Redshirt senior Kaleb Lyons shares his thoughts on a number of football-related topics as well as subjects including his home state of Tennessee, his basketball past, Halloween and what he’s thankful for. (Photo by Sandy King, EIUPanthers.com)
By Dan Verdun
Kaleb Lyons has played every position in the secondary in his three seasons at Eastern Illinois.
“He started as a corner, slid to safety. He has been our field safety, or free safety, primarily. He can slide down and play slot corner or a nickel position,” Panthers head coach Chris Wilkerson said.
Lyons transferred to EIU for the 2024 season after earning third-team All-American honors at FCS Morehead State. The Antioch, Tenn., native led the FCS with six interceptions in 2023. Lyons has picked off eight passes in his career.
“Great natural instinct. He’s one of those ballhawk guys. The ball seems to find him and he seems to find the football,” Wilkerson said. “In some of our sub-packages, we will try to free him up as much as possible.”
Lyons arrived at EIU along with Andrew Strobel, his position coach at Morehead State and now the Panthers’ defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
“I met him at Morehead,” Lyons said. “I’ve been with him ever since. We’ve grown that relationship. I’ve learned his personality. He’s very sarcastic, but when it comes to doing the right things, he’s all about it. He’s definitely increased my knowledge of football and seeing the game in a different way.”
Wilkerson also has high praise for Lyons off the field.
“Kaleb is an unbelievable person. He’s an awesome student and a tremendous athlete (with a) high football IQ. He spends a lot of time in the offices with the coaching staff. It’s almost like having another coach back there,” Wilkerson said.
Get to know Eastern Illinois defensive back Kaleb Lyons in our weekly Moving the Chains Q&A.
Coach Wilkerson discussed your ability to play anywhere in the secondary. What makes you so versatile?
My understanding, first and foremost, for the game of football and what we’re trying to do. I understand the concepts of what we’re trying to take away or what we’re giving up. That’s where it starts first, but I’ve done that my whole life. In high school. I played corner. Then junior year, I played nickel and my senior year, I was playing safety. Doing that early (in my career) has allowed me to have that confidence and faith in my ability to be all over it.
What is your preferred position and why?
I really don’t (have one). I joke sometimes, depending on the game, like ‘Hey, don’t worry about safety, I’m at corner.’ I throw a joke here and there. I’m just trying to make more plays. I really don’t prefer one over the another. I just enjoy the game.
Coach Wilkerson has also talked about not getting too high after wins or too low after losses. How easy is this to do for you?
Not at all. The losses definitely get more and more personal. So many times I feel like we’re one or two plays away and it just came down to small details and we just didn’t execute. It keeps happening over and over. It gets more and more frustrating. It’s tough, but you’ve got to continue to keep showing up each week to get better and focus on the process.
What is more exciting to you – delivering a big hit, getting a sack or grabbing an interception?
An interception. That is the best defensive play anybody could ever make. It’s a change of possession with a potential score for the defense. It’s got to be interception.
What is your most exciting moment as an individual in your college career?
It’s got to be the interception at Alabama (last season). The way that season went, it didn’t really go my way with a lot of stuff off the field and still trying to be in the rotation. Even though I didn’t play the last few weeks last season, to get that interception meant a lot to me. I had family there. My grandma was there, and I didn’t even know it. My girlfriend and her dad were there. Her dad is an Alabama fan. That whole full circle moment meant a lot to me.
Is that a play you can still see in your mind?
Definitely. I can see it unfolding over the middle (of the field). It was something special.
What is your most exciting moment as a team member in your college career?
It’s got to be one of these wins we’ve had this season. Murray State felt good because we started the season with really good intensity. It was the same at Gardner-Webb and to start out conference play winning that game.
When we execute on a grand scheme of things in all phases, those wins feel so much better.
Have you ever played in such poor weather conditions as you did in the pouring rain at Gardner-Webb?
I actually have. My freshman year at Morehead State, we played at Dayton in the snow. It was snowing the whole game and was like 24 degrees. It was freezing. It was terrible, by far the worst conditions I’ve ever played in by a lot. After that game, my toes were burning with frostbite for the next two days.
As a Tennessee native, what does it mean to you to play against Ohio Valley Conference members UT Martin and Tennessee State?
It gets personal. I’ve talked to both these schools in the recruiting process and neither of them felt like I was someone that could contribute or be of any value to their program.
Going back home is always cool because I can see the family when they can come to the game. But when I get to play those teams, it’s always a little personal.
What do you miss most about your home state?
I wasn’t too much of a city guy and all that craziness, but It’s always nice to go to Nashville to a nice restaurant.
Rank these Tennessee places in order from favorite to least favorite: Dollywood, Graceland, Grand Ole Opry, Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
Dollywood, definitely No. 1. I’ll go Great Smoky Mountain National Park at No. 2, Grand Ole Opry No. 3 and then Graceland last.
Why Dollywood?
It’s amazing. It’s one of those things, you’ve just got to go there. It’s an amazing experience for sure.
Rank these Tennessee teams in order from favorite to least favorite: Grizzlies, Predators, Titans.
Recency bias. I’ll go Grizzlies at No. 1. (Guard-forward) Ty Jerome has been killing it. Titans at No. 2, and I don’t really watch hockey although I know there is a big fan base for it.
Did you play basketball growing up?
I did. My older brother and I kind of followed in his footsteps of wanting to play in college. It wasn’t until after my sophomore year of high school that the switch flipped for me. Football became my main pursuit.
What position did you play in basketball?
I was a point guard, naturally being a smaller guy (at 6-foot). All the teams i played on, I played up (an age level). When I was in second grade, I played on the fourth-grade team and so forth until high school. I had to develop those skills early. Like I said, my (older) brother played. I was doing all his workouts with him. He’s four years older than me, so I was losing almost all the time, but because I was being competitive in those workouts, it allowed me to develop my skills at a much faster pace.
Here’s a hypothetical situation: The EIU men’s basketball team is short one player for an upcoming game. Coach Marty Simmons gets to choose one football player to fill out his roster. Who is he picking?
I’m gonna say … me, but there’s going to be some people who see this and say, ‘No!’ But I’m going with me. I know my skills and what I can bring to the court.
Unless they need a bigger guy with some size at center or something it would be different. But if you need guard play, it’s me.
What was your favorite Halloween costume as a kid?
Spider-Man when I was real little. That’s still my favorite superhero.
That’s been a popular answer from other Moving the Chains interviews.
I think it’s just the timing of when those movies came out for our generation.
A couple guys did say Power Rangers . . .
Power Rangers … oh my goodness.
What was your favorite Halloween candy as a kid?
Growing up, I was a Starburst kid. Nowadays I’m more chocolate with the Twix or the Snickers.
What are your plans for the future after football?
I would love to see how long I could play this game professionally. That’s an opportunity I would love to explore. Other than that, I’ve got some things I’m trying to line up within my business finance realm.
Thanksgiving is a month away. What are some things you are thankful for?
I’m thankful for a lot of things. My family is No. 1. It’s an easy answer. My family has done so much and sacrificed so much for me. My parents come to every single game. They’ve never missed a game. I’m very, very appreciative of them.
No. 2, just to have the opportunity. Not a lot of people get the opportunity to play collegiate ball because all types of circumstances like injuries, financial situations or things of that nature. To have this opportunity to play and to play as many games as I have is special.
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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