Saluki Football fall camp August 11 notebook

Saluki Football practice officially started on Saturday, but the grind has truly started over the last two days. Yesterday, the 2016 Salukis practiced in full pads for the first time, including some full-contact drills and 11-on-11 situations. Today, the team is going through its first two-a-day. The program gets three two-a-days during fall camp. Scrimmages will be on the next two Saturdays. A few notes from the first few days of practice:

NEW LOOK SALUKIS

SIU looks different in almost every aspect ahead of the 2016 season.

First-year head coach Nick Hill has made an impact before his first game. He hired a staff of like-minded, high energy, family oriented coaches that have invested a ton of time and energy into the players. If you get a chance to talk to a player for a couple minutes, he will undoubtably use the words "family atmosphere" in describing the new feel around the football offices. In describing the coaches, one player said, "They don't try to change you; they try to make you the best version of yourself."
That family atmosphere might explain why the program has recruited so well over the past eight months. The true freshmen have size across the board and are competing for immediate playing time and already has gotten its first few commitments for the 2017 class. The coaches will start determining which of the current players will play as true freshmen in the coming weeks.
Of the 102 players on the roster, 18 are from Florida and 17 have transfered into the program. Florida players have had a lot of success as Salukis in the past couple years. Daquan Isom ranked second nationally among freshmen in all-purpose yards last season, while Withney Simon also played as a true freshman. Jefferson Vea made the MVFC All-Newcomer team while starting all 11 games as a redshirt freshman. As for the transfers, Deondre Barnett also made an impact last year, and cornerback transfers Craig James, Roman Tatum and C.J. Jennings will provide immediate help in the secondary, allowing Ryan Neal and Jefferson Vea to move to safety--and Barnett, Tatum, Jennings and Vea are all from Florida. It's a great pipeline for SIU.
Southern's new maroon helmets have received positive reviews all around. When making a change like that, the program has to consider the reactions of fans, alumni, players, coaches, and recruits. So far, the reviews are all positive. Your first chance to check out the maroon helmets in person is Sept. 10 vs. Southeast Missouri in Coach Hill's home debut. Single-game tickets are on sale now, and you can get yours to any of the six home games for as little as $17 by calling 877-SALUKIS. Full-season tickets (starting at $85) and three-game mini-packs (starting at $55) are also on sale at 877-SALUKIS.

AROUND THE PROGRAM

The 2016 schedule posters have arrived. Get yours at SIU Arena and start looking for them around Carbondale in local businesses...The first scrimmage of the fall is at 10 a.m. this coming Saturday (Aug. 13). It is open to the public...The Saluki Kickoff 5K is on the morning of the home opener (Sept. 10). Get all the details and register HERE...Saluki Volleyball has also started its fall camp. The volleyball team is coming off the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and returns nearly everyone this year. Stay in touch with their preparation at the Camp Central page...Stay in tune with all things Saluki Football on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.

MEDIA ROUNDUP

A few media pieces of note from the last couple days:

SIU's Tom Weber wrote a great story on Haitian linebacker Withney Simon. Read it here.
Voice of the Salukis Mike Reis interviewed the leading candidates for the starting quarterback job. Listen: Nick Hill Interview | Sam Straub Interview | Josh Straughan Interview
WSIL's Caleb Martin recaps the first day in pads. Watch it here.
After looking at the offense on day 1, WSIL previewed the 2016 defense, including an interview with Ryan Neal. Watch it here.
The Southern's Todd Hefferman looked at the running backs, with interviews with Daquan Isom, Aaron Stanton, Nick Hill and Nate Griffin. Read it here.
Hefferman also looked at Khari Waithe-Alexander and the SIU defensive line. Read it here.
President Randy Dunn and Chancellor Brad Colwell spoke to the team after practices this week. Watch President Dunn's speech. Watch Chancellor Colwell break the team down.

#RunWithUs

A photo posted by Saluki Athletics (@siusalukis) on Aug 11, 2016 at 5:29am PDT

President Dunn addressing Saluki Football. Salukis RunWithUs

A photo posted by Saluki Athletics (@siusalukis) on Aug 8, 2016 at 8:03pm PDT

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Players Mentioned

Deondre Barnett

Daquan Isom

Craig James

C.J. Jennings

Ryan Neal

Withney Simon

Aaron Stanton

Roman Tatum

Jefferson Vea

Khari Waithe-Alexander

Scoreboard

Southern Illinoise University Athletics