Defensive end Donnie Wingate (8) and his Southern Illinois teammates prepare for Saturday’s season opener. Wingate transferred to SIU after three seasons playing at Lindenwood University. (Photo by Saluki Communications)
By Dan Verdun
CARBONDALE – It hasn’t taken transfer defensive end Donnie Wingate long to ingratiate himself to his Southern Illinois teammates.
“He’s one of those meathead guys,” said sophomore defensive lineman Amir Dwight. “In the weight room, he’s one of those beat his head against the wall types.”
Wingate was a key factor as SIU toppled Division II Thomas More, 49-3, in Saturday night’s season opener at Saluki Stadium.
Wingate transferred to SIU from Lindenwood University for the spring semester and has quickly acclimated himself to the program.
“Being a newcomer, it’s important to get that chemistry rolling with everybody on the team,” he said.
One easy way to do that is with on-field performance. Against Thomas More, Wingate registered five tackles, three of which were solo. He was also credited with a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.
However, the impact of a defensive lineman can never fully be told simply through statistics.
“Donnie’s very aggressive,” Dwight said, “a very physical guy with a great work ethic.”
After a month of fall camp going against one another in practice, Wingate was more than ready to “knock some rust off” in an actual game.
“It’s been awhile,” the 6-foot-3, 250-pound senior said. “We’ve been grinding through the summer and fall camp.”
SIU limited Thomas More to 191 yards of total offense. In addition, SIU only allowed 1.9 yards per rush and held the Saints to two first downs on the ground.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that just love to play ball,” said Wingate. “I got here in January. Every one of the guys on the team is my brother, so I feel like we mesh well.”
Wingate, an Oklahoma native, spent his first collegiate season in his home state when he enrolled at Oklahoma State four years ago.
After not seeing any playing time for the Cowboys, Wingate transferred to FCS Lindenwood, located in suburban St. Louis.
Following three successful seasons there, he entered the transfer portal and wound up at SIU. Wingate said he was attracted by the energy of the Saluki program.
“It’s a pretty young (coaching) staff, and I think we’ve got a really bright future here,” he said. “Carbondale is a football town. The fans behind us are a huge deal. I love it, for sure.”
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.
Find us on social media!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PSPigskin
Facebook: Prairie State Pigskin
Instagram: Prairiestatepigskin
Blue Sky: PSPigskin
Prairie State Pigskin 
Leave a comment