Saluki Football adds 10 more freshmen on NCAA regular signing day

Tom Weber
6 hours ago
7 min read

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Saluki Football added 10 more freshmen to its recruiting Class of 2026 during the NCAA's regular signing day on Wednesday. Back in December, SIU signed 10 freshmen during the early signing period.

"First of all, the coaching staff has been working their butts off — a lot of long hours, trips to the airport and late nights to piece this thing together," said SIU head coach Nick Hill. "Behind the scenes — Chris Gillespie, Jacqueline Crane and Jack Halperin have done an unbelievable job. Jack really runs our recruiting department, a department of one."

In total, the Salukis have signed 34 players — 20 freshmen and 14 players in the NCAA transfer portal.

"We felt like even in this era of college athletics, that building a great high school recruiting class is super-important," Hill said. "Our current team has a lot of guys that we signed out of high school and developed."

Coach Hill on what he looks for in a recruit

"I say it all the time, better people make better Salukis. We're looking for genuinely good people.  We're around each other a lot. The personal traits are important. We wouldn't be recruiting them if the film didn't pop off, but there's a lot of those.  So then we have to decide which one of those we want to get, so it's doing your research on the type of person that you're getting with the talent. I think there's gotta be a passion to love the game. Sometimes in recruiting, the best decision that you make is the guy that you didn't sign, that might have caused problems. You've got a locker room to protect.  You got a culture to protect, and then ultimately, you want to add guys that add to that culture. I have a passion for building a strong culture of guys, and that's ever evolving. So now we have a new group of guys that have to come in here, and you have to want to make the team bigger than yourself. Even in this day and age when it's about creating as much value for yourself, at the end of the day, it's about the team."

2026 NCAA Regular Signing Day Class

Ethan Brinkmann, TE

6-3, 225, Fr.

Carlyle, Ill. (Carlyle HS)

Played both tight end and defensive end at Carlyle, which is located an hour north of Carbondale … In 2025, was named SICA All-South, Team MVP and selected to play in the Illinois Shrine all-star game … A two-time All-Cahokia Conference selection.

Tight ends coach Nate Griffin on Brinkmann

“All he's ever wanted to be is a Saluki. He came to one of our summer camps, and I got a chance to work with him individually. He’s a great kid, motivated, super smart. He’s a three-sport athlete who also plays basketball and baseball. He’s a tough, hard-nosed guy who brings physicality in the run game.”

Ridge Holman, QB

6-5, 200, Freshman

Nashville, Tenn. (Davidson Academy)

At Davidson Academy, played for Jonathan Quinn, the father of Saluki alum Aidan Quinn ... Passed for 2,042 yards with 20 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 67 percent completion percentage in 2025.

QBs coach Michael Lindauer on Holman

“Ridge really wasn't on our radar in the summer, and he showed up at our camp and spun the ball with the best of them and was the best player at our camp. We were impressed with his velocity and touch. He made every throw we asked him to make. Then he had a really good senior year at Davidson Academy. He checked all the boxes of character that Coach Hill builds this program upon, and it was a no-brainer to add Ridge to our quarterback room.”

Dario Milivojevic, WR

5-11, 180, Freshman

Chicago, Ill. (St. Francis HS)

An all-state selection in 2025, who was the Chicago Catholic League MVP … Recorded 53 catches for 1,064 yards (20.7 ave) and 15 touchdowns … A two-time all-conference, all-county and all-area selection … His brother, Alessio, is the starting quarterback at Michigan State.

Wide receivers coach Zach Grant on Milivojevic

“I saw him at a camp in Chicago last June and he really stood out. In the one-on-ones, he played with a chip on his shoulder and was a very competitive kid. We had a connection to him, because we had recruited his older brother, Alessio. We had Alessio and his dad on campus. He comes from a great high school football program that won a state championship, so he comes from a winning culture. I think he has big upside and is only going to get better as time goes.”

Bentley Neier, DE

6-5, 235, Freshman

Springfield, Mo. (Glendale HS)

In his first season as a defensive end in 2025, he recorded 75 tackles, 22.0 tackles for loss, 6.5 Sacks and two forced fumbles.

Defensive line coach Darius Davis on Neier

“He played tight end as junior, but they needed him on the D-line last year, so it was really his first year playing D-line. He has a great motor and long arms. I can see a lot of potential within a couple years where people will be shocked by him and how he looks and how he plays. He had some injuries, but he bounces back and keeps working, and so those intangibles are things I love.“

Hunter Niklos, S

6-2, 180, Freshman

Yorkville, Ill. (Yorkville, HS)

Three-year varsity starter … Son of J.R. Niklos, an All-American tight end at Western Illinois and six-year NFL vet … His uncle, Mike, was an All-American at Robert Morris and operates a sports performance business in Naperville.

Defensive coordinator Lee Pronschinske on Niklos

“He comes from a football family and has been around really good football minds his whole life. He actually gets trained by his uncle Mike up in the city. When you turn on his tape, you see him performing a lot of different techniques and responsibilities that we ask for in our defense. You see a very polished young man that I think we can continue to unlock his potential. He does a really good job in coverage, has really good footwork, shows the ability to flip his hips, make tackles in open space, and then go find the ball in the air.”

Max Rhodes, LB

6-2, 225, Freshman

Cincinnati, Ohio (Oak Hill HS)

The school’s career record-holder with 430 tackles … As a senior in 2025, was named the GMC Defensive Player of the Year with 115 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks

Defensive coordinator Lee Pronschinske on Rhodes

“When you look at the linebacker position, you want guys with big frames who have been extremely productive and physical at the point of attack. When you turn on Max’s tape, that's exactly what you see. His ability to identify run versus pass keys, get downhill, be physical at the point of attack, and then do a good job in zone and man coverage — I think he's going to be a really good addition to that room.”

Weston Schofield, K/P

5-8, 150, Freshman

Jefferson City, Mo. (Capital City HS)

Had a 93 percent touchback percentage (77 of 83) on kickoffs during his senior year in 2025 … Was 9-of-10 on field goal tries and 54-of-56 on PATs … Averaged 41.5 yards per punt … Kohl’s second-team All-American Kickoff Specialist … Has already graduated from high school and will join the team this summer.

Special teams coach Nathan Frame on Schofield

“He was the best kicker at our camp the last two summers and was the top guy on our board for the Class of 2026. He's a smaller guy, so you don't expect him to have a strong leg, but he has a massive leg on kickoffs. He also punts and kicks field goals. I talked to several of his trainers, and from a mechanics standpoint, they're all very high on him. He’ll bring good competition to the room immediately as a true freshman.”

Jordon Shaw, G/T

6-6, 275, Freshman

Smyrna, Tenn. (Stewart’s Creek HS)

Two-time first-team all-state and three-time Class 6A All-Region … The No. 25-ranked offensive lineman in his class in the state of Tennessee.

Offensive line coach Dan Clark on Shaw

“Jordon is a smart kid with length and toughness, and a lot of upside. His high school coach, Ben Caudill, had nothing but great things to say about his leadership and how he approached the game of football day-to-day. He really enjoyed coaching Jordon. When you combine his leadership and toughness, those kids are gonna thrive in a program like ours.”

Levi Shoemaker, TE

6-4, 225, Freshman

Russiaville, Ind. (Western HS)

Played quarterback as a senior in 2025, totaling 2,106 yards of offense (1,538 rushing, 568 passing) with 21 touchdowns … Had 58 tackles on defense … Also had an offer from Air Force.

Tight ends coach Nate Griffin on Shoemaker

“He was a quarterback and an outside linebacker, so he really never played tight end in high school. I saw him at UIndy's camp, and he ran routes nonstop, showed great hands and good ball skills. He’s the complete package from an athletic standpoint. He’s a kid who can dunk in basketball and is a pitcher on the baseball team. He’s also very smart with a 4.0 GPA.”

Romeo Vargas, C

6-3, 300, Freshman

Vero Beach, Fla. (Vero Beach HS)

Helped lead his team to a state runner-up finish in Florida’s Class 7A … Lettered in both football and track & field.

Offensive line coach Dan Clark on Vargas

“Romeo played for Lenny Jankowski at Vero Beach, which is a really successful, consistently tough program. All the high school coaches raved about this kid, and that he’s fallen through the cracks. When you flip on the film, he plays bigger than 6-3. He showed really good feet and toughness. He was an undersized tackle, but he's going to be a center for us. He’s very smart, has a great work ethic and all the traits you look for.”