Redshirt junior Cole LaCrue is the lone returning quarterback for Eastern Illinois. The Panthers open spring practice Tuesday under fourth-year head coach and EIU graduate Chris Wilkerson. (Photo by Sandy King, EIUPanthers.com)
By Dan Verdun
A year ago, Cole LaCrue was the new kid in town. Now, he’s the lone returning quarterback on the Eastern Illinois roster.
“Last year helped me grow,” said LaCrue, a redshirt junior who transferred to EIU from FBS Wisconsin in January 2025.
The Broomfield, Colo., native won the starting job out of fall camp and opened the season with a QB school-record 193 rushing yards as the Panthers defeated Dayton.
Yet, there was a price. LaCrue rushed 26 times in that win; his ribs and hip took a beating. The following week at Indiana State, an injury forced LaCrue from the game. He did not play against Illinois State seven days later.
“I was all messed up,” he said.
LaCrue paired with true freshman Connor Wolf for the remainder of the season. After a promising 2-0 start in OVC-Big South games, EIU went into a tailspin, losing seven straight games. Eastern finished 3-9 overall and 2-6 in the conference.
“Last year wasn’t a great year in the win column,” LaCrue said. “I’ve had to look in the mirror, and I really appreciate the experience I had. It’s time for me to be a better quarterback, a better leader and ultimately a better person at the end of the day.”
LaCrue said he performed well with his feet and athletic ability last fall.
“There were times when I could take over a game by making a play to get us out of a (bad) position by being able to rush the football and put defenses on edge,” he said.
LaCrue finished last fall as the Panthers’ second-leading runner with 498 yards. His seven rushing touchdowns led the team.
Yet he is the first to admit there’s plenty of room for improvement.
“I’ve got to become a more complete quarterback. I’ve got to be a more complete passer. Last year was probably my worst accuracy season I’ve ever had,” he said.
LaCrue completed 54.7% of his passes for 851 yards. His four touchdown passes were overshadowed by seven interceptions.
“I’ve got to be dialed in with my receivers and tight ends. I need to be precise and make correct reads,” he said.
LaCrue spent the winter allowing his body to heal and adding muscle by cutting out fried foods and altering his diet.
“I’ve put on more muscle and more weight,” he said. “I’m between 210 and 215 pounds now. I’m eating a lot more clean. I’m not really going out to eat. It’s either a prepped meal or a home-cooked meal with a lot of vegetables and fruits.”
New-look Panthers
LaCrue isn’t alone in making changes in Charleston.
Head coach Chris Wilkerson said the Panthers have added 32 new players and five new full-time coaches.
While coordinators Kyle Derickson (offense) and Andrew Strobel (defense) return, EIU brought in new assistants on both sides of the ball.
“One thing we did very purposely is age-up our roster,” Wilkerson said. “We will have more juniors and seniors on our roster than we have had in the past. We’ve also aged-up with our staff. We’ve added some experienced football coaches, many of whom have been coordinators elsewhere. I’m really excited about the direction of our program.”
Mason Keeler takes over the tight ends and special teams, while Mike McClanathan gets the offensive line. Shaun Wick coaches running backs and serves as the recruiting coordinator.
Alex Gray leads the cornerbacks and coordinates the defensive pass game. Casey Walker coaches the defensive line and coordinates the defensive run game.
Former EIU standout and team captain Tre’jon Lewis returns to campus as the defensive line assistant. Lewis spent last fall as a graduate assistant at FCS North Carolina Central.
Wilkerson – a former EIU defensive lineman – is emphasizing speed, a physical edge and fundamentals in spring ball.
“There are a lot of questions right now,” Wilkerson said. “There’s a lot of new faces, but everyone has worked very hard this winter.”
Here’s a look at three key position battles entering spring practices:
Quarterback
Wolf transferred to Division II Saginaw Valley State, leaving EIU to open spring practice Tuesday with four quarterbacks on the roster.
LaCrue will take on an added leadership role.
“Last year, I came in with my head down trying to earn my place here. There was a lot of good that I did, but there was also a lot I had to work on,” he said. “This year, I need to up the intensity.”
EIU brought in three quarterbacks as mid-year transfers, one from FBS and two from the California junior college circuit.
Redshirt senior Jeremiah Salem spent four years at FBS Eastern Michigan, while redshirt junior Jazel Riley IV was a dual-threat QB at College of the Canyons. Sophomore Payton Faker passed for nearly 3,500 yards for College of the Sequoias last fall.
“It’s good that I have competition,” LaCrue said. “I have to work harder. I want to be a leader. I want to be this program’s captain. In the quarterback room, I want to keep that same mentality.”
Wilkerson said that while LaCrue has improved his game, “There’s going to be some great competition in that room.”
LaCrue said he’s at his best when he’s pushed by others.
“It’s going to be competitive, but these guys are also my teammates,” he said. “They’re a bunch of good dudes, but at the end of the day I’m confident in my abilities and I’m always going to be that way.”
Offensive line
Whichever quarterback emerges to start the Aug. 27 season opener at Murray State, the offensive line will play a key role in his performance.
Nic DiSanto and Kwan Johnson, both 2025 opening-game starters, have transferred to FBS programs.
The spring roster lists 13 offensive linemen, nine of which are upperclassmen. Eleven are listed at 305 pounds or more.
“There are some things we need to address. We added depth to the offensive line, but we’re still actively recruiting more there,” Wilkerson said. “The offensive line is wide open (in terms of competition).”
The Panthers return four linemen who saw playing time a season ago, led by redshirt sophomore Rahfeeq Katumbusi. The Chicago Mount Carmel graduate started 11 games at center and was named first-team Freshman All-American by PhilSteele.com.
Redshirt junior Panayiotis Mihalopoulos played in the first three games last fall before sustaining a season-ending injury against Illinois State.
Redshirt senior Carson Fichtel and sophomore Brandin Carpenter also return with game experience.
EIU brought in three transfers: Oak Park-River Forest High School graduate Cole Roberson (FBS Jacksonville State), Antonie De Lau (FCS Delaware State) and David Trujillo (Riverside City Junior College).
Pass rush
Eastern mustered just 13 sacks and 22 quarterback hurries in 12 games last fall. During their season-ending, seven-game losing streak, the Panthers recorded six sacks and 16 QB hurries.
More than a third of Eastern’s mid-year transfers were defensive linemen. EIU also added three linebackers.
“We feel like we’ve addressed a ton of our deficiencies in recruiting,” Wilkerson said. “We added depth and strength. Our numbers are through the roof in our front six on defense. That’s an area that frankly last year, we weren’t very strong or very deep.
“So far, from a strength and speed standpoint, that appears to have been addressed. We’re longer on defense, particularly on the edges.”
Linebacker Ja’Wuan Nickson returns for his senior season. The Tuscaloosa, Ala.. native earned second-team All OVC-Big South honors last fall. His 95 tackles ranked fourth in the league. He led EIU with 8.5 tackles for loss.
Redshirt junior defensive lineman Trevon Piggee is also back after being named honorable mention all-conference. The St. Louis native matched Nickson with two sacks in 2025.
Redshirt senior James Collins II and redshirt sophomore Aidan Archibald also saw playing time last fall. However, Collins is still recovering from an injury suffered late last season and will miss time this spring.
Eastern will conduct its annual spring game April 25 at O’Brien Field.
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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