Nick Hill will enter his second decade as Southern Illinois head coach in 2026. (Photo by Barry Bottino, PrairieStatePigskin.com)
By Dan Verdun
Southern Illinois signed a balanced high school recruiting class for the December signing period.
The Salukis, coming off a 7-5 season, added 10 players. SIU’s class is equally divided between five offensive and five defensive players.
“Signing day is an exciting day for your program, but none more exciting than for the players,” head coach Nick Hill said. “You take yourself back to being in high school, it’s a special day for a lot of high school players around the country.
“It’s exciting not only for them, but for families, coaches and the people that helped them get there. A lot of dreams come true today for kids around the country and we’re excited about the class we’ve added.”
SIU’s offensive recruits were a balanced bunch with two running backs along with one receiver, tight end and lineman.
The Saluki defensive recruits featured three linemen and a linebacker and cornerback.
“With every high school kid, you have to project what they can become,” Hill said. “They’re going to get older. I always say, you usually get better with the more birthdays that you have.
“They got to have what’s inside of them to get to that point and we feel like with this class, these guys have what it takes to go do that.”
SIU’s December 2025 Signing Day List
(Name, Position(s), Height, Weight, School, Hometown)
High school recruits
Joshua Bolden, WR, 5-8, 175, Davidson Academy, Nashville, Tenn.
Decari Farley, OLB, 5-11, 184, Creekside High School, Atlanta, Ga.
Randy Flint, CB, 6-0, 174, Nixa High School, Nixa, Mo.
Jaden Hudgins-Key, DL, 6-2, 255, McCallie School, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Jayden McCaster, RB, 5-8, 188, Nix High School, Chesterfield, Mo.
Caillou Robinson, DL, 6-2, 250, West Clermont High School, Batavia, Ohio
Dayne Schmidt, RB, 5-11, 200, Hilliard Davidson High School, Hilliard, Ohio
Jack Webb, TE, 6-5, 235, Mount Carmel High School, Mount Carmel, Ill.
Jonah Were, DL, 6-3, 250, Park Hill High School, Kansas City, Mo.
Cutler Weiss, OT, 6-6, 320, Mundelein High School, Mundelein, Ill.
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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