Arizona native Avery Knight, shown in 2024 against Tennessee State, missed last season with a broken tibia. The speedy back figures to be in the Western Illinois running back rotation as spring practice opens Tuesday. (Photo by GoLeathernecks.com)
By Dan Verdun
Western Illinois officially opens spring practice Tuesday, and running back Avery Knight is more than ready to return to action.
The redshirt freshman from Chandler, Ariz., missed all of last season with a broken left tibia sustained in the summer.
“I had two surgeries, one in the summer and one at the end of the season to get all the metals out,” said Knight, who appeared in four games in 2024, rushing for 73 yards and a touchdown.
While he was off the field last fall, Knight said he took more of a vocal role.
“Even though I couldn’t be out there in the games or practicing, I still had a role for the team by communicating and giving tips from what I could see from the sideline,” he said.
Listed at 6-foot and 200 pounds, Knight said his spring goal is “to get my feet wet again.”
“It’s been awhile since I’ve been with the team running the plays full speed,” he said. “It’s getting back, building that chemistry with the quarterbacks and offensive line. I want my body to feel right going through everything.”
Knight said speed is his biggest asset.
“I ran track in high school. Coming into college, I was seen as a speedster, an open-field type of guy. I’m a playmaker,” he said.
Knight added that he’s comfortable catching the ball out of the backfield, something that WIU head coach Joe Davis likes to utilize with his backs.
“That was the role I played in high school,” Knight said. “I was primarily a receiver. Catching the ball out of the backfield is second nature for me. It gets me out in space with my speed.”
Davis is excited to have the speedy Knight on the field again.
“We’ve been very high on Avery since he arrived here,” Davis said. “It’s great to have him back healthy.”
Hope springs eternal
Davis enters his third season leading the Leathernecks and is excited about the mix of newcomers and returning players from last fall’s WIU team that won three of its last four games.
Competition remains high during spring practice.
“There are certainly players that have earned the right to have earned the first rep this spring, but we’ve recruited and retained well enough here to have some depth at some of these positions,” Davis said. “We brought in a significant number of transfers with a lot of playing experience from a variety of levels. I’m very intrigued about that group.”
Here’s a look at three key position battles entering spring practices:
Running back
WIU lost Markell Holman, who won the OVC-Big South rushing title last fall with 1,063 yards, to FBS Wyoming via the transfer portal.
“We hated to see Markell go, but that’s the world we’re in now,” Davis said. “We brought in some veteran guys. The success that we had our first two years here was a big selling point.”
Knight shares the running back room with several viable candidates for the Leathernecks’ starting job.
Senior Ihson E. Jackson-Anderson transferred to WIU from FCS Wofford, where he led the Terriers with 677 rushing yards. The Flint, Mich., native spent three seasons at FBS Eastern Michigan.
“He’s been very impressive his first couple of months here,” Davis said. “We’re excited about him.”
Junior Josh Robinson, who began his collegiate career at Illinois State, transferred from FCS Lamar. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder prepped at Bolingbrook High School.
“He’s been part of two different back-to-back playoff teams, so he certainly knows what it takes to get the job done,” Davis said.
Sophomore Ethan Bryce and redshirt freshman Calen Taylor also figure into the mix. Taylor, a Normal Community High School graduate, is coming off an injury.
“I like the depth we have. I like the body types. I like the speed,” Davis said. “They’re all workers. You can’t have enough of them. I’m excited about that group.”
Quarterback
The Leathernecks return sophomore Cason Carswell, last season’s OVC-Big South Offensive Freshman of the Year. The Michigan native passed for 2,054 yards and 16 touchdowns. Carswell threw only three interceptions in 308 attempts.
Redshirt freshman Tanner Zolnosky returns, while junior Kennedy McGill transfers into the program from Division II Central Washington.
McGill comes to Macomb with plenty of on-field experience. In three seasons, the 6-foot-1, 225-pounder proved to be a true dual-threat QB. McGill threw for over 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns while rushing for almost 3,000 yards and 33 touchdowns in his career.
McGill was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy, annually awarded to the top player in Division II.
True freshman Gage Sturgill from Fishers, Ind., enrolled in January.
While senior Christian Anaya returns as the top receiver, Davis said WIU’s pass catching unit has “added talent, speed and size to that room.”
Defensive line
Mere statistics don’t tell the value of a strong defensive line. These players are often the disrupters who make it possible for linebackers and defensive backs to fill holes and make stops.
That said, WIU increased its tackles for loss from 57 in 2024 to 76 last season. Sacks improved from 21 to 26.
“We go into the spring with very healthy numbers on the defensive line. We’ll have 16 guys on that unit practicing. They come from all levels. There will certainly be a lot of competition in that room,” Davis said.
According to its spring roster, the Leathernecks feature a pair of returning 300-pound linemen – junior Keshawn Harrington-McKinney and sophomore Steven Oberst.
Sophomore returnees Elijah Kongolo, Jalen Nicolas and Jace Miller all saw playing time last season.
Meanwhile, transfers Delaney Fudd, Cidney Johnson, Jack Larson and Tanner Phelps add to the mix.
Western caps spring practice with a 9 a.m. start to its annual Bruce Craddock Memorial Spring Game on April 25 at Hanson 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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