CARBONDALE (WSIL) -- There are 18 new Salukis headed to the Carbondale campus.
Head coach Nick Hill announced a Signing Day class of 18 players Wednesday. The group features 15 freshmen and three transfers.Â
Hill says these are the most players SIU has signed in the early signing period.Â
"Everybody has had a great vision on what this class needed to be and we feel like we have put together a special class. We joke around that you won't really know what this class will be until a couple years down the road. We play in a game where some guys will be able to come here and contribute right away. We play in a game where people will have to develop and you have to project a little bit with some of these guys. They will come in here, you got to develop them, redshirt them and they will get better. If your roster is where you want it, the redshirt freshmen will start to play a little bit and your older guys on the roster who have been in the program and know what's expected can be the ones who the younger guys learn from. They can learn the winning traditions and what the culture is all about. You'll be hearing some of these names right away. You'll be hearing some of these names a few years down the road. I think that's a good thing. So, we're excited. Eighteen guys is a lot guys to sign in the early signing period. It's the most we've ever signed in the third year for it. I'm excited to talk about these guys publicly, since you can't up until today." - Nick Hill, SIU Head Coach
Signing with the Salukis are:
Gianini Belizaire
Defensive Tackle
6-1, 293, Freshman
Gonaives, Haiti | Snider HS (IN)
D'Ante' Cox
Wide Receiver
5-11, 180, Junior
Rochester, Ill. | Rochester HS | Missouri Baptist
Jaylen DeVries
Quarterback
6-2, 200, Freshman
Clear Lake, Iowa | Clear Lake HS
Zach Gibson
Tight End
6-5, 205, Freshman
Romeoville, Ill. | Romeoville HSÂ
Derek Harden Jr. Â
Guard
6-2, 315, Freshman
Lawrenceville, Ga. | Archer HSÂ
Izaiah Hartrup
Wide Receiver
5-10, 165, Freshman
O'Fallon, Mo. | Fort Zumwalt North HS
Adam Hundemer
Defensive Line
6-2, 255, Freshman
Liberty Township, Ohio | Lakota East HS
Jathen Jones
Wide Receiver
6-4, 190, Freshman
St. Louis, Mo. | Carnahan HS
Chris Koerwitz
Offensive Line
6-4, 295, Freshman
Rochester, Ill. | Rochester HS
Sean Larkin
Wide Receiver
6-0, 185, Freshman
Naperville, Ill. | Neuqua Valley HS
Aaron Maddox
Safety
6-1, 190, Junior
North Augusta, S.C. | North Augusta HS | University of Colorado
Dre Newman
Cornerback
5-11, 170, Freshman
Abbeville, Ala. | Headland HSÂ
Jacob Poetzl
Defensive End
6-4, 250, Sophomore
Porterfield, Wisc. | Marinette HS | Ellsworth CC
Peyton Reeves
Defensive Tackle
6-1, 280, FreshmanÂ
Basehor, Kan. | St. Thomas Aquinas HS
John Volmert
Tight End
6-4, 230, Freshman
Washington, Mo. | St. John Vianney HS
Jay Welch
Cornerback
5-9, 170, Freshman
Chicago, Ill. | Nazareth Academy
Jeffrey Wells
Safety
5-10, 190, Freshman
Indianapolis, Ind. | Decatur MacArthur HS (IL)
Colin Williams
Cornerback
5-11, 175, Freshman
Hoschton, Ga. | Mill Creek HS
