CARBONDALE, Ill. — His full name won’t fit on the back of his jersey, but Saluki cornerback Sebastian Vargas Escobar wants the world to know how proud he is of his family name and his Colombia homeland.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois sophomore linebacker David Obadein found out late last week that he’d be making his first-career start for the Salukis versus SEMO, replacing injured veteran Chris Presto in the lineup.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — The "Batavia Bros," Southern Illinois linebackers Ben Fiegel and Charlie Whelpley, were raised on old-school football.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — When Seth Adams’ foot meets the ball on a field goal attempt during practice, a powerful thud reverberates throughout Saluki Stadium.

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. — 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. — 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. — 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. — 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.