Derek Harden Jr. (68) started 12 games at left guard last season for Southern Illinois and is one of four returning starters up front for the Salukis. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Barry Bottino
New faces will be all around the field on offense when Southern Illinois begins fall training camp in the coming weeks in Carbondale.
From players competing at quarterback to wide receiver to running back, new names dominate the roster.
But one group sticks out dramatically for being the old dogs among a lot of young pups – the SIU offensive line.
“I’ve told our staff that this is probably the oldest offensive line we will ever coach in our careers,” Southern head coach Nick Hill said. “We’re blessed to have that much experience coming back.
“Rarely do you see a young kid come in and be able to make that (jump). It’s a developmental sport, but especially at that position. You get better with age.”
And as far as the Salukis are concerned, they have aged well as they prepare for their Aug. 31 season opener at FBS Brigham Young.
Returning this fall are sixth-year player Chase Evans and his 38 career starts, including 12 at right guard last year, along with sixth-year veteran Jake Green (27 career starts, 13 at left tackle last fall), fifth-year player Derek Harden Jr. (17 career starts, including 12 at left guard in 2024) and sixth-year vet Abdou Toure (19 career starts, 13 at right tackle last fall).
Only center Jacob Caughell, who started 13 games at center last season, did not return. Hill said “a great job opportunity” led Caughell to depart SIU after his five years of college football.
The elder statesmen up front for Southern – which was picked to finish fourth Monday in the Missouri Valley Football Conference preseason poll – likely will be a driving force for the offense.
Why is that? Hill suggests looking around the MVFC for plenty of evidence.
“When you look at teams that are in the final four, that are winning national championships, it’s been incredible,” he said. “Those offensive lines for North Dakota State and South Dakota State at times could be a top 25 O-line in FBS football. You’ve got to have an offensive line with experience.”
Reinforcements up front
Sure, the Salukis have four veteran starters returning but they also have intriguing reinforcements.
Noah Fenske (Colorado transfer) and Chicago Mount Carmel grad Marcelo Mendiola (Cincinnati transfer) were ruled ineligible last season by the NCAA.
“We took them (last season) knowing they might not be able to play,” Hill said. “We knew it was going to be hard sitting them on the sidelines. But in 2024, we’d be glad. They’re not a new transfer. Those guys have been through two springs, two summers, and this will be their second fall camp.”
Fenske, a sixth-year player who began his career at Iowa, has played in 10 career games at the FBS level. Mendiola, a fifth-year player, appeared in two games at Cincinnati.
The Salukis also added Georgia State transfer Cameron Dye, a junior who is the younger brother of Ernest Dye Jr., who played at SIU from 2016 to 2019.
“I can remember when Cameron was in junior high coming to games,” Hill said. “It’s not a brand-new situation where we have to figure this kid out.”
Depth and development
With Fenske, Mendiola, Dye and others, the Salukis have fortified their depth, which is a necessary part of college football.
“I think any coach will tell you that you need more than five,” Hill said. “You’re going to need seven, eight, sometimes nine in a season. I’m excited about that group and to see how they compete.”
SIU also has seen benefits for younger offensive linemen.
“When you see those great offensive lines, what it does for your younger offensive linemen is just unbelievable,” he said. “It’s the same thing at quarterback. If you can be a freshman quarterback or sophomore and sit for two years behind a veteran player who does all the things right and is very good out there on the field, what it does for you when your time comes (is impactful).
“That’s when you can start producing good offensive lines, because these young guys are watching these older guys, practicing with them and against them every day, getting coached up by them,” Hill said. “When they graduate, it’s like, ‘Oh, we have another one ready to go.’ They’ve seen what it looks like at a high level.”
That development also has been sparked by offensive line coach Dan Clark, who is entering his third season in Carbondale.
“He’s outstanding,” Hill said. “Your position is going to take your personality a little bit as a coach.
“What I love about Coach Clark is that the whole team gets to see that. He’s not an O-line coach that just coaches his line and sits in his office. He likes to joke around with all the players. You know that he cares about them, knows their names, knows about them.”
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and spent 19 years at three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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