EIU football embracing brotherhood in blue ahead of new season

CHARLESTON, Ill. (WAND) - The goal for every football player who's passionate about the game is simple - play for as long as possible.

Few players ever have a chance to make it to the NFL, so soaking up the moment and making the most of your snaps is part of the experience. For Eastern Illinois University football, connecting the brotherhood in blue is a top priority.

"I've been playing football since second grade, so I fell in love with football the first time I hit someone. Like we all loved the game very much. We all thrive," says defensive lineman Trevon Piggee.

The redshirt sophomore and many of his Panther teammates are doing all they can to improve themselves on a daily basis during preseason camp. Fine tuning their abilities and perfecting the simplest of skills will help their chances of success during the season.

"We like to embrace the mentality just based on repetition," says wide receiver Cooper Willman. "Knowing what we're doing and at the end of the day, we know that we can trust each other."

The Panthers are coming off a difficult year where they took a step back following an 8-3 season in 2023. One of the new challenges facing the coaching staff is making new faces feel comfortable. Head Coach Chris Wilkerson says due to the state of college sports and the use of the transfer portal, there are more changes than ever before. Fortunately, he has a supportive staff.

"I've been really, really blessed to have a great group of coaches," Wilkerson says. "A lot of turnover here. The guys that we have now have done a phenomenal job working together and trying to adjust to what we have in our toolboxes that best fits our players."

For veterans and newcomers alike, there are high expectations of what can be achieved if players take care of their responsibilities.

"We like to say in the room is standard over feeling," Willman says. "So, at the end of the day, we've got to keep the standard high. We don't want to obviously bring each other down, but we know we've got to hold each other to the high standard, because if we want to be great, we've got to make great plays."

In only a matter of a few weeks, EIU will open their season against Dayton. In the meantime, their coaches are doing their part to ensure the team is prepared for week 1.

"I know that they're extremely excited about the opportunity to play against somebody else," Wilkerson says. "We're very excited about that opportunity, but but right now, there's a lot of work to be done, and we do have to try to have that intensity against each other on a day by day basis."