EIU Adds 23 New Players To Football Family

Eastern Illinois football added 23 new players to the Panthers football family on Wednesday during the first day of the December signing period.  This marks the third recruiting class that head coach Adam Cushing and his staff has signed for the Panthers as he is in his second season as the Panthers head coach.  Like some of the players that will continue their careers with EIU next fall, the Panthers did not play during the fall of 2020 due to COVID-19.  EIU will play a seven game Ohio Valley Conference schedule in the spring beginning on Feb. 21.

“The staff did an incredible job on putting this class together,” said Cushing. “The day that COVID started to impact this recruiting class, we didn’t flinch, we embraced the mantra of what does this make possible.  The staff remained focused on finding the best players we could for our program athletically, academically and socially.  I can’t say it enough times, the credit goes to the guys on our staff that grinded this out.” 

In the class of incoming players are 20 high school athletes and three transfers (two junior college and one 4-year transfer).  The class has a 3.3 grade point average with 16 of the 23 players named team captain.  The group has helped teams win 25 conference championships, make 48 state playoff appearances and 21 state championship game appearances.  This weekend three of the players will face off against each other in the Kentucky Class 6A state championship game.  In addition the group includes 29 all-conference selections, six all-state selections and 19 of the 23 were multi-sport athletes in high school.   

“In this class we 23 players from several different places including a third of the class from Illinois,” added Cushing. “The point is we are going to go recruit where we have relationships to get the high character players we are looking to add to this program.” 

HIGH SCHOOL ADDITIONS 

NAME                           POSITION                    HT        WT       HOMETOWN                 HIGH SCHOOL

Nick Coates                  Defensive Back             5-10      175       Louisville, Ky.               Male HS

Liam Conaghan             Defensive Line              6-3        240       Glenview, Ill.                  Loyola Academy

Simon France                Offensive Line               6-1        265       Elyria, Ohio                   Elyria HS

Jeremy Gelino               Linebacker                    6-0        220       Lombard, Ill.                  Glenbard South HS

Zachareus Gentry         Defensive Back             6-0        165       Anna, Texas                  Anna HS

Alton Jefferson               Defensive Line              6-0        260       Louisville, Ky.               Trinity HS

Chauncey Lee               Wide Receiver               5-9        175       Bellwood, Ill.                 Immaculate Conception HS

Jason Moore                  Running Back               5-10      190       Chicago, Ill.                   De La Salle Institute

Julian Patino                   Kicker                           5-10      210       Chicago, Ill.                   Chicago Mount Carmel

AJ Pontrelli                     Defensive Line              6-2        205       Lemont, Ill.                    Lemont HS

Kinstin Reaves              Defensive Line              6-0        285       Statesville, NC              Statesville HS

Ethan Roberts               Defensive Line              6-0        290       Lumberton, NC              Saint Paul’s HS

Blake Ruffin                   Safety                           6-4        200       Louisville, Ky.               Trinity HS

AJ Sanders                   Safety                            6-0        185       Pickerington, Ohio         Pickerington Central HS

Matthew Spofford         Athlete                            6-1        200       Painesville, Ohio           Riverside HS                

Elijawah Tolbert             Linebacker                    6-1        225       Country Club Hills, Ill.    Thornton Township HS

Zach Trainor                  Quarterback                  6-1        205       Milford, Mich.                Walled Lake Western HS

Collin Tyson                  Defensive Back             6-0        185       Kansas City, Mo.           Platte County R-3 HS

Jack Valente                 Off. Line / LS                  6-4        250       Batavia, Ill.                    Batavia HS

Sereno Winn                 Defensive Back             6-1        165       Cincinnati, Ohio             Walnut Hills HS

JUNIOR COLLEGE / FOUR YEAR TRANSFERS

NAME                           POSITION                    HT        WT       HOMETOWN                 LAST SCHOOL

Ben Mason                   Offensive Line               6-3        290       Lucas, Texas                 Navarro College 

Michael McNicholas       Offensive Line               6-4        310       Lombard, Ill.                  Kent State University 

Dakota Kerr                  Offensive Line               6-4        275       Brownstown, Mich.        College of DuPage 

HIGH SCHOOL SIGNEES 

Nick Coates (5-10, 175, Defensive Back, Louisville, Ky./Male HS) – Played football for coach Chris Wolfe at Louisville Male HS . . . named All-Area as a senior helping lead team to Kentucky Class 6A State Championship game . . . as a junior helped lead team to Kentucky State runner-up finish . . . in state championship game finished with six tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack . . . team finished with a 14-1 record and was ranked as high as No. 11 in the USA Today Prep Top 25 poll . . . named All-Area as a junior . . . lettered in track competing in sprints, the long jump and triple jump . . . team captain . . .

Liam Conaghan (6-3, 240, Defensive Line, Glenview, Ill./Loyola Academy) – Played football for coach John Holecek at Loyola Academy in Chicago . . . did not have a fall senior season due to State of Illinois COVID-19 restrictions . . . as a junior earned All-Chicago Catholic League honors and All-Area honors as team posted an 8-4 record advancing to IHSA Class 8A State quarterfinals . . . finished season with 47 tackles, three sacks and one fumble recovery . . . as a sophomore was a member of Loyola Academy team that went 11-3, winning IHSA Class 8A State title . . . team captain . . .

Simon France (6-1, 265, Offensive Line, Elyria, Ohio/Elyria HS) – Played football senior season for coach Devlin Culliver at Elyria HS… played both tackle and center on the offensive line for a team that averaged 22.3 points per game on offense during the season… named All-Greater Cleveland Conference selection as a senior… team captain… 

Jeremy Gelino (6-0, 220, Linebacker, Lombard, Ill./Glenbard South HS) – Played football for coach Ryan Crissey at Glenbard South HS . . . did not have a fall senior season due to State of Illinois COVID-19 restrictions… as a junior was a team captain helping school post a 6-4 record making the IHSA Class 5A state playoffs . . . made 69 tackles with 12 tackles for loss and three sacks . . . earned All-Upstate 8 Conference honors . . . Academic All-State selection as a junior . . .

Zachareus Gentry (6-0, 165, Defensive Back, Anna, Texas/Anna HS) – Played football for coach Jason Heath at Anna HS . . . skilled athlete that played a variety of positions for high school team including quarterback, wide receiver and safety . . . split time at quarterback as part of a three-player attack … on defense registered 42 tackles with four interceptions . . . projected to play defensive back at EIU … also lettered in basketball and track competing in sprints, long jump and triple jump… 

Alton Jefferson (6-0, 260, Defensive Line, Louisville, Ky./Trinity HS) – Played football for coach Bob Beatty at Trinity HS … part of a defensive unit that allowed just six points per game during 2020 season while holding opponents to negative seven rushing yards per game and 74 passing yards per contest … defensive front unit has helped Trinity HS lead state in sacks . . .  named All-Area after helping lead team to Kentucky Class 6A State Championship Game … as a junior helped lead team to Kentucky Class 6A State Championship as team posted a 13-2 record … team captain … 

Chauncey Lee (5-9, 175, Defensive Back, Bellwood, Ill./Immaculate Conception HS) – Played football for coach Bill Krefft at Immaculate Conception HS . . .  did not have a fall senior season due to State of Illinois COVID-19 restrictions . . . played both wide receiver and defensive back . . . as a junior hauled in 39 passes for 622 yards and six touchdowns . . . recorded 61 tackles with six interceptions as a sophomore and junior on defense . . .  projected to play defensive back at EIU . . . helped lead team to IHSA Class 4A State Championship during sophomore season with a 14-0 record while team posted a 10-2 record during junior year advancing to the quarterfinal round of the Class 4A playoffs . . .  also lettered in basketball . . . team captain . . .

Jason Moore (5-10, 190, Running Back, Chicago, Ill./De La Salle Institute) – Played football for coach Michael Boehm at De La Salle Institute in Chicago  . . . did not have a fall senior season due to State of Illinois COVID-19 restrictions . . . earned All-Chicago Catholic League honors as a junior and sophomore . . . during sophomore season helped team post an 8-5 record losing in the Prep Bowl championship game . . . set school record for touchdowns in a season scoring 20 with 13 rushing and seven receiving . . . team captain . . .

Julian Patino (5-10, 210, Kicker, Chicago, Ill./Chicago Mount Carmel HS) – Played football for coach Jordan Lynch at Chicago Mount Carmel HS . . . did not have a fall senior season due to State of Illinois COVID-19 restrictions . . . varsity kicker as a sophomore and junior . . . helped program post a 25-2 record during those seasons including a 14-0 record in 2019 as team won IHSA Class 7A State Championship . . . as a junior was 52-of-55 on extra point attempts with six made field goals . . . also served as team’s punter averaging 31.5 yards per punt . . .  

AJ Pontrelli (6-2, 205, Defensive Line, Lemont, Ill./Lemont HS) – Played football for coach Bret Kooi at Lemont HS . . . did not have a fall senior season due to State of Illinois COVID-19 restrictions . . . second team All-Area as a junior making 77 tackles with 23 tackles for loss and seven sacks . . . helped team post an 8-3 record advancing to the second round of the IHSA Class 6A State playoffs . . . earned second team All-Area as a sophomore finishing season with 19 tackles for loss and six sacks . . . earned All-South Suburban Conference honors . . .  

Kinstin Reaves (6-0, 285, Defensive Line, Statesville, NC/Statesville HS) – Played football for coach Randall Gusler at Statesville HS . . . did not have a fall senior season due to State of North Carolina COVID-19 restrictions . . . selected to play in Blue-Grey Football All-American Bowl for 2020 . . . as a junior named to All-North Piedmont Conference recording 22 tackles for loss . . .  helped lead team to a 12-1 record advancing to North Carolina Class 3A State playoffs second round . . . Ethan Roberts (6-0, 290, Defensive Line, Lumberton, NC/Saint Paul’s HS) – Played football for coach Mike Setzer at Saint Paul’s HS . . . did not have a fall senior season due to State of North Carolina COVID-19 restrictions . . . as a junior finished season with 100 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and four sacks… helped team post an 8-3 record advancing to the North Carolina 2AA State playoffs  . . . earned All-Conference honors . . . team captain . . . 

Blake Ruffin (6-4, 200, Safety, Louisville, Ky./Trinity HS) – Played football for coach Bob Beatty at Trinity HS . . . part of a defensive unit that allowed just six points per game during 2020 season while holding opponents to negative seven rushing yards per game and 74 passing yards per contest . . . named All-Area as a senior after helping lead team to Kentucky Class 6A State Championship game . . . as a junior helped lead team to Kentucky Class 6A State Championship as team posted a 13-2 record . . . team captain . . .

AJ Sanders (6-0, 185, Safety, Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central HS) – Played football for coach ­­­ Jay Sharrett at Pickerington Central HS . . . team captain that helped lead team to 11-1 record and state runner-up finish in the Ohio Division I State Playoffs … earned All-District and All-Ohio Capitol Conference Buckeye Division honors . . . as a senior made 49 tackles . . . during junior season made 53 tackles with one interception returned for touchdown . . . helped team win Ohio Division I State Championship . . . team captain . . . 

Matthew Spofford (6-1, 200, Athlete, Painesville, Ohio/Riverside HS) – Played football for coach Erie Williams at Riverside HS . . . rushed for 318 yards and two touchdowns missing three games . . . added 15 receptions for 129 yards and one touchdown . . . also played safety on defense making 13 tackles with one tackle for loss . . . as a senior helped team post a 6-2 record, team had only won 14 games from 2010-19 seasons . . . team advanced to the third round of the Ohio Division II Region 5 playoffs . . .

Elijawah Tolbert (6-1, 225, Linebacker, Country Club Hills, Ill./Thornton Township HS) – Played football for coach Dontrell Jackson at Thornton Township HS… did not have a fall senior season due to State of Illinois COVID019 restrictions… as a junior helped team post an 8-3 record advancing to the second round of the IHSA Class 7A State playoffs … played linebacker and wide receiver … earned second team All-Area honors and first team All-Southland Athletic Conference honors… finished season with 122 tackles including 15 tackles for loss and nine sacks … will play spring 2021 football in Illinois at Hillcrest HS . . .

Zach Trainor (6-1, 205, Quarterback, Milford, Mich./Walled Lake Western HS) – Played football for coach Michael Weiskopf at Walled Lake Western HS… named a Michigan Mr. Football candidate as a senior breaking school record for career passing yards . . . as a senior passed for 2,212 yards with 19 touchdowns in a shortened eight game season… was 150-of-238 for a 63 percent completion rate . . . as a junior passed for 3,845 yards and 44 touchdowns completing 74.5 percent . . . added 337 rushing yards to earn Metro Detroit Dream Team Honors and All-State 1-2 First Team honors . . . led team to Michigan Division 2 state semifinals . . . team captain . . .

Collin Tyson (6-0, 185, Defensive Back, Kansas City, Mo./Platte County R-3 HS) – Played football for coach Bill Utz at Platte County R-3 HS . . . helped team win Suburban Blue regular season title while posting a 13-2 record . . . team lost in the Missouri Class 5 State Championship game . . . named first team All-Conference and All-District as a senior . . . as a junior helped team reach the Missouri Class 4 State Championship game . . . also lettered in track competing in sprints, the long jump and triple jump . . .

Jack Valente (6-4, 250, Offensive Line & Long Snapper, Batavia, Ill./Batavia HS) – Played football for coach Dennis Piron at Batavia HS . . . was long snapper on special teams but also saw time at tight end and defensive line . . . did not have a fall season due to State of Illinois COVID-19 restrictions . . . rated No. 19 long snapper at Kohl’s Football and Kicking Camps . . .as a junior helped team post a 9-3 record advancing to the IHSA Class 7A state playoff quarterfinals . . . also lettered in basketball and lacrosse . . .

Sereno Winn (6-1, 165, Defensive Back, Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills HS) – Began prep career playing football for coach Gerry Beauchamp at Walnut Hills HS . . . as a junior was named a second team All-Eastern Cincinnati Conference selection . . . finished season with two interceptions and did not have any passes completed against him during man-to-man coverage during the season . . . as a senior transferred to play for coach Mike Daniels at Princeton HS but was injured prior to the start of the season and did not play as part of the team’s 6-2 season . . .

JUNIOR COLLEGE / 4-YEAR TRANSFERS 

Ben Mason (6-3, 290, Offensive Line, Lucas, Texas/Lovejoy HS/Navarro College) – Transfer from Navarro College that did not compete in a fall 2020 season due to NJCAA COVID-19 restrictions … began career in spring of 2019 as a ‘Blueshirt” at SMU before playing one season at Blinn JC in 2019 . . . played high school football at Lovejoy HS . . . participated in the 2018 Blue-Grey All-American Bowl . . . All-Conference and All-Area selection at offensive center, ranked No. 29 offensive center in the nation . . . helped team post an 8-3 record racking up more than 4,900 yards of total offense . . .

Michael McNicholas (6-4, 310, Offensive Line, Lombard, Ill./Lombard Montini HS/Kent State University) – Transfer from Kent State University . . . redshirted 2019 season . . . played HS football for coaches Mike Bukovsky and Chris Andriano at Lombard Montini HS . . . named to All-Chicago Catholic League team . . . played in Blue-Grey All-American Bowl in 2019 . . . was a member of 2015 IHSA Class 6A State Championship team and helped lead team to Class 5A state runner-up finish as a senior posting a 12-2 record . . . also lettered in track and wrestling, helping wrestling team win 2018 IHSA Class 3A title . . .

Dakota Kerr (6-4, 275, Offensive Line, Brownstown, Mich./Woodhaven HS/College of DuPage) – Transfer from College of Dupage . . . freshman offensive lineman that did not compete in a fall 2020 season due to NJCAA COVID-19 restrictions . . . played high school football for coach Keith Christnagel at the Woodhaven HS . . . helped team win Downriver League title as a senior as team posted a 10-1 record advancing to the second round of the Michigan Division I state playoffs . . . offense averaged 36.2 points per game during senior year . . . also earned varsity letter in wrestling.