Katumbusi at center of revamped Eastern Illinois offensive line

Center Rahfeeq Katumbusi (74) started 11 games and earned postseason honors at Eastern Illinois last fall. (Photo by Sandy King, EIUPanthers. com)

By Dan Verdun 

There were bright spots in last fall’s disappointing Eastern Illinois football season. One was center Rahfeeq Katumbusi.

The former Chicago Mount Carmel state champion started 11 games in the Panthers’ three-win season. Katumbusi earned second-team OVC-Big South recognition as well as being named a first-team Phil Steele Freshmen All-American.

Yet, Katumbusi isn’t about to rest on past success.

“I want to get better. I still have a lot of things to work on,” Katumbusi told Prairie State Pigskin as EIU builds toward wrapping up spring practice with its annual spring game Saturday at Charleston’s O’Brien Field.

Katumbusi said he has mostly been working on “cleaning up my technique.”

“It’s improve and get better and not being satisfied. That’s really it,” he said.

Though he is only entering his redshirt sophomore year, Katumbusi is one of the elder statesmen on the Panther offensive line. EIU lost starters Nic DiSanto and Kwan Johnson to FBS programs in the transfer portal during the offseason.

Katumbusi is one of four returning linemen – along with redshirt senior Carson Fichtel, redshirt junior Panayiotis Mihalopoulos and sophomore Brandin Carpenter – with playing experience. 

Meanwhile, EIU brought in three experienced transfers.

Katumbusi played tackle, guard and center in high school. 

“That helps me know what each position takes,” he said. 

A center must be able to identify opposing defenses and make adjustments.

“You’ve got to know everything. You’re the quarterback of the offensive line,” Katumbusi said. “Of course, there’s snapping (the ball). But it’s calling out the formations, paying attention to safety depth. It’s a lot of little things that make a difference.”

Katumbusi credited former position coach Cole Hoover with his improvement. Hoover, a former EIU offensive lineman, left during the winter to become the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Division II Saginaw Valley State in Michigan.

Ironically, Mike McClanathan – Hoover’s replacement – spent the past two seasons serving as co-offensive coordinator and OL coach at Saginaw Valley.

“We’ve got a lot of new guys, but we’re getting better every day,” Katumbusi said. “It’s one thing at a time, one technique at a time.”

Head coach Chris Wilkerson said he made a conscious decision to “age up” his staff and roster this offseason. Katumbusi notices a difference.

“Every year you have a team that says it wants to win, but you can really see it (with this group). There’s not a lot of playing around. When it’s time to work, it’s time to work. We flip the switch faster and when it’s time to be dialed in, we’re dialed in,” he said.

The Panther spring roster lists 13 offensive linemen, nine of which are upperclassmen. Eleven are listed at 305 pounds or more.

“For a lot of guys, this may be their last year so they don’t want to end in a slump,” said the 325-pound Katumbusi. “They want it. I won’t say they want it more, but they don’t have two or three years left.”

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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