LB Nickson’s return to Eastern Illinois has defense ready to ‘hit the ground running’

Linebacker Ja’Wuan Nickson had five double-digit tackle games for Eastern Illinois last season. He returns for his senior season with the Panthers this fall. (Photo by Barry Bottino, PrairieStatePigskin.com)

By Barry Bottino

Eastern Illinois head coach Chris Wilkerson smiled as he sat center stage Friday during Ohio Valley Conference football media day in Nashville.

To his right sat Ja’Wuan Nickson, the Panthers’ star linebacker. Despite having chances to transfer after his second-team All-OVC season a year ago, Nickson stayed put in Charleston.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled,” Wilkerson said. “He had some potential opportunities but decided to come back.”

With Nickson – who was chosen a team captain in the spring – back in EIU blue, the defense has a head start on the 2026 season.

“Ja’Wuan has a great understanding of what we’re doing, why we’re trying to do it,” Wilkerson said. “It really allows us to hit the ground running on Monday (July 27, EIU’s first fall practice). I’m very excited about watching Ja’Wuan lead our defense.”

Nickson, a native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., who spent his first two college seasons at California’s Riverside City College, had 95 tackles, including five games with double-digit tackles, and led the team with 8.5 tackles for loss last fall.

“I just knew this would be the best thing for me,” Nickson said of his return. “It’s my senior year. If I went to another program, I would’ve had to win guys over in the locker room. Guys (at EIU) know what kind of person I am. I have respect for everybody, and they have respect for me.”

Nickson and fellow OVC media day attendee Charles Kellom, a senior running back, were nearly unanimous choices as captains, according to Wilkerson.

Eastern, coming off a 3-9 season, was picked seventh in the OVC preseason poll released Thursday. Wilkerson, whose program added dozens of new players and several new assistant coaches this off-season, said there is plenty for every team to prove this fall.

Offensively, Eastern turned the ball over only 15 times a year ago.

However, the Panthers suffered from a lack of big plays and managed only 17.5 points a game.

As fall camp begins, returnee Cole LaCrue is among four players competing for the starting quarterback job. He rushed for 498 yards – second only to Kellom’s 711 – and had a team-high seven touchdowns on the ground but threw only four TDs and had seven interceptions.

Transfers Payton Faker (College of the Sequoias), Jazel Riley IV (College of the Canyons) and Jeremiah Salem (FBS Eastern Michigan) are also in the mix.

Eastern managed plenty of long drives, but scored only 25 touchdowns on offense, which ranked eighth-lowest in FCS.

“We were able to move the ball,” Kellom said, “but we’ve just got to finish.”

Wilkerson added: “We’ve got to score more points. We’ve got to find a way to create more explosive plays. That’s been the biggest focus this off-season.”

Along with returnees such as Nickson and Kellom, EIU added plenty of experience via the portal with 32 mid-season transfers.

“We definitely have an older football team,” Wilkerson said. “We have a number of guys who have played college football snaps, whether that be junior college snaps, FCS snaps, Division II snaps or FBS snaps. We have really aged up our roster.”

The additional experience has carried over to the maturity level in the locker room, according to EIU’s coach.

“Leadership starts with player-driven leadership,” he said. “These two guys (Nickson and Kellom) have done a phenomenal job directing that.”

Nickson said his leadership focus is on mutual respect and accountability.

“Sometimes, I have to be the bad guy,” he said. “My leadership style is never disrespect anybody and treat everybody the way you want to be treated. That means I have to set a higher standard for myself, as well.”

News and notes: Eastern’s schedule starts with five non-conference games, four of which are on the road. The Panthers open Aug. 27 at Murray State, a longtime OVC member before leaving the league to join the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2023 . . . EIU plays at FBS Minnesota Sept. 3 before hosting regional rival Indiana State Sept. 12. The Panthers head to Normal Sept. 19 to face rival Illinois State in the annual Mid-America Classic. EIU plays at nationally ranked South Dakota State Sept. 26 before kicking off its OVC schedule Oct. 10 at Gardner-Webb.

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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