CARBONDALE, Ill. — With 15 spring practices in the books, the makeup of the 2026 Saluki Football team is beginning to take shape, and Saluki fans have good reason to be excited.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois head coach Nick Hill briefly huddled his team together after two, intense hours of practice on Wednesday morning to ask the players a question.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Kellen Francis, the newest addition to the offensive line for Southern Illinois, grew up watching Saluki Football games. So even though the Illinois transfer had FBS offers after entering the portal in January, he wanted to follow his father’s footsteps and play for the team he rooted for as a kid.

MARION, Ill. — Friday night’s Saluki Football scrimmage at Marion High School was a chance for less-heralded players to showcase their talents, and numerous players took advantage of the opportunity.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois long snapper Ryan Algrim sees similarities between his current job on the football team and his future occupation as a firefighter.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Drew Wilson, the newest grad assistant on the Saluki Football staff, said he’s wanted to be a football coach since he was old enough to watch the sport on TV.

DU QUOIN, Ill. — College teams are permitted three, live practices during spring ball, and the Salukis took advantage of their first live opportunity on Friday night, running approximately 60 scripted plays at Du Quoin High School.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — When DJ Williams got a phone call from NFL quarterback trainer Quincy Avery last season, he could hardly believe it.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — It’s not quite the story of the Prodigal Son, but wide receiver Allen Middleton’s return to Southern Illinois, after one season at Bowling Green, has some obvious parallels.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — SIU offensive line coach Dan Clark scripted the running game in Saturday’s practice, and scripting is a responsibility that all of the assistant coaches will have a chance to do this spring under head coach Nick Hill.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Every Wednesday afternoon leading up to Spring Ball, Saluki Football held a team-wide meeting, not to talk about Xs and Os, but for players to lead a discussion about what makes a great team.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois returns 87 percent of its rushing output from last season, plus it’s added a few more weapons to the arsenal for what should be a dynamic ground game next fall.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — The FCS Oversight Committee recently approved a key change to its at-large criteria for the playoffs, telling the selection committee “to give more consideration to teams that have played all Division I opponents and/or a greater number of Division I games.”

CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Salukis lost their top four wide receivers to graduation after the 2025 season, creating an open competition for spots in the playing rotation this spring.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois opened spring ball practices on Thursday, and All-American quarterback DJ Williams took plenty of live reps, but did not participate in 11-on-11 during the two-hour session.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Missouri Valley Football Conference is down to nine teams following the departure of North Dakota State for the Mountain West on Monday, raising a host of interesting questions.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — North Dakota State AD Matt Larsen spoke last week about the school’s continued desire to join the Mountain West Conference, saying its interest “is as strong as it's ever been.”

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Jack Halperin, Saluki Football’s director of player personnel and recruiting, didn’t get much sleep during the two weeks of the NCAA transfer portal earlier this month.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Saluki Football added two more transfers this week, with commitments from a pair of FCS starters at wide receiver and center. Here’s our in-depth scouting report.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — The first two weeks of January brought overwhelmingly positive news for Saluki Football, both in its retention of players from last year’s team, plus new additions to supplement its roster.