# 2025 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team

The 2025 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team will represent Eastern Illinois University as a member of the OVC–Big South Football Association during the 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Panthers were led by fourth-year head coach Chris Wilkerson and play their home games at O'Brien Field located in Charleston, Illinois.

## Offseason
### Transfers
#### Outgoing

| Player | Position | Destination |
| Kaelin Drakeford | DB | Chattanooga |
| Nick Coates | S | Chattanooga |
| Nijhay Burt | DB | Michigan State |
| Elijawah Tolbert | LB | Montana |
| Drew Wilder | OL | Tennessee Tech |
| MJ Flowers | RB | UConn |
| Cody Silzer | DE | Unknown |
| Aaron Rice | WR | Unknown |
| Joshua Johnson | OL | Unknown |
| Malik Rainey | DB | Unknown |

#### Incoming

| Player | Position | Previous school |
| Jordan Yandila | OL | Adams State |
| Jack Tremblay | WR | Central Michigan |
| James Collins | DL | College of the Sequoias CC |
| Jerry Addo-Boateng | DB | Defiance |
| Noah Williams | LB | Dodge City CC |
| Mason Miller | P | Marian |
| Jefferson McKinnon | LS | Marist |
| Nick Vecchiarelli | S | Marist |
| Kefa Pereira | DL | Monterey Peninsula CC |
| Jihad McCall | S | Morehead State |
| Steven Arteaga | LB | Palomar CC |
| Dante Thompson | OL | Robert Morris |
| Brandon Worsley | DB | San Diego Mesa CC |
| Jesse Lajes | RB | San Jose City CC |
| Knowledge Davis | DE | Tyler JC |
| Cole LaCrue | QB | Wisconsin |

### Recruiting class

| Name | Position | Height | Weight | Hometown | High School |
| Kennyan Chandler | LB | 5-10 | 230 | Kankakee, IL | Kankakee |
| Michael Curry | RB | 5-10 | 180 | Louisville, KY | Atherton |
| Brady Ford | QB | 6-0 | 195 | Toledo, OH | Whitmer |
| Tyler Fortis | DL | 6-2 | 265 | Park Ridge, IL | Maine South |
| Dejan Guzina | OL | 6-8 | 345 | Delta, B.C. (Canada) | Football North Canada |
| Davian Humphrey | LB | 6-1 | 200 | Chicago, IL | Phillips |
| Carlyun Neal | WR | 5-11 | 180 | Cincinnati, OH | Withrow |
| Le'Javier Payne | DB | 5-8 | 170 | Chicago, IL | Chicago Mt. Carmel |
| Jett Reese | LB | 6-2 | 220 | Chicago, IL | DePaul College Prep |
| Barron Sholl | DL | 6-4 | 240 | Rockford, IL | Boylan Central Catholic |
| Cale Kimbro | LB | 6-1 | 205 | Mattoon, IL | Mattoon |
| Brock VanDeveer | LB | 6-1 | 210 | Mahomet, IL | Mahomet-Seymour |

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | TV |
| August 30 | Dayton* | O'Brien FieldCharleston, IL | TBA |
| September 6 | at Indiana State* | Memorial StadiumTerre Haute, IN | TBA |
| September 13 | Illinois State* | O'Brien FieldCharleston, IL (Mid-America Classic) | TBA |
| September 27 | at Western Illinois | Hanson FieldMacomb, IL | ESPN+ |
| October 4 | Tennessee State | O'Brien FieldCharleston, IL | ESPN+ |
| October 11 | Gardner–Webb | O'Brien FieldCharleston, IL | ESPN+ |
| October 18 | at Southeast Missouri State | Houck StadiumCape Girardeau, MO | ESPN+ |
| October 25 | at Charleston Southern | Buccaneer FieldNorth Charleston, SC | ESPN+ |
| November 1 | UT Martin | O'Brien FieldCharleston, IL | ESPN+ |
| November 8 | Tennessee Tech | O'Brien FieldCharleston, IL | ESPN+ |
| November 15 | at Lindenwood | Harlen C. Hunter StadiumSt. Charles, MO | ESPN+ |
| November 22 | at Alabama* | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL | TBA |
| *Non-conference gameHomecoming |||||

## Game summaries
### vs. Dayton

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Flyers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at O'Brien Field • Charleston, IL
* Date: Saturday August 30, 2025
* Game time: TBA
* TV announcers (TBA): TBA
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Dayton | Passing |
| Dayton | Rushing |
| Dayton | Receiving |
| Eastern Illinois | Passing |
| Eastern Illinois | Rushing |
| Eastern Illinois | Receiving |

### at Indiana State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sycamores | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN
* Date: Saturday September 6, 2025
* Game time: TBA
* TV announcers (TBA): TBA
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Eastern Illinois | Passing |
| Eastern Illinois | Rushing |
| Eastern Illinois | Receiving |
| Indiana State | Passing |
| Indiana State | Rushing |
| Indiana State | Receiving |

### vs. Illinois State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Redbirds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL
* Date: Saturday September 13, 2025
* Game time: TBA
* TV announcers (TBA): TBA
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Illinois State | Passing |
| Illinois State | Rushing |
| Illinois State | Receiving |
| Eastern Illinois | Passing |
| Eastern Illinois | Rushing |
| Eastern Illinois | Receiving |

### at Western Illinois

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leathernecks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Hanson Field • Macomb, IL
* Date: Saturday September 27, 2025
* Game time: TBA
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBA
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Eastern Illinois | Passing |
| Eastern Illinois | Rushing |
| Eastern Illinois | Receiving |
| Western Illinois | Passing |
| Western Illinois | Rushing |
| Western Illinois | Receiving |

### vs. Tennessee State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at O'Brien Field • Charleston, IL
* Date: Saturday October 4, 2025
* Game time: TBA
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBA
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Tennessee State | Passing |
| Tennessee State | Rushing |
| Tennessee State | Receiving |
| Eastern Illinois | Passing |
| Eastern Illinois | Rushing |
| Eastern Illinois | Receiving |

### vs. Gardner–Webb

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Runnin' Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at O'Brien Field • Charleston, IL
* Date: Saturday October 11, 2025
* Game time: TBA
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBA
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Gardner–Webb | Passing |
| Gardner–Webb | Rushing |
| Gardner–Webb | Receiving |
| Eastern Illinois | Passing |
| Eastern Illinois | Rushing |
| Eastern Illinois | Receiving |

### at Southeast Missouri State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Redhawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Houck Stadium • Cape Girardeau, MO
* Date: Saturday October 18, 2025
* Game time: TBA
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBA
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Eastern Illinois | Passing |
| Eastern Illinois | Rushing |
| Eastern Illinois | Receiving |
| Southeast Missouri State | Passing |
| Southeast Missouri State | Rushing |
| Southeast Missouri State | Receiving |

### at Charleston Southern

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Buccaneers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Buccaneer Field • North Charleston, SC
* Date: Saturday October 25, 2025
* Game time: TBA
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBA
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Eastern Illinois | Passing |
| Eastern Illinois | Rushing |
| Eastern Illinois | Receiving |
| Charleston Southern | Passing |
| Charleston Southern | Rushing |
| Charleston Southern | Receiving |

### vs. UT Martin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Skyhawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at O'Brien Field • Charleston, IL
* Date: Saturday November 1, 2025
* Game time: TBA
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBA
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| UT Martin | Passing |
| UT Martin | Rushing |
| UT Martin | Receiving |
| Eastern Illinois | Passing |
| Eastern Illinois | Rushing |
| Eastern Illinois | Receiving |

### vs. Tennessee Tech

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at O'Brien Field • Charleston, IL
* Date: Saturday November 8, 2025
* Game time: TBA
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBA
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Tennessee Tech | Passing |
| Tennessee Tech | Rushing |
| Tennessee Tech | Receiving |
| Eastern Illinois | Passing |
| Eastern Illinois | Rushing |
| Eastern Illinois | Receiving |

### at Lindenwood

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Harlen C. Hunter Stadium • St. Charles, MO
* Date: Saturday November 15, 2025
* Game time: TBA
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBA
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Eastern Illinois | Passing |
| Eastern Illinois | Rushing |
| Eastern Illinois | Receiving |
| Lindenwood | Passing |
| Lindenwood | Rushing |
| Lindenwood | Receiving |

### at (FBS) Alabama

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| (FBS) Crimson Tide | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL
* Date: Saturday November 22, 2025
* Game time: TBA
* TV announcers (TBA): TBA
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Eastern Illinois | Passing |
| Eastern Illinois | Rushing |
| Eastern Illinois | Receiving |
| Alabama | Passing |
| Alabama | Rushing |
| Alabama | Receiving |