SIU football Football starts with something old and something new

SIU spring football, kicking into high gear next week, resembles a yearly wedding.

Veteran players are combined with transfers and redshirt freshmen to see if next season's team can morph into a great football marriage - i.e., a winning season.

SIU football coach Nick Hill certainly hopes to put a winning team together. His teams have yet to get to even-steven W-L-wise, let alone produce a winning record.

This year's team starts a bit behind the first three Hill teams in that it does not have a starting quarterback as his other three teams had. Previous starters Sam Straub and Matt DeSomer have graduated, so Hill's sizeable number of pretenders to the spot have no D-I experience.

That's not to say the key quarterback candidates have no college-level experience at all. Kare' Lyles played the 2017 season for the University of Wisconsin. He then transferred and started for Scottsdale Community College for 2018, garnering 2,200

yards and 15 touchdowns. But what Hill really wants to see out of all his quarterbacks is something rather intangible: leadership and the ability to win games with great decisions.

Therefore for Lyles and perhaps Cooper Callis, the ongoing spring practice is crucial. Not only do they have to show Hill their leadership chops, but they also must learn the play book well enough to read signals from coaches on the sideline during games.

But who knows, perhaps second year Juco QB Stone Labanowitz or redshirt freshman Austin Reed can show enough to beat out the two experienced new JUCOs. Added to that problem, Hill also has to find some wide receivers for the winner of the quarterback tussle to throw to.

SIU only has one starting wide receiver back. He's a good one, Landon Lenoir, but the other two spots are up for grabs. SIU will have one FBS transfer and several redshirt wideouts that will contest for playing time in 2019.

SIU brought in Wyoming wide receiver/kick returner Avante Cox, who starred two years ago for Rochester. Redshirt wide receivers with promise are David Grenia and Jaden Roberts-Thomas. Both are over 200 pounds and 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-3.

Also in the slot receiver mix is Je'Quan Burton. Burton is also a top MVC kick-off and punt returner. The running back position also will need bolstering a bit - at least by getting a back-up to starter DJ Davis.

Hill actually did recruit a great back-up prospect in Indiana high school star Romeir Elliott. Elliott had 3,045 rushing yards and 38 touchdowns for Indianapolis Warren's 6A state champs.

Also on hand is Springfield star Tremayne Lee, who backed up a bit in his true freshman year (2018). But SIU may not have to wait until Elliot fights Lee next fall in order to garner a back-up.

Hill made some rather surprising moves after the 2018 season to bolster his running back roster. Hill moved 6-foot-2, 234-pound super athlete Javon Williams Jr. from quarterback to running back, and also 5-foot-11, 224-pound outside linebacker Cody Crider to running back.

Those moves may not be as extreme as they seem. Williams was a great running quarterback for Centralia, and Crider was a Kentucky All-Stater at running back in high school (2014). Both he and Williams will give the running game two deluxe power

runners.