CARBONDALE, Ill. — DJ Williams looks at rest of the Saluki Football quarterback room and sees a bright future, and he’s determined to bring out the best in each of them.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Have you ever wondered what a day-in-the-life of a football player is like during training camp? Sophomore running back DJ Welch kept a journal for StrongDawgs readers, taking you behind-the-scenes for a day of Saluki Football camp.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — ET Harris will never forget the day last spring when head coach Nick Hill and quarterbacks coach Michael Lindauer brought him in for a meeting and asked him to switch from quarterback to wide receiver.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Saluki fifth-year defensive end Ibrahim Sanogo was often bullied at school when he was a kid, but that all changed once he stepped onto the football field. At that point, he became the bully.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — On the eve of training camp in late July, StrongDawgs listed a dozen key questions about the 2026 edition of Saluki Football. Tops among them was how well quarterback DJ Williams would bounce back from his knee injury.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Thanks to a U.S. District court ruling two weeks ago, Saluki Football welcomed the return of wideout and return specialist Tae Marrero on Friday.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — What are the odds of a Mic'd Up session that references Talladega Nights, KISS, Spaceballs, Bigfoot, The Truman Show and pilgrims? Only if it's Saluki O-lineman Aidan Duerig wearing the hot mic.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — When Southern Illinois freshman defensive tackle Caillou Robinson needs to relax after an intense day of football, he often likes to build a LEGO set.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — National Football League rookie and Saluki Football alum Jeremiah McClendon signed with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, a major step in his professional career after being released by the New Orleans Saints last May.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Saluki defensive ends coach Jake Kulig teaches precise technique in a StrongDawgs Mic’d Up session during training camp.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — It's called the Saluki Quarterback Ball-Handling Challenge. "It's all in the fingertips ... the ball is one ... magician with the ball." Find out who has the best ball-handling skills in the Saluki Football quarterback room. You might be surprised by the winner.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — After two intense weeks of training camp, Southern Illinois head coach Nick Hill sensed the energy was slipping just a bit at the start of Practice No. 13 on Tuesday morning.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Entering his fourth year with Saluki Football, Georgia native Amir Dwight is coming off a season in which he led SIU's defensive tackles in sacks.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — When the offensive line grades were turned in for the 2025 season, the final report card showed one unit at the top of the Pro Football Focus national FCS rankings — Southern Illinois.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Saluki Football season opener at West Florida is less than three weeks away, and there’s one player who’s been looking forward to this contest more than most — safety Matthew McClelland.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Saluki Football held its second live scrimmage of training camp on Friday afternoon during Practice 10. Shorter than the first scrimmage that was held on Tuesday, yesterday’s session leaned heavily on the run game.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — When Saluki Football teammates DJ Williams, Lukus McDaniels and Gavin Shepard get done fishing, sometimes the facts are in dispute, but there’s one thing they can agree on — a good time was had by all.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Running back Jimmy Athans wore the live mic during pre-practice. In his fourth year at Southern Illinois, Athans has played in 36 career games dating back to Sept. 2, 2023 vs. Austin Peay.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — They call Blaine Halley “The Squatch,” and it might be the most appropriate nickname on the Saluki Football team.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Saluki Football held its first scrimmage of training camp on Tuesday, and head coach Nick Hill was eager to dig deeper into the 75 live plays the team put down on film.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — We Mic’d Up one of the top defensive backs in the FCS, Saluki cornerback Gavin Shepard. Guest appearances from Coach Hill, Coach Moore, Coach Warner and Coach Davis.