National Signing Day: Class of 2026
- Tom Weber
- Dec 3
- 7 min read
CARBONDALE, Ill. — It’s the first Wednesday in December, and that means it’s Signing Day for the incoming freshman Class of 2026. Saluki Football signed 10 high school seniors this morning.
“There's a lot of really good football players out there with good highlight videos, but as I've found over my decade of coaching here, what's inside of them matters just as much, probably more,” said head coach Nick Hill. “We’ve been recruiting this freshman class for a long time, have done a ton of homework and gotten to know what’s inside them."
The Salukis signed three defensive tackles, two running backs, and one wide receiver, tight end, offensive lineman, linebacker and cornerback. There were three players from Missouri, two each from Illinois, Tennessee and Ohio, and one from Georgia.
"These freshmen are the building blocks of our program," Hill said. "Some of them will play for us this year, just as some did this past year."
Recruiting season is far from over. The Division I transfer portal period runs from January 2–16, 2026. The NCAA has moved to a single window in early January for most players and eliminated the spring portal window entirely.
Josh Bolden, WR
5-8, 175, Freshman
Nashville, Tenn. (Davidson Academy)
From the same high school as SIU tight end Aidan Quinn (2021-25) and played for head coach Jonathan Quinn … Explosive kick returner … Had 1,583 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior ... Finished prep career with more than 1,700 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns … Recorded a school-record five touchdowns in one game … Three-time All-Region and one-time All-State selection … Set the school’s single-game interception record with three … Also played basketball and ran track at Davidson Academy.
WR Coach Zach Grant on Bolden:
“His high school coach is AJ Quinn’s dad, so we had a connection with the kid. AJ played a part in the recruiting process, too. He came to our camp in the summertime and really impressed us. He's a twitchy kid and super-strong wide receiver. He broke the squat record at his school. I think he can help us in different ways, whether that’s in the slot or in the return game. He’s an unbelievable kid, very strong in his faith, comes from a great family. Josh kind of went under the radar, but watching his tape, he's got great ball skills for a smaller guy, being able to go up and high-point a ball. It's impressive what he can do.”
Decari Farley, LB
6-0, 195, Freshman
Jonesboro, GA
Recorded 100 total tackles, 6.0 sacks and two forced fumbles as a senior … Posted 119 tackles, 21.0 TFL, 4.0 sacks and two forced fumbles during his junior year … Led AAAA in tackles as a junior … First Team All-Region as a senior.
LB Coach Mac McLeran on Farley
“He’s exactly what we're looking for from that Bear-Flex dynamic. He’s able to run, get off blocks, uses his hands well. He’s a really good tackler in space and violent in the box as
well. He shows up on film everywhere — inside, hitting things, getting off blocks, knock-back tackles, tackles in space, covering verticals in the slot. He kind of reminds me of Dune (Smith), ability-wise and coverage, and kind of has that smoothness to him, but he’s a more physical on-ball tackler than Dune was.”
Randy Flint, CB
6-0, 175, Freshman
Nixa, Mo. (Nixa HS)
An All-State corner and wide receiver who head coach John Perry called “our Travis Hunter.” Will focus on cornerback at SIU ... Visited campus during Family Weekend game and committed on Oct. 12 ... Led his conference in interceptions … was the Quarterback Club Defensive Player of the Year … As a receiver, averaged 26.0 yards-per-catch … Also is a member of the track team and holds the 100m and 200m school records.
CB Coach Eriq Moore on Flint:
“I’ve kept a close eye on Randy since I was at Missouri Western. He has all the physical ability you’re looking for in a cornerback — he’s got size, long limbs and top-end speed. He can really run, and that track speed correlates to the game of football. Then you meet him and he has the charisma, comes from great parents, and you know he’s gonna fit in our locker room.”
Jaden Hudgins-Key, DT
6-3, 250, Freshman
Chattanooga, Tenn (McCallie HS)
Committed on Oct. 27 ... A two-way starter on a team with a 10-3 record in 2025 … Recorded 23 solo tackles and 5.0 sacks … Two-time DII-AAA All-State and All-Region … Also competes in track & field and finished fifth at state in shot put as a junior.
DL Coach Darius Davis on Hudgins:
“I saw him at a camp and how twitchy he was, he got off the ball and was very physical, and I liked him ever since. At the camp, I was asking him, ‘hey, I want to see you go against this guy, that guy.’ And he was beating everybody. As the season unfolded, I kept watching his game film and liked the things he can do, and so I think he's going to be one of the surprising guys down the line. Two or three years from now, I think he's going to be a guy that a lot of people are talking about.”
Jayden McCaster, RB
5-8, 183, Freshman
Nixa, Mo (Nixa HS)
Committed to SIU last July ... Will graduate from high school in December and begin classes at SIU in the spring semester so that he can play spring ball ... Recorded 4,000 career rushing yards … Led the state in rushing touchdowns as a senior and ranked in the top five in rushing yards … Team holds a 13-0 record at Nixa HS in 2025 and will play for the state championship … Three-time Academic All-State … Transferred to Nixa HS from De Smet HS ... At De Smet in 2024, totaled 2,077 all-purpose yards (1,521 rushing, 451 receiving), 22 touchdowns and averaged 7.6 yards per carry ... Also an All-State wrestler and a district champion in track as a sprinter.
RB Coach Larry Warner on McCaster
“He’s explosive, elusive, able to make people miss — I thought he was special. He comes from a winning pedigree. He’s small in stature, similar to me, but has a big heart, plays big, and I kind of fell in love with everything about him as a person, just his demeanor. He comes with a different mentality. He has that chip on his shoulder to prove to people he can play.”
Caillou Robinson, DT
6-1, 255, Freshman
Cincinnati, OH (West Clermont HS)
Also held offers from FBS Eastern Michigan and Kent State … Holds school record for career sacks, sacks in a season, and sacks in a game … Named to All-Conference team and First Team Southwest All-District … Recorded 45 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery as a senior ... As a junior in 2024, he was second on the team with 55 tackles and led the Wolves with 11.5 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks.
DL Coach Darius Davis on Robinson:
“I just love his explosion, his get off, his physicality, and all that I saw on film. We’re looking for a little more explosion up front, and he has it. He plays violent on the field, but when I met him for the first time, he’s a bit shy, a really good kid, and comes from a great home. One of the bigger reasons why he decided to come here was being around our players, and that's a testament to the guys that Coach Hill’s brought in and the guys in that room.”
Dayne Schmidt, RB
5-11, 205, Freshman
Hilliard, Ohio (Davidson HS)
Named to the All-Conference and All-District … In a game versus arch-rival Hilliard Darby in 2025, rushed for 209 yards with three touchdowns on just 15 carries ... Also plays baseball at Hilliard Davidson.
RB Coach Larry Warner on McCaster
“He’s tough, physical, hard-nosed runner, kind of old-school when it comes to blocking — similar to Lem (Wash). We got a chance to get him to campus for camp and he ran well. He did all the drills well, operated in transition in and out of his breaks. Those are the type of things that I was looking for in a bigger guy that can come in and block, run, get tough yards and has enough speed to take it the distance.”
Jack Webb, TE
6-4, 235, Freshman
Mount Carmel, Ill. (Mount Carmel HS)
Committed last July ... Honorable mention All-State … Three-time All-Conference tight end … As a sophomore, team finished as a state runner-up … Also plays basketball.
Tight ends coach Nate Griffin on Webb:
“He played two different schemes in high school, so we got to see good clips of him catching the ball and run-blocking. Everything we saw on tape matched up when I saw him in person. He's a big, athletic kid and matches the physical type of tight end in this league. I really like his personality, mentality and mindset and just feel like he's going to be a good fit.”
Jonah Were, DT
6-3, 230, Freshman
Kansas City, Mo. (Park Hill HS)
Committed to SIU on Oct. 20 … Had 60 tackles, 6.0 sacks, 11.0 TFL, 2 blocked kicks and a pick-six during his senior year ... All-State, All-District and All-Conference player who is a three-year varsity starter … Four-year varsity starter in basketball and All-District in the shot put.
DL Coach Darius Davis on Were:
“I loved the kid at camp and made the offer, and honestly, I didn’t think we had much of a chance, because he had a lot of big-time people on him. He turned them down to come to SIU, so that was a big, big get for us. I think he could be a special kid. He does everything the right way, played for a great team and he's been the team captain. The Reeves brothers were a big deal with him during the recruiting process. They did a real good job of kind of letting him know how SIU is and what he could expect.”
Cutler Wyss, OL
6-6, 312, Freshman
Mundelein, Ill. (Mundelein HS)
Team captain in 2025 … Also competes in basketball and volleyball … Was a two-time team MVP for volleyball and one-time MVP for basketball … Honor roll every semester.
OL Coach Dan Clark on Wyss
“He has a big frame, and is an athletic, tough kid. His offensive line coach, Braden Foster, is a friend of mine and has nothing but great things to say about his work ethic, his dedication in the weight room, his leadership, toughness and love for the game. Sometimes, you find one of those diamonds in the rough, where his development in the next couple years he is going to make a name for himself. He has a bright future as a Dawg.”
Comments