Quarterback D.J. Williams showed off plenty of athleticism before an injury sidelined him for the season. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Barry Bottino
There aren’t many college football teams that can say they started four quarterbacks and eight different offensive linemen in a season.
Unfortunately for Southern Illinois and head coach Nick Hill, injuries and ineffectiveness turned a preseason Top 10 team into a 4-8 record.
Burying the 2024 season and moving forward will be a welcome activity for the Salukis.
With all the changing faces on the field, there are likely plenty more to come, especially on defense and both lines.
Here are five burning questions the Salukis face heading into 2025.
Where is SIU headed on defense?
On Nov. 26, FootballScoop.com reported that the Salukis were parting ways with assistant head coach/defensive coordinator/DL coach Antonio James.
SIU took a step back on defense this season, during which injuries and inconsistency played a major role. The Salukis allowed 30.6 points, two touchdowns more than last season’s 16.2 average. SIU also allowed 120 more yards a game this season.
After losing 45-10 in early October to rival Illinois State at home, defensive back Jamir Conn voiced his support for James. “A lot of people are saying it’s the (defensive) calls, but it’s not the calls,” he said. “I still feel like we have the best DC in the country.”
Before James took over, the job belonged to veteran collegiate assistant coach D.J. Vokolek, who left the program only weeks before the 2023 season for Northwestern. That’s when James took over and led the defense to an impressive campaign that ended in the second round of the FCS playoffs.
Getting back to their 2023 level is paramount if the Salukis are going to rebound.
What’s next at quarterback?
The 2024 season was a Murphy’s Law type of year for SIU.
Four different players started at quarterback, including a true freshman (Jake Curry), a former graduate assistant coach (Michael Lindauer) and a veteran backup (Hunter Simmons).
All four enjoyed some positive moments, especially Lindauer, who threw for a school-record seven TD passes in the season finale against Murray State.
But the player who showed loads of promise before a season-ending hand injury was D.J. Williams, the Chicago area native who transferred from Murray.
Williams can be a dynamic playmaker with his arm and legs. With a full off-season of preparation and recovery, he should make plenty of plays next fall.
Which position group will look completely different in 2025?
There is about to be a big changing of the guard along the SIU offensive line.
Center Chase Evans made his 50th and final college start in the season finale against Murray State. His roommate, right guard Jake Green, started 39 college games and ended the season with the program’s longest current start streak at 36 games.
On the left side of the line, sixth-year seniors Noah Fenske (left tackle) and Marcelo Mendiola (left guard) combined for 18 starts this season.
Junior Cameron Dye, who started seven games this fall (six at right tackle) will step into a new role as the most experienced returnee, while backups Derek Harden Jr. (two starts at left guard) and Blaine Halley (one start at LG) also spent time as starters.
As with any position, the Salukis will examine transfer portal options.
How quickly can the Salukis bounce back?
Before this season, SIU had made the playoffs twice in a three-year span.
Last fall, they were one play away from advancing to the national quarterfinals. Thus Hill and his staff know how to build a team.
They’ll need to replace several starters on the offensive and defensive lines and rebuild a running game.
The transfer portal hit the Salukis hard on defense, where playmaking safety Desman Hearns and blossoming redshirt freshman lineman Jamond Mathis were among the departures.
Up front, veteran defensive tackle Devin Love chose to hire an agent and pursue pro football opportunities.
But just as quickly as the portal can subtract from a roster, it can also add. Hill and his staff have embraced the opportunity to sell transfers on Carbondale via the portal.
Plenty of new faces on both the offensive and defensive lines will be welcome additions to an SIU roster that returns an established QB and a big talent at wide receiver in Keontez Lewis.
Finding a running back to grab the No. 1 spot is a key goal this off-season.
Defensively, the return from injury of linebacker Colin Bohanek will be a big help to team up with Ben Bogle, one of the biggest success stories of the SIU season.
Playoff contention isn’t out of the question for the Salukis should the health of the roster improve and new additions bolster their needs.
Does the schedule lighten up in 2025?
The Salukis, who are never afraid to play a challenging slate, faced six FCS playoff teams and FBS BYU, which plays in the Alamo Bowl Dec. 28, in 2024.
That led MasseyRatings.com to rank SIU’s schedule as the fourth-toughest in the nation. Only one MVFC team (North Dakota State) played a more difficult schedule, according to Massey.
In 2025, expect more of the same.
Next season is another 12-game slate, and SIU has five dates against 2024 FCS playoff teams and an FBS road game at Purdue, which is scheduled as the team’s Sept. 6 season opener.
According to FBSchedules.com, however, SIU currently only has 11 opponents and the annual War for the Wheel rivalry contest against Southeast Missouri doesn’t have a set date yet.
The Salukis will need to add one more non-conference game.
One notable portion of the MVFC schedule is from mid-October to early November when SIU faces four non-playoff teams – North Dakota and Northern Iowa in Carbondale then Murray State and Youngstown State on the road.
Illinois FCS fans can mark their calendars for the final weekend of the season when SIU travels to Illinois State for a Nov. 22 game. That could be a game with plenty on the line.
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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