Eastern Illinois running back Jacarre Fleming has added some bulk to his 5-foot, 8-inch frame over the past year. He rushed for two touchdowns in last weekend’s EIU spring game. (Photo by Barry Bottino, PrairieStatePigskin.com)
By Barry Bottino
CHARLESTON – Talk to anyone around the Eastern Illinois football program and they’ll describe 5-foot, 8-inch redshirt freshman running back Jacarre Fleming with one word: Speed.
“He was here last fall, and we knew he could really move and change directions,” EIU head coach Chris Wilkerson said.
But since arriving in Charleston, Fleming has added a new dimension to his game.
“I was 170 (pounds) my first year and now I’m about 195, 200,” he said. “I gained about 20 pounds in the weight room. It has just correlated onto the field.”
That extra weight was showcased last weekend at EIU’s spring game, when Fleming rushed for a pair of touchdowns in the offense’s 43-42 victory against the defense in a modified scoring system.
“I feel good. I feel like (the weight) is useful,” said Fleming, who was part of a state champion 4×100-meter relay team as a high school junior in his home state of Georgia. “I can still move. I can jump. Most important, I gained some power.”
Wilkerson was impressed during the spring game with how Fleming’s added weight impacted his game.
“It has certainly helped him with the ability to bounce off tacklers, and he still has the ability to finish runs,” the EIU coach said.
Fleming is part of a group of running backs that will try to make up for the loss of M.J. Flowers, who transferred to FBS Connecticut after scoring 10 total TDs, rushing for 865 rushing yards and collecting 45 receptions last season for the Panthers.
Junior Jay Pearson has the most returning experience with 45 carries a year ago for 215 yards and a TD.
“This year, I can teach and learn,” he said of being the group’s elder statesman. “Now I can show them.”
Fellow junior Jesse Lajes scored the winning touchdown in EIU’s spring game with under a minute remaining.
At San Jose City College the past two seasons, he rushed for 25 touchdowns and more than 2,500 yards.
“It’s definitely a lot more difficult than juco,” Lajes said. “I’ve been working a lot of my footwork and technique.”
After the spring game, Eastern added another player to the group in FBS Akron transfer Charles Kellom, who announced his commitment via social media. Kellom ran for 352 yards and a touchdown last fall for the Zips.
While Kellom adds more experience to the running back room, the quarterback competition will continue into the fall, as expected.
Five different QBs – including FBS Wisconsin transfer Cole LaCrue and last season’s No. 2, Blainey Dowling – all took snaps during the spring game.
LaCrue recorded the spring game’s only touchdown pass, connecting with veteran receiver DeAirious Smith.
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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