Luke Wagner (50), Jaron Hacha (99) and Drake Van Hyfte (95) all are expected to make contributions as defensive linemen this fall for EIU. (Photo by Barry Bottino, PrairieStatePigskin.com)
By Dan Verdun
CHARLESTON – Chris Wilkerson can appreciate strong defensive line play as much as anyone. After all, the third-year Eastern Illinois head coach played the position for the Panthers in the early 1990s.
Those years, along with coaching the position, among other defensive assignments, certainly influenced his view of just how important that unit’s performance is to team success.
“I believe you build your football teams inside/out, from front to back, so it starts up front whether that’s the offensive or defensive line,” Wilkerson told Prairie State Pigskin following Saturday’s annual spring game, which saw the defense pull out a 38-26 win. “If you’re good on both lines of scrimmage, then you have a chance to be a really good football team.”
The Panthers’ defensive line played a key role in the team’s 2023 success. EIU posted an 8-3 record last fall, the program’s best mark in 10 years.
Many of those players return, including second-team All Big South/Ohio Valley Conference Football Association honoree Joel Barrows.
“We have a very, very veteran presence in our defensive line room,” Wilkerson said.
Newly hired position coach Carlif Taylor takes over the unit that features nine upperclassmen.
“Coach Taylor has come in and done a great job building relationships and bringing some fresh ideas. He brings some hands-on experience from playing (four seasons) in the NFL,” Wilkerson said. “His energy is contagious.”
Redshirt junior Luke Wagner has grown under Taylor’s guidance.
“He’s a straight-forward type of guy, which I really appreciate,” Wagner said. “He tells you when you’re doing good. He tells you when you’re being bad. He’ll bring you in for extra time if you really need it. He’s always there for you. He’s a players-first type of coach.”
Meanwhile, Collin Geier takes over as defensive coordinator following Clay Bignell’s departure to become the DC at FBS Southern Mississippi.
Geier is a Naperville native who prepped at Lisle’s Benet Academy.
“They start it all,” Geier said of the defensive line. “For us, we want to be good up the middle and up front. That gives our corners and our DBs an easier time in coverage if we can occupy the passer.
“In terms of the run game, they have a thankless, selfless job. They’re taking on a lot of double teams to give our linebackers a chance to run through and make plays.”
Senior defensive tackle Jaron Hacha relishes that “thankless, selfless” role.
“My job is to lead from the front. I’m at the position where I’m the sacrificial goat,” the Lincoln-Way East graduate said. “I’m taking on double teams and making the ‘backers look pretty. If I can do my 1/11th, it will make this team be great.”
Both Wilkerson and Geier credit the defensive line’s play resulting in linebacker Elijawah Tolbert and defensive backs Blake Ruffin and Russell Dandy garnering first-team all-league honors last fall.
“A lot of the work they do doesn’t get noticed in the stands, but it really gives us the heartbeat of what we’re trying to do,” Geier said. “They give us an opportunity to win games when they play at a high level.”
Added depth
As with most spring camps, injuries and caution kept some players on the sidelines.
Yet, that also creates opportunity.
“It was a long camp. Numbers-wise, we had some guys go down, so that gave some opportunities for some younger guys,” redshirt junior Drake Van Hyfte said.
Van Hyfte is one such player who took advantage of his opportunity last fall. The coaching staff credited him with coming on strong in the second half of 2023.
Van Hyfte led the team with nine tackles for loss, 6.5 of which came in the final three games. The Annawan-Wethersfield product racked up three sacks in the season finale victory at Robert Morris.
Wagner, who played plenty of snaps Saturday, is striving to follow a similar path.
The Pennsylvania native appeared in all 11 games last season as a special teams starter and as a reserve defensive lineman.
“Right now I’m just trying to take it a quarter-mile at a time and just try to get better every day,” Wagner said.
Captains named
Following the completion of Saturday’s spring game, Wilkerson introduced EIU’s three captains for the upcoming season: defensive lineman Tre’jon Lewis, linebacker Anthony Shockey and quarterback Pierce Holley.
“Those guys embody everything we talk about as a program,” Geier said. “Tre’jon Lewis is a transfer who started as a walk-on at his previous institution (Texas Tech). He’s a guy who didn’t say much, came in and put his head down and worked.
“He’s a guy that brings everyone with him. He doesn’t just take care of himself. He ‘s always trying to affect the guys around him. He’s done a phenomenal job of asking anyone — could be a DB, could be a wide receiver, could be anybody — to come with him to open hours in the weight room.”
Hacha shared his admiration for Lewis.
“He’s definitely one of the guys who, when he came into the program, impacted us in a good way,” Hacha said. “He’s a very comical guy, (but) a leader. He’s definitely my captain.”
Lewis appeared in nine games last season, registering 14 tackles along with a tackle for loss and half a sack. He also blocked a kick.
Shockey ranked third on the team in tackles while collecting seven tackles for loss and an interception.
“Anthony Shockey has had an up-and-down career here (because of) a ton of injuries,” said Geier, who coached linebackers the past two seasons. “He had a great season last year. To see his work and his effort come to this in terms of the leadership aspect has been awesome.
“He was a guy who wasn’t sure if he was going to use his sixth year or not, but then he came into my office and said, ‘I’m in. I’m all in, and I’m about one thing and that’s chasing greatness.’ It’s been awesome to see him come out of his shell and push the guys toward the same goal.”
Senior sendoff
During halftime of the spring game, EIU honored senior Terrence Simon Jr., who will not return this fall after suffering a season-ending injury last season on the first play in the Panthers’ fifth game.
Simon Jr. was denied an injury redshirt by the NCAA to play in 2024. The California native appeared in 16 games over two seasons with the Panthers.
Pro Panthers
Two former EIU defensive stars were signed over the weekend by NFL teams.
Linebacker Jason Johnson signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent. Johnson, who was a two-time FCS All-American at EIU, transferred to FBS Central Florida in 2022.
In his two seasons at UCF, Johnson was selected for the All-American Athletic Conference first team in 2022 and All-Big 12 Conference second team in 2023.
Defensive back Russell Dandy received a rookie camp invitation from the New York Jets. Dandy earned Walter Camp First Team All-America honors after leading the FCS with 19 passes defended last season.
Dandy set the EIU record with 18 pass break-ups in 2023.
Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.
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