Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Saluki Football Notebook — first scrimmage at Carterville HS on Saturday
03/20/2017 | 1:06:00 | Football
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Saluki Football team has completed five practices so far this spring, took a week off for spring break, and will resume practice on Tuesday. The team's first scrimmage takes place on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Carterville High School. Admission is free.
The Salukis got some good news last week with the return of fifth-year senior offensive tackle Austin Olsen. The Chicago native, who graduates this spring, originally decided not to use his final year of eligibility in 2017, in order to focus on physical therapy school. Olsen missed playing football so much that he decided to return and will map out his fall schedule to accomplish both goals.
The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Olsen is Southern's best offensive lineman and will anchor the left tackle position. Meanwhile, the coaches are excited about the progress of right tackle DeVondre Seymour, a 6-foot-8, 298-pound behemoth who would've started in place of Olsen, but now switches back to the right side. After signing with Georgia in 2015, Seymour transferred to SIU and was a part-time player, rotating as a backup with Ben Bailey in 2016. He was overweight when he first arrived in Carbondale, but is now in the best shape of his life and has had the best few weeks of his career so far during spring ball. Seymour can really deliver a jolt. He's a player who NFL scouts will keep an eye on.
The staff is excited about the depth on the offensive line, especially along the interior, where center Jacob Marnin and guards Aaron Harris, Ernest Dye Jr. and Josh Podzielinski all have extensive playing experience. Dye can also play tackle. Junior college transfer Jack White has impressed as the backup center and can play guard, while redshirt freshman Matt Chmielewski has a bright future on the line. Southern has put an emphasis on improving the running game this spring, and the strength of the offensive line is a key part of that goal.
SIU will have a youthful defensive line, needing to replace three starters on that unit. One player who looks like an immediate impact player is redshirt freshman DT ZeVeyon Furcron. At 6-foot tall and 319 pounds, he is an explosive, disruptive interior player. He's the fastest d-lineman in a 10-yard span. During the second half of the 2016 season, he became a force on the scout team. The coaches didn't want to pull his redshirt because they had already done that with true freshman DT Malik Haynes. The combination of Haynes and Furcron gives the Salukis a powerful interior tandem for the next three years.
Redshirt freshman Jordan Berner is a rangy, 6-foot-6 defensive end with a bright future. The Chester-native had his best practice during the week before spring break. Two more underclassmen — sophomore Blake Parzych and redshirt freshman Anthony Knighton — are expected to play significant roles on the defensive line early in their Saluki careers.
The Salukis have depth at wide receiver, but keep an eye on redshirt freshman WR Sam Bonansinga. He doesn't have 4.4 speed and he's barely 5-foot-10, but the Springfield native has reliable hands and makes tough catches in traffic. On top of that, he's a 4.0 student who knows all of the wide receiver positions. At Sacred Heart Griffin High School, he played on two state championship teams and rarely left the field — starting at receiver, cornerback and on kickoffs.
Sophomore WR Landon Lenoir leads the team in catches in the first five practices. He caught nine passes in seven games as a true freshman last year, has gotten stronger during the off-season, and is playing with confidence. He's the younger brother of Western Illinois receiver and NFL prospect Lance Lenoir, who holds all of WIU's receiving records.
When safety Jefferson Vea tweaked his hamstring last week, Matt DeSomer worked with the first team. Also a backup quarterback for the Salukis, the 5-foot-11, 194-pound DeSomer could find his way onto the field on the defensive side of the ball in 2017. The same football savvy he brings to the offense as a wildcat quarterback is showing up on defense, where he has forced two turnovers in five practices so far. He could be a rare two-way player.
Speaking of quarterback, the coaches are excited about the progress of third-year sophomore Tanner Hearn. While junior Sam Straub is locked in as the starter, and DeSomer is valuable as a wildcat QB, the team needs a reliable, full-time backup. Hearn spent his first two seasons observing the quarterback derby between Mark Iannotti and Straub in 2015, and Josh Straughan and Straub in 2016. The Orlando native is smaller than Straub but has demonstrated he can make all the throws and is processing the offense more quickly. He's had his best five practices since coming to SIU.
The Salukis will add freshman Brandon George in the fall, the state of Oklahoma's Player of the Year. Coach Hill likes to have 4-5 quarterbacks on the roster and said they may also pick up a preferred walk-on.
Former defensive lineman Jaylon Graham is developing nicely as a backup fullback for Hans Carmien. The 6-foot-3, 253-pound junior, who was used in goal line packages toward the end of last year, can blow up a hole. If Carmien were to get hurt, the Salukis won't need to abandon their 22 personnel package.
Make sure you make it out to the first scrimmage of the spring Saturday March 25th. Carterville High School! pic.twitter.com/11ehTzXENl
— Nick Hill (@17NickHill) March 14, 2017
