Feature | Q&A with linebacker Chris Presto
03/23/2025 | 8:00:00 | Football
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Junior linebacker Chris Presto recorded 66 tackles as a sophomore in 2024 and was second on the team in tackles for loss with 8.5. The Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. native talks about his career development and dishes on the personalities that make up SIU's linebacker corps.
Take me through the recruiting process of how you ended up at Southern Illinois from Cardinal Newman High School in Florida.
I had some preferred walk-on options, but I really had no scholarship offers in high school. My high school head coach knows Coach Hill and emailed him, and Coach Hill really liked what he saw. I was sitting in science class and got a call from him and got an offer and I was excited. I wanted to come here because they really wanted me. I saw they wanted me here, and I really respected that.
With such an accomplished high school career, were you disappointed not to have any scholarship offers?
Yeah, going to sleep every night, that's something that's on your mind, but you can't let that mess with you. You just gotta keep working every day until you get that opportunity.
Then you come in as a true freshman at SIU and play right away. Was that a surprise to you not having to redshirt?
I mean, to me, no, but I could see from other people from the outside, yeah. I came in at like 190 pounds, that little guy for a linebacker, but I've gained like 40 pounds since I've been here.
Take me through that first season and how much you learned and how it set you up for success.
I learned how fast the game is, how quick you gotta think out there. You really don't want to be thinking at all is the key to it. I got to play a lot on special teams, which is what warmed me up for last year.
As a sophomore, you break into the starting lineup and make your starting debut at BYU. What was that like?
Yeah, they told me in fall camp that I was going to be the starter and I was just like, wow, you know, in front of 60,000 people. It was a great environment to be in, and I was just thankful to play defense where it's not too loud when we're on the field. It was an awesome experience playing out there, especially that being my first start and then it warmed me up for everything in the Valley.
Your second start was at Austin Peay and you pick up a couple of sacks. How did that feel?
That game was a really big step for me with confidence in my ability and what I could do, and that allowed me to just play the way I played the rest of the season.
You finished the year with 66 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, an interception. Talk about your growth and what you do best on the football field.
I think my growth is attributed to the linebacker room. We're a close group and we love each other a lot, and we work hard and push each other, hold each other accountable, and that's what it all comes down to.
Give us the scouting report on the linebacker room, because it's a deep room, starting with the All-American Ben Bogle.
Yeah, Bogle, you know, every time we get to go home for a break or something, we drive home together, so, Bogle is my guy, I love Bogle. He's a little crazy, but nobody works as hard as him and I'm just trying to be just like him in the weight room.
Speaking of the weight room, I understand he just barely got you in the high jump, is that right?
No, I got him! I barely got him by point-one inch.
Is that hard for him?!
Oh, we jumped like seven times because he kept trying! We just kept one-upping each other. It was great.
Shug Walker is another really talented linebacker.
Yeah, you know, I actually just moved in with Shug recently and living with him. He's a great guy. If I have kids one day, I'd love for him to be the god-uncle, you know, godfather. He's a great guy, just a blue collar man, you know, he's a role model.
And Colin Bohanek is back after missing most of last year. Talk about his veteran presence.
Yeah, Bohanek is just very smart. He's got a high football IQ. We're up in the (linebacker) room and anyone's got questions, we don't even have to ask (Coach) Mac, we can just ask Bohanek, because he knows what he's doing. He's been through it for a while.
Coach Lee Pronschinske moves up to defensive coordinator. How is that going?
Well, Coach Pron came in last year and right away we clicked with him. We know how to talk to each other, and I like the way he's explaining everything, and the defense seems like it's gonna be really fun this year.
With so much depth and talent at linebacker, can that be the strength of this defense?
I mean, I think it needs to be the strength of the defense. The way I was just telling these guys in our room, the way we just finished this practice with the high energy, we need to bring that every day to practice, not just when we're competing, every part of practice, so that we can raise the level of the defense and the whole practice.
In high school, you won the Team Sports Ministries Man of Character Award. How do you contribute to the character of the Saluki Football program?
You just got to represent the name on the front of the jersey, not on the back, and that's what I believe. No one's bigger than the program. And just always serving and giving back to the community, you know, my off-season team won the overall trophy. We had the most points for community service, so we love doing it.
Your dad is a scout for the Kansas City Royals. How big is baseball in your family?
I was just on the phone with him the other day and he said he's got to go to Tennessee and all these places and watch all these players. I played all the time until my freshman year in high school. Baseball was big with me for the hand-eye coordination. I played the outfield being a lefty. My dad thought, being a lefty, I could have been a great pitcher, but I really started to love football and realized I could be good at it.
You have three brothers. How competitive are you guys?
Yeah, I have two older brothers, one younger. My 22-year-old brother, Dom, is probably the most competitive out of all of them. He reminds me a lot of Bogle, or Bogle reminds me a lot of him, which is great to have, you know, being up here far away from your family, so any of the reminders you can get is great.
Take me through the recruiting process of how you ended up at Southern Illinois from Cardinal Newman High School in Florida.
I had some preferred walk-on options, but I really had no scholarship offers in high school. My high school head coach knows Coach Hill and emailed him, and Coach Hill really liked what he saw. I was sitting in science class and got a call from him and got an offer and I was excited. I wanted to come here because they really wanted me. I saw they wanted me here, and I really respected that.
With such an accomplished high school career, were you disappointed not to have any scholarship offers?
Yeah, going to sleep every night, that's something that's on your mind, but you can't let that mess with you. You just gotta keep working every day until you get that opportunity.
Then you come in as a true freshman at SIU and play right away. Was that a surprise to you not having to redshirt?
I mean, to me, no, but I could see from other people from the outside, yeah. I came in at like 190 pounds, that little guy for a linebacker, but I've gained like 40 pounds since I've been here.
Take me through that first season and how much you learned and how it set you up for success.
I learned how fast the game is, how quick you gotta think out there. You really don't want to be thinking at all is the key to it. I got to play a lot on special teams, which is what warmed me up for last year.
As a sophomore, you break into the starting lineup and make your starting debut at BYU. What was that like?
Yeah, they told me in fall camp that I was going to be the starter and I was just like, wow, you know, in front of 60,000 people. It was a great environment to be in, and I was just thankful to play defense where it's not too loud when we're on the field. It was an awesome experience playing out there, especially that being my first start and then it warmed me up for everything in the Valley.
Your second start was at Austin Peay and you pick up a couple of sacks. How did that feel?
That game was a really big step for me with confidence in my ability and what I could do, and that allowed me to just play the way I played the rest of the season.
You finished the year with 66 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, an interception. Talk about your growth and what you do best on the football field.
I think my growth is attributed to the linebacker room. We're a close group and we love each other a lot, and we work hard and push each other, hold each other accountable, and that's what it all comes down to.
Give us the scouting report on the linebacker room, because it's a deep room, starting with the All-American Ben Bogle.
Yeah, Bogle, you know, every time we get to go home for a break or something, we drive home together, so, Bogle is my guy, I love Bogle. He's a little crazy, but nobody works as hard as him and I'm just trying to be just like him in the weight room.
Speaking of the weight room, I understand he just barely got you in the high jump, is that right?
No, I got him! I barely got him by point-one inch.
Is that hard for him?!
Oh, we jumped like seven times because he kept trying! We just kept one-upping each other. It was great.
Shug Walker is another really talented linebacker.
Yeah, you know, I actually just moved in with Shug recently and living with him. He's a great guy. If I have kids one day, I'd love for him to be the god-uncle, you know, godfather. He's a great guy, just a blue collar man, you know, he's a role model.
And Colin Bohanek is back after missing most of last year. Talk about his veteran presence.
Yeah, Bohanek is just very smart. He's got a high football IQ. We're up in the (linebacker) room and anyone's got questions, we don't even have to ask (Coach) Mac, we can just ask Bohanek, because he knows what he's doing. He's been through it for a while.
Coach Lee Pronschinske moves up to defensive coordinator. How is that going?
Well, Coach Pron came in last year and right away we clicked with him. We know how to talk to each other, and I like the way he's explaining everything, and the defense seems like it's gonna be really fun this year.
With so much depth and talent at linebacker, can that be the strength of this defense?
I mean, I think it needs to be the strength of the defense. The way I was just telling these guys in our room, the way we just finished this practice with the high energy, we need to bring that every day to practice, not just when we're competing, every part of practice, so that we can raise the level of the defense and the whole practice.
In high school, you won the Team Sports Ministries Man of Character Award. How do you contribute to the character of the Saluki Football program?
You just got to represent the name on the front of the jersey, not on the back, and that's what I believe. No one's bigger than the program. And just always serving and giving back to the community, you know, my off-season team won the overall trophy. We had the most points for community service, so we love doing it.
Your dad is a scout for the Kansas City Royals. How big is baseball in your family?
I was just on the phone with him the other day and he said he's got to go to Tennessee and all these places and watch all these players. I played all the time until my freshman year in high school. Baseball was big with me for the hand-eye coordination. I played the outfield being a lefty. My dad thought, being a lefty, I could have been a great pitcher, but I really started to love football and realized I could be good at it.
You have three brothers. How competitive are you guys?
Yeah, I have two older brothers, one younger. My 22-year-old brother, Dom, is probably the most competitive out of all of them. He reminds me a lot of Bogle, or Bogle reminds me a lot of him, which is great to have, you know, being up here far away from your family, so any of the reminders you can get is great.
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