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CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois head football coach Kim Dameron has announced the addition of 22 new players to the Panthers program as part of Football National Signing Day on Wednesday afternoon.  EIU added 15 high school players and one junior college transfer on Wednesday to a class that already included six players that were mid-year additions to the roster.
 
The Panthers had balance in the class adding at all positions and on both sides of the football.  EIU lost three senior running backs last season and immediately addressed that concern with two transfer running backs (Devin Church from Illinois and Korliss Marshall from Arkansas) along with one high school running back.
 
Depth at the offensive line and wide receiver spots was taken care with four offensive lineman and six wide receivers as part of the class.  On the defensive side of the football EIU added three linebackers and three defensive linemen.
 
"Our coaching staff did an outstanding job with this class," said Dameron at the Panthers afternoon press conference.  "Going into the season one of the things we said we wanted to do was recruit kids that could run.  We wanted players with speed.  We didn't necessarily care about what position but they needed to be able to run.  We were looking for guys that have played on both sides of the ball and to be perfectly honest with you, I like to look at players that played multiple sports.  Guys that know how to play a game."
 
EIU will open the 2015 season on Sept. 3 at Western Illinois.  Spring practice times and dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

Recruit highlight video will be added soon...

2015 EIU Football Class
 

HIGH SCHOOL PLAYERS
Player	Pos	HT	WT		Hometown	High School
Tayler Arterburn	OL/DL	6-1	240		Carterville, Mo.	Webb City
Colby Barnes	WR	6-3	185		Lexington, Ky.	Henry Clay
Grant Branch IV	OL	6-4	282		Bolingbrook, Ill.	Lombard Montini Catholic
Aaron Callaway	OL	6-5	295		St. Charles, Mo.	Francis Howell
Joe Caputo	LB	6-2	210		Mt. Prospect, Ill.	John Hersey
Robert Columbus	RB	6-2	190		Kirkwood, Mo.	Kirkwood
Paul Gossage	WR	6-3	175		Mokena, Ill.	Lincoln-Way East
Karon Jackson	CB	5-9	170		Miami Gardens, Fla.	American
Jeff Jones	TE	6-5	220		Fairview Heights, Ill.	O'Fallon Township
Cornelius Page	WR	6-1	175		Camden, Ark.	Camden Fairview
Josh Price	DL/LB	6-0	235		Marietta, Ga.	Hillgrove
Logan Ross	OL	6-3	285		Walton, Ky.	Ryle
James Sheehan	WR	6-3	210		Flossmoor, Ill.	Homewood-Flossmoor
Kylin Washington	DL	6-2	287		Fort Smith, Ark.	Northside
Jaylon Winston	LB	6-2	220		Bessemer, Ala.	Bessemer Academy
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JUNIOR COLLEGE PLAYERS
Player	Pos	HT	WT	YR*	Hometown	High School/Last
Isaiah Nelson	WR	6-0	180	R-Jr	Royal Palm Beach, Fla.	Jupiter Christian/LA Pierce College
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MID-YEAR TRANSFERS
Player	Pos	HT	WT	YR*	Hometown	High School/Last
Devin Church	RB	5-8	190	R-Jr	Detroit, Mich	Brother Rice HS/University of Illinois
Cal Ibanez	OL	6-4	318	R-Jr	Miami, Fla.	Ferguson HS/Fullerton College
Mitch Kimble	QB	6-3	195	R-So	Jerseyville, Ill.	Jerseyville HS/Syracuse Univ.
Korliss Marshall	RB	6-0	205	Jr	Osceola, Ark.	Osceola HS/University of Arkansas
Corey Patterson	WR	5-11	180	Fr	St. Louis, Mo.	Trinity HS
Jarvis Williams	DL	6-1	245	R-Jr	Greer, S.C.	Byrnes HS/Troy University
* indicates year JC/transfers will be in fall 2015

Tayler Arterburn (6-1, 240, OL/DL, Carterville, Mo./Webb City HS) – Two way player for coach John Roderique at Webb City HS… helped team win fifth straight Missouri Class 4 state title with a 14-0 record as a senior… team was 14-1 during junior year… blocked for a team that averaged 43.9 points per game and 391 yards per game… defensive unit allowed only 7.2 points per game… two time All-State selection earning second team honors as a junior and first team honors as a senior… 

Colby Barnes (6-3, 185, WR, Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay HS) – Played for coach Sam Simpson at Henry Clay HS… earned second team All-City honors by the Lexington Herald Leader… finished senior season with 28 catches for 442 yards and six touchdowns… made three tackles on special teams… as a junior had 30 catches for 460 yards and three touchdowns… helped team advance to Kentucky Class 6 state playoffs as a senior…

Grant Branch IV (6-4, 282, OL, Bolingbrook, Ill./Lombard Montini Catholic HS) – Played for coach Chris Andriano at Lombard Montini Catholic HS... played left tackle paving the way as team place second in IHSA Class 5A state championships with a 10-3 record… named All-State by Illinois Football Coaches Association… offense averaged 34.2 points per game and 360 yards per game…

Aaron Callaway (6-5, 295, OL, St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell HS) – Played for coach Bryan Koch  at Francis Howell HS in St. Charles…  helped anchor an offensive line that led the way for 3,050 yards rushing and 44 rushing touchdowns… team averaged 254 yards per game rushing and 36.1 points per game… team posted an 11-1 record advancing to the Missouri Class 6 state quarterfinals... named first team All-State…           

Joe Caputo (6-2, 210, LB, Mount Prospect, Ill./John Hersey HS) – Played for coach Joe Pardun at John Hersey HS in Arlington Heights… helped team post 6-4 record as a senior advancing to the first round of the IHSA Class 7A playoffs… named All-Conference Mid-Suburban East… helped team win conference championship playing both quarterback and linebacker… 

Robert Columbus (6-2, 190, RB, Kirkwood, Mo./Kirkwood HS) – Played for coach Matt Irvin at Kirkwood HS… rushed for 963 yards on 137 carries for a seven yards per carry average… had 15 rushing touchdowns and 18 touchdowns total with three on 21 pass receptions for 156 yards… as a defensive back made 16 tackles with four sacks and four tackles for loss…  helped team reach Missouri Class 6 state quarterfinals finishing year with an 11-2 record… named first team All-Conference South Division and third team All-Metro as a senior…   

Paul Gossage (6-3, 175, WR, Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way East HS) – Played for coach Rob Zvonar at Lincoln-Way East HS in Frankfort… helped team advance to IHSA Class 7A state quarterfinal round finishing year with a 10-2 record… had 54 catches for 755 yards and five touchdowns as a senior… named first team All-State Class 7A by Illinois Football Coaches Association…  

Karon Jackson (5-9, 170, CB, Miami Gardens, Fla./American HS) – Played for coach Anthony White at American HS in Hialeah, Fla… rated a Top 150 recruit in the Dade-Broward County Area as a senior… honorable mention Florida Class 7A All-State… played both cornerback and wide receiver helping team advance to regional playoff round… had 17 receptions for160 yards and two touchdowns on offense… selected to play in Miami-Dade North/South All-Star game… 

Jeffery Jones (6-5, 220, TE, Fairview Heights, Ill./O'Fallon Township HS) – Played for coach Brandon Joggerst at O'Fallon Township HS... named first team All-Southwestern Conference… had six catches for 111 yards and one touchdown as a senior… also played defensive end forcing two fumbles and recording three sacks…

Cornelius Page (6-1, 175, WR, Camden, Ark./Camden Fairview HS) – Played for coach Mike Cox at Camden Fairview HS… earned Arkansas Class 5A All-State honors helping team advance to the state quarterfinals… had 31 catches for 351 yards and one touchdown… also served as kickoff return specialist averaging 19.4 yards per return… also an All-State track athlete placing second in the Class 5A triple jump at the state championships with a mark of 44'11.5"…
 

Josh Price (6-0, 235, DL/LB, Marietta, Ga./Hillgrove HS) – Played for coach Phillip Ironside at Hillgrove HS in Powder Springs…  played both defensive line and middle linebacker in HS…  as a senior recorded 6.5 sacks with five tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and three pass break-ups…   earned All-Conference honors as a senior with team posting a 9-4 record advancing to the quarterfinals of the Georgia State Class AAAAAA playoffs…     
 
Logan Ross (6-3, 285, OL, Walton, Ky./Ryle HS) – Played for coach Michael Engler at Larry A. Ryle HS in Union, Ky… named the Anthony Munoz Foundation Northern Kentucky Offensive Lineman of the Year as a senior… named first team All-Northern Kentucky Area… helped pave the way for a rushing attack that averaged 189 yards per game for a balanced offense… team advanced to the second round of the Kentucky Class 6A state playoffs… 

James Sheehan (6-3, 210, WR, Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood Flossmoor HS) -  Played for coach Craig Buzea at Homewood Flossmoor HS… helped team post an 11-3 record as they lost in the IHSA Class 8A state championship game during senior year… had 29 receptions for 524 yards and six touchdowns… also served as team's punter averaging 36.6 yards per kick with a long of 60… as a junior helped team post a 9-2 record advancing to second round of IHSA Class 8A state playoffs… had 38 receptions for 725 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior… earned All-State honorable mention as a junior… named All-Southwest Suburban Blue Conference selection…  

 Kylin Washington (6-2, 287, DL, Fort Smith, Ark./Northside HS) – Played for coach Mike Falleur at Fort Smith Northside HS… rated the No. 37 overall prospect in the state of Arkansas by 24-7 Sports.com…   selected to play in the Arkansas All-Star game as a senior… named first team All-Conference as a senior…   

Jaylon Winston (6-2, 220, LB, Bessemer, Ala./Bessemer Academy) -  Played for coach Josh Wright at Bessemer Academy…  had 80 tackles with seven sacks and two forced fumbles as a senior… helped team post a 12-1 record as a senior losing in the Alabama AISA Class 3A State Championship game, team made two straight state championship appearances… made 104 tackles as a junior with 5.5 sacks… named second team AISA All-State as a senior…

JUNIOR COLLEGE ADDITIONS

Isaiah Nelson (6-0, 180, Jr., WR, Royal Palm Beach, Fla./Jupiter Christian HS/LA Pierce College) – Played two seasons of junior college football in California… played 2013 season at LA Pierce College making 32 catches for 466 yards and two touchdowns… had a season high game of four catches for 125 yards with a touchdown against Mt. San Jacinto College… played the 2012 season at Golden West College… had one reception for 48 yards… played on special teams making two tackles for one fumble recovery… played at Jupiter Christian HS… rated a Top 40 prospect by the Sun Sentinel as a senior… finished season with 865 yards of total offense as he had 494 yards rushing, 370 yards receiving while scoring 11 touchdowns…

MID-YEAR TRANSFERS

Devin Church (5-8, 190, R-Jr., RB, Detroit, Mich./Brother Rice HS/Univ. of Illinois) – Was a three year member of the Illinois football team...  last season he played in 11 games with a start in the win over Minnesota…  he had a season high ten yards rushing against Wisconsin and 24 yards receiving against Washington...  as a redshirt freshman he played in 10 games with 44 yards rushing including six carries for 34 yards against Ohio… had first career touchdown against Ohio… redshirted 2012 season due to injury… played at Brother Rice HS in Detroit where he was ranked the No. 22 overall prospect in the state of Michigan by Rivals.com… rushed for a school-record 1,191 yards in 2011 including 938 yards in five playoff games… led team to MHSAA Division 2 state title rushing for 244 yards and three touchdowns in championship game…

Mitch Kimble (6-3, 195, R-So., QB, Jerseyville, Ill./Jerserville HS/Syracuse Univ.) – Was a two-year member of the Syracuse football team… last season played in three games with significant time against Duke… in the Duke game was 6-of-13 passing while rushing for 42 yards and one touchdown… redshirted his freshman season in 2013… played at Jerseyville HS where he was the Alton Telegraph Large Schools Player of the Year… named All-State by IFCA as a senior… passed for 1,427 yards and ten touchdowns completing 121-of-192 passes as a senior… rushed for an additional 957 yards and 15 touchdowns…

Korliss Marshall (6-0, 205, Jr., RB, Osceola, Ark./Osceola HS/Univ. of Arkansas) – Was a two-year member of the Arkansas football team… last season he rushed for 119 yards and one touchdown with a season high 45 yards in the season opener against Auburn… had 40 yards on six rushes with a touchdown against Northern Illinois… season high four receptions for 19 yards in upset win over LSU… had nine kickoff returns for 271 yards including a 97-yard kickoff return for touchdown against NIU… as a freshman played in eight games with 586 all-purpose yards… had 422 yards kickoff return yards for the season with a high of 87 yards against Auburn… had first career start against Mississippi State rushing for 35 yards with two kickoff returns for 63 yards… against LSU rushed for a season high 45 yards with 57 yards on kick returns… played at Osceola HS rushing for more than 4,100 yards and 60 touchdowns during three seasons… rated the No. 6 overall prospect in the state of Arkansas by Rivals.com…. rushed for 1,711 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior helping team advance to second round of Class 3A state playoffs… had 1,421 yards and 22 touchdowns as a junior as the team played in the Class 4A playoffs.

Jarvis Williams (6-1, 245, R-Jr., DL, Greer, S.C./Byrnes HS/Troy Univ.) – Redshirted during the fall of 2014 at Troy… prior to that he played at Antelope Valley College where he earned Southern California Football Association All-Pacific Coast First Team honors… had 45 tackles (23 solo), four sacks, 13 tackles for loss and a forced fumble as a sophomore… during freshman year at AVC made 22 tackles with one sack and three tackles for loss… played at Byrnes HS where he helped the team win back-to-back South Carolina 4A Division I state titles… earned second team All-Area as a senior after making 91 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and six sacks…

Cal Ibanez (6-4, 318, R-Jr., OL, Miami, Fla./Ferguson HS/Fullerton College) – Played two seasons at Fullerton College helping the team reach the California Junior College State Championship game as a sophomore… helped team win California Southern Division Championship… earned first team All-Conference honors… played at Ferguson HS in Miami… as a senior was selected to play in the Dade-Broward County All-Star Game.

Corey Patterson (5-11, 180, Fr., WR, St. Louis, Mo./Christian Brothers HS) – Enrolled at Eastern Illinois for the spring of 2015 term.. played at Trinity HS in ST. Louis is for coach Leon Hite… earned first team Archdiocesan Athletics Association honors…  had 20 receptions for 346 yards and 4 touchdowns as a senior… also spent time as a quarterback and running back… rushed for 552 yards and eight touchdowns… passed for 324 yards and four touchdowns… on defense had 16 tackles with two interceptions… played his sophomore and junior seasons at Allen HS in Texas…