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Eastern Illinois head football coach Adam Cushing has announced that linebackers coach Adam Gristick will add the title of defensive run coordinator for the Panthers football program.
 
Gristick is entering his fourth season as a coach at Eastern Illinois.  During the last three seasons Gristick's linebacker corps have led the EIU team in tackles including this past season when first team All-OVC linebacker Jason Johnson ranked eighth in the FCS in tackles per game.   In 2019 Gristick coached linebacker Dytarious Johnson who ranked third in the FCS in forced fumbles.   As a unit Gristick coached the top two tacklers on the EIU defense during the 2018 season with the linebacking group totaling 259 tackles.  In 2019 Gristick coached the top four tacklers on the defensive unit with a total of 344 tackles made by the EIU linebackers.  During the 2020 season which was shortened due to COVID-19, the top two tacklers on the team were again linebackers with the group making 148 total tackles.  Gristick is a former Eastern Illinois linebacker who worked as a defensive quality control coach at both Missouri State and Syracuse before returning to the EIU coaching staff in 2018.
 
In addition the EIU Athletic Department announced that Zach Mentzer has been hired as the new assistant director of academic services working solely with the football program.   Mentzer was a graduate assistant in the athletic department the past two years working in football operations.  During the spring semester he worked directly with the academic progress of the EIU football team that will post a GPA over 3.0 for the spring term.  Mentzer earned his master's degree in May.  He holds an undergraduate degree from Missouri where he worked three and a half years as a defensive student assistant coach with the Tigers program.