CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois head football coach Bob Spoo announced the signing of twenty players to national letters of intent on Wednesday afternoon as the schools around the country had national signing day for football. In addition to twenty current high school seniors that will join the Panthers for the 2008 season, EIU also added one four-year transfer and one junior college player to his year's incoming class.
Eastern Illinois finished the 2007 season with an 8-4 record as the Panthers earned their third straight trip to the NCAA FCS playoffs and sixth in the last eight seasons. EIU finished the season ranked 15th in the nation.
The Panthers will open the 2008 season on August 28 at Central Michigan.
2008 EIU Panther Football Class
| Name |
Position |
Height |
Weight |
Hometown |
High School |
| Perry Burge |
Defensive End |
6-2 |
225 |
Bolingbrook, Ill. |
Bolingbrook |
| James Cooper |
Defensive Back |
5-10 |
175 |
Maywood, Ill. |
Proviso East |
| TJ Cox |
Offensive Line |
6-4 |
296 |
Romeoville, Ill. |
Plainfield North |
| Bobby Earnest |
Defensive Back |
5-11 |
178 |
Lemont, Ill. |
Lemont |
| Kevin Kapellas |
Offensive Line |
6-4 |
270 |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
Moeller |
| Gordy Kickels |
Linebacker |
6-1 |
210 |
Lemont, Ill. |
Lemont |
| Kenny Kinchen |
Defensive Back |
5-9 |
175 |
Miami, Fla. |
North Miami Beach |
| Michael Letton |
Offensive Line |
6-4 |
236 |
Custer Park, Ill. |
Bishop McNamara |
| Jacob Mitchell |
Defensive Back |
6-0 |
185 |
Springfield, Ill. |
Lanphier |
| Ben Olson |
Offensive Line |
6-3 |
281 |
Morris, Ill. |
Morris |
| Mitch Quill |
Tight End |
6-5 |
215 |
Racine, Wis. |
St. Catherine's |
| Carlos Reyna |
Defensive Back |
6-0 |
185 |
Miami, Fla. |
Columbus |
| Doug Reynolds |
Quarterback |
6-2 |
185 |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
Colerain |
| Keagan Robinson |
Tight End |
6-6 |
225 |
Petersburg, Ill. |
Porta |
| Desmin Ward |
Running Back |
6-0 |
223 |
Milwaukee, Wis. |
Hamilton |
| Chavar Watkins |
Wide Receiver |
6-2 |
188 |
Sunrise, Fla. |
Piper |
| Kenny Williams |
Running Back |
6-0 |
211 |
Elgin, Ill. |
Elgin |
| Shawn Williams |
Wide Receiver |
5-10 |
170 |
Pompano Beach, Fla. |
Coconut Creek |
| Von Wise |
Wide Receiver |
6-4 |
210 |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
Finneytown |
| Eric Zink |
Offensive Line |
6-6 |
293 |
Oshkosh, Wis. |
Oshkosh West |
| |
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|
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| Junior College/4-Year Transfers |
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|
|
|
|
| Taylor Dunn |
Defensive Line |
6-5 |
245 |
Alturas, Calif. |
Modoc / College of the Siskiyous |
| Chevon Walker |
Running Back |
5-10 |
193 |
Fort Myers, Fla. |
Riverdale / Univ. of Florida |
HIGH SCHOOL LETTERS OF INTENT
Perry Burge - DE (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) 6-2,225
Earned All-Area honors at defensive end leading a defense that allowed just 10.8 point per game… finished season with five sacks… Chicago Tribune special mention All-State… returned one fumble for a touchdown as a senior…. Helped team post an 8-3 record as they advanced to the IHSA Class 8A playoffs… brother of former EIU All-American safety Tristan Burge.
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Played defensive back making five interceptions to along with 46 tackles… team posted a 5-4 record…. All-Suburban League… Academic All-League… versatile athlete who also played quarterback and wide receiver… three sport athlete.
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TJ Cox – OL (Romeoville, Ill/Plainfield North) 6-4, 296
Two way starter playing offensive line and defensive line… team finished with a 3-6 record… has only played football since his sophomore year… first team All-Southwest Prairie Conference… also offered by Kansas in the fall… named school's homecoming king.
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Rushed for 1,781 yards with 25 touchdowns as a senior earning All-Area honors… had eight games over 100 yards and two games with 200 or more yards… six games with multiple touchdowns including a four TD performance against Hope HS… on defense had 19 tackles with one fumble, one interception and one blocked kick… also returned a kick for touchdown… team posted an 11-3 record losing in IHSA Class 6A championship game… will most likely play defense at collegiate level.
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Played offensive tackle in HS… helped lead Moeller to an 8-3 season… good, mobile athlete for an offensive lineman… four year member of team… first team All-Greater Catholic League.
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Rated No. 79 linebacker by Scout.com… had 136 tackles as a senior with 92 solo, 8 sacks and 13 tackles for loss.… honorable mention All-State… two forced fumbles returning one for a touchdown… as a junior registered 148 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and intercepted a pass … as a sophomore made 128 total tackles… three time first team All-Suburban Conference… three time first team All-Area… team posted an 11-3 record losing in IHSA Class 6A championship game… also an All-State wrestler.
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Made 83 tackles with six sacks and three interceptions as a senior… also caught 17 passes with three touchdowns… two way starter at North Miami Beach HS… has speed and big hitter… will most likely play corner back or safety at EIU… helped team post a 12-1 record in Florida 6A football, team lost in third round of regionals… member of defense that allowed only 11.1 points per game… third team All-Dade County.
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Michael Letton OL (Custer Park, Ill/Bishop McNamara) 6-4, 236
Two way lineman at Bishop McNamara HS… Illinois HS Coaches Association Class 4A All-State on defense… added 61 tackles as a senior… as a junior made 72 tackles, 38 solo and contributed 7.5 sacks… first-team All-Area, All-Conference and All-Catholic League on both sides of the ball… ranked No. 1 wrestler in state for his weight class.
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Jacob Mitchell DB (Springfield, Ill/Lanphier) 6-0, 185
Two way player at Lanphier HS in Springfield… leading rusher for team that finished at 4-5… had 774 yards rushing in 9 games… also state qualifier in track… team's leading tackler on defense… placed third at IHSA State track meet… school record 10.51 in 100 meter dash… state champion in 4x100 relay.
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Ben Olson OL (Morris, Ill/Morris) 6-3, 281
Two way star at Class 5A Morris HS… played four years of varsity football starting career as a fullback/tight end before moving to offensive/defensive line… helped Morris post an 11-3 record losing in 5A state championship game… team was ranked No. 9 in final Illinois AP poll… as a senior on defense had 11 tackles, 10 solo… Chicago Tribune special mention All-State.
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Two way player at St. Catherine's HS… ranked No. 3 tight end by WisFootball.net and No. 24 overall… first team All-Lakeshore Conference as a junior and senior… All-Racine County at tight end and defensive end… as a senior had 10 catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns… helped team post an 11-2 record losing in WIAA Division 5 semifinals.
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Starter on Columbus HS defense that ranked among the best at the Florida Class 6A level… team posted an 11-1 record losing in the second round of the regionals… defense allowed just 12.5 points per game while causing 37 turnovers (16 fumbles, 11 interceptions)… team ranked sixth in final Miami Herald poll… collected 60 tackles with one interception and two forced fumbles… also returned a kick for touchdown… 4.33 40 time at Nike Camp was second fastest in the nation… 6th at Florida State Track meet in 100 dash… did not play football as a junior.
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Combined for 1,080 yards as senior at Colerain HS… rushed for 371 yards while passing for 708… helped Colerain post a 12-1 record with a 7-0 mark in the Greater Miami Conference… posted a 25-1 record as a starter… in two varsity seasons had 28 touchdowns with only two interceptions… rushed for 20 touchdowns… helped beat Hoover HS of Alabama in annual Herbstreit Challenge Game… first team All-Conference… honorable mention All-City… rated No. 89 prospect in Ohio.
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Two way player at tight end and linebacker… on offense caught 17 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns… on defense had 57 tackles 5.5 sacks, three passes broken up and three forced fumbles… helped team post a 10-1 record reaching second round of IHSA Class 3A playoffs… first team All-West Prairie Trail Conference… Illinois Football Coaches Class 3A All-State.
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Two-way player at running back and linebacker… rushed for 1,012 yards to become first player at school to accomplish that feat in more than 10 years… added 10 touchdowns and 48 yards receiving… first team All-Richardson League… five games with 100 or more yards rushing with a season high 153 against West HS.
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Speed wide receiver that played at Piper HS… team posted a 4-6 record playing at Florida Class 6A level… caught 12 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns… led team in yards per catch at 16.4… third team All-Broward County.
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Kenny Williams RB (Elgin, Ill./Elgin HS) 6-0, 211
Three time All-Upstate Eight Conference selection… rushed for 884 yards and 14 touchdowns as senior… caught 17 passes for 440 yards… on defense made 16 tackles with two sacks… EHS career rushing leader with more than 3,000 yards in three years as a starter… scored 38 career touchdowns.
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Quick athlete who played running back, wide receiver and kick returner at Coconut Creek HS… earned third team All-Broward County honors… had one kick return for touchdown as a senior… team posted an 7-4 record in 2007 after going 11-2 in Florida Class 5A in 2006 to reach third round regional…averaged 17 yards per catch on 34 receptions and 6 yards per carry on 45 rushes as a senior.
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Von Wise – WR (Cincinnati, OH/Finneytown HS) – 6-4, 210
Led Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area with 1,073 receiving yards in 2007 on 51 catches… scored ten touchdowns in ten games earning All-Cincinnati Hills League honors… second team All-State… also an all-conference performer in basketball… 38 inch vertical leap… has great speed with the ability to stretch the field… As a junior missed three games due to an injury, but still managed to catch 24 passes for 406 yards and four TD's… second-team All-CHL, honorable mention All City honors.
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Eric Zink OL (Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West) 6-6, 293
Earned first team honors at guard and defensive tackle by the Fox Valley Association as a senior at Oshkosh West HS… first team all-FVA as a junior… rated No. 14 top offensive lineman by WisFootball.net… team ranked first in Fox Valley Association in total offense at 385.2 yards per game with Zink anchoring offensive line.
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JUNIOR COLLEGE SIGNEES AND FOUR-YEAR TRANSFERS
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Chevon Walker RB (Fort Myers, Fla./Riverdale HS/University of Florida) 5-10, 193
Transfer from University of Florida and will have three years of eligibility remaining at EIU… saw action in five games averaging 3.5 yards per carry… redshirted during the Gators National Championship run in 2006… rated No. 5 running back in the nation at Riverdale HS… named Fort Myers News Press 2005 Offensive Player of the Year with 2,027 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns… carried the ball for 1,505 yards and 9 touchdowns as a junior… also participated in track at Florida placing ninth in the 100 meter dash as the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships.
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Taylor Dunn DL (Alturas, Calif./Modoc HS/College of the Siskiyous) 6-5, 245
Defensive lineman that transferred at the break from the College of the Siskiyous in California… helped lead team to a 6-4 record in 2007 ranking sixth on the team with 31.5 tackles… second on team in tackles for loss and sacks finishing with 7.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks… two time All-Mid Empire Conference selection… helped lead College of the Siskiyous to a 2006 Conference championship… Junior College Grid Iron Academic All-American in 2007… played a Modoc HS earning All-Shasta Cascade League honors twice… named HS defensive MVP two seasons.
