, 190, R-Jr., RB, Detroit, Mich./Brother Rice HS/Univ. of Illinois) – Church was a three year member of the Illinois football team...  last season he played in 11 games with a start in the win over Minnesota…  he had a season high ten yards rushing against Wisconsin and 24 yards receiving against Washington...  as a redshirt freshman he played in 10 games with 44 yards rushing including six carries for 34 yards against Ohio… he had first career touchdown against Ohio… redshirted 2012 season due to injury… played at Brother Rice HS in Detroit where he was ranked the No. 22 overall prospect in the state of Michigan by Rivals.com… rushed for a school-record 2,191 yards in 2011 including 938 yards in five playoff games… led team to MHSAA Division 2 state title rushing for 244 yards and three touchdowns in championship game…
 
Mitch Kimball (6-3, 195, R-So., QB, Jerserville, Ill./Jerserville HS/Syracuse Univ.) – Kimball was a two-year member of the Syracuse football team… last season played in three games with significant time against Duke… in the Duke game was 6-of-13 passing while rushing for 42 yards and one touchdown… redshirted his freshman season in 2013… played at Jerseyville HS where he was the Alton Telegraph Large Schools Player of the Year… named All-State by IFCA as a senior… passed for 1,427 yards and ten touchdowns completing 121-of-192 passes as a senior… rushed for an additional 957 yards and 15 touchdowns…
 
Korliss Marshall (6-0, 205, Jr., RB, Osceola, Ark./Osceola HS/Univ. of Arkansas) – Marshall was a two-year member of the Arkansas football team… last season he rushed for 119 yards and one touchdown with a season high 45 yards in the season opener against Auburn… had 40 yards on six rushes with a touchdown against Northern Illinois… season high four receptions for 19 yards in upset win over LSU… had nine kickoff returns for 271 yards including a 97-yard kickoff return for touchdown against NIU… as a freshman played in eight games with 586 all-purpose yards… had 422 kickoff return yards for the season with a high of 87 yards against Auburn… had first career start against Mississippi State rushing for 35 yards with two kickoff returns for 63 yards… against LSU rushed for a season high 45 yards with 57 yards on kick returns… played at Osceola HS rushing for more than 4,100 yards and 60 touchdowns during three seasons… rated the No. 6 overall prospect in the state of Arkansas by Rivals.com…. rushed for 1,711 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior helping team advance to second round of Class 3A state playoffs… had 1,421 yards and 22 touchdowns as a junior as the team played in the Class 4A playoffs.
 
Jarvis Williams (6-1, 245, R-Jr., DL, Greer, S.C./Byrnes HS/Troy Univ.) – Williams redshirted during the fall of 2014 at Troy… prior to that he played at Antelope Valley College where he earned Southern California Football Association All-Pacific Coast First Team honors… had 45 tackles (23 solo), four sacks, 13 tackles for loss and a forced fumble as a sophomore… during freshman year at AVC made 22 tackles with one sack and three tackles for loss… played at Byrnes HS where he helped the team win back-to-back South Carolina 4A Division I state titles… earned second team All-Area as a senior after making 91 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and six sacks…
 
Cal Ibanez (6-4, 3188, R-Jr., OL, Miami, Fla./Ferguson HS/Fullerton College) – Ibanez played two seasons at Fullerton College helping the team reach the California Junior College State Championship game as a sophomore… helped team win California Southern Division Championship… earned first team All-Conference honors… played at Ferguson HS in Miami… as a senior was selected to play in the Dade-Broward County All-Star Game.
 
Corey Patterson (5-11, 180, Fr., WR, St. Louis, Mo./Christian Brothers HS) – Early college enrollee after playing high school football at Christian Brothers HS in St. Louis… as a senior helped team advance to the Missouri Class 6A State Championship game… team posted an 11-1 record during senior season… had 39 receptions for 434 yards… rushed seven times for 53 yard.