Southern Illinois quarterback D.J. Williams has created plenty of excitement in Carbondale since announcing he was staying with the Salukis on Jan. 5. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
Editor’s note: This is the third of a four-part series on five key questions facing each of the Illinois FCS teams.
By Barry Bottino
Two words was all it took for Southern Illinois football fans to feel plenty of excitement about 2026.
On Jan. 5, with a social media message stating, “I’m back,” quarterback D.J. Williams announced that he was eschewing offers from Power 4 schools and staying in Carbondale.
SIU head coach Nick Hill not only has his QB back, but Williams offers a big assist in recruiting other players from the portal and provides the coaching staff with plenty of enticing ways to use him in 2026.
What’s ahead for the Salukis in the fall? What are the biggest concerns?
Here are five burning questions facing Southern as 2026 begins:
What does Williams’ return mean for SIU?
Everything, and that’s not an overstatement. He gives the Salukis instant attention nationally.
One example was FCS guru Craig Haley ranking SIU No. 11 in his pre-spring national Top 25 poll.
Williams finished eighth in the Walter Payton Award voting a year ago and third in the race for the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
He should be a high-level candidate for both of those awards.
If he merely matches his 2025 season – 18 rushing TDs and a school QB record 847 yards, along with 22 passing TDs and 2,846 yards – the Salukis will be firmly in the playoff picture.
He is a player who can entice potential transfers to play at SIU because of his talents.
In addition, he told Prairie State Pigskin that he will be assisting the university in student recruitment by speaking to incoming students and potential students considering SIU, especially from his home area in Chicago’s south suburbs.
The wins off the field have given SIU plenty of good vibes this offseason.
What he’s already shown on the field raises the expectations for the Salukis.
How close is Southern to getting back to the playoffs?
One play in a five-overtime loss. That’s how close SIU came to being a playoff team in 2025. The marathon Senior Day loss to South Dakota was a heartbreaker.
That loss, coupled with a 34-point, second-half eruption by Youngstown State the previous week, had plenty to do with keeping the 7-5 Salukis out of postseason play.
A win in either of those games would have been enough to push SIU into the field, especially after an eye-opening 37-7 win in Normal in the season finale. That dominant victory came against an Illinois State team that made an impressive run to the national championship game.
The third-best offense in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (36.4 points a game) will have plenty to say about SIU’s 2026 playoff resume.
How can the defense take a step forward?
A couple areas to keep an eye on are rushing defense and sacks.
SIU’s 193 rushing yards allowed per game ranked third-worst in the conference, while its 18 sacks in 12 games was less than half of the total produced by the league’s top two teams — North Dakota State and Illinois State.
Injuries at linebacker and in the defensive backfield led to a variety of lineup combinations in 2025 and plenty of inexperienced players on the field.
The team’s top two tacklers from last season also are gone in veteran linebackers Colin Bohanek and Shug Walker.
The Salukis made several additions on the defensive front through the portal, which should help slow down opposing run games and impact quarterbacks.
One of the most intriguing prospects is Caleb Saner, who had nine sacks and 21 tackles for loss last season at Division II Southwest Baptist, earning him All-American honors.
What positions are getting the biggest refresh this offseason?
Along with Saner, three other mid-year defensive line additions have joined the team.
Those should help the Salukis get more production out of the pass rush and stiffen a bit more against the run.
On offense, wide receiver will look much different while including a familiar face.
Former Saluki Allen Middleton, a Mascoutah native, left the program for one season at FBS Bowling Green. But he has returned this year to help a receiving group whose top six players from a year ago are no longer in Carbondale.
Middleton caught a career-high 36 passes and three touchdowns in 2024 for SIU and is a welcome addition.
From the portal, 6-3 Aiden Showers joins the program from D-II Edward Waters University in Florida. In only six games last season, he had 14 receptions and two touchdowns.
How will special teams look in 2026?
Paul Geelen was a workhorse the past two seasons, handling kicking, punting and kickoff duties.
Now, the native of the Netherlands hopes to make an NFL roster.
That leaves a big hole in the Salukis’ special teams as Geelen had a nearly 41-yard punting average and was 15-for-17 on field goals. Inside 40 yards, he was a perfect 12-for-12.
Via the portal, Southern added D-III Wisconsin-Whitewater kicker Seth Adams. He was 12-for-15 – with a long of 52 yards last season – on field goals for the Warhawks.
Adams was a semifinalist for the national Fred Mitchell Award, given annually to the top kicker in any college division.
An Illinois native who has two years of eligibility remaining, Adams punted only six times last season but had a 43.8-yard average on those boots.
Elijah Gorman was a member of the 2025 SIU roster after he posted a 37.5-yard average a year earlier at FCS Alcorn State.
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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