2010 FOOTBALL CLASS BIOS

2010 FOOTBALL CLASS HIGHLIGHT VIDEO

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois head football coach Bob Spoo announced the signing of 19 players to national letters of intent on Wednesday afternoon as schools around the country had national signing day for football. The class includes a mixture of players including three former high school quarterbacks and five defensive backs. Two of the players are local products in Charleston High School wide receiver Adam Drake and Marshall High School quarterback Taylor Duncan. 

“I think our staff did a great job getting some outstanding young men to join our program,” said Spoo who was named OVC Coach of the Year in 2009. “Recruiting is about building relationships and those relationships have helped us sign some talented football players this year.” 


When asked about how this class ranks compared to others in his 23-year EIU career, Spoo stated “It's had to tell how good this class will be. I have learned that it takes a while to really evaluate where each class stacks up. I can tell you that we are very pleased with the class that we have brought in and feel that they will all be able to compete for Eastern Illinois.” 

EIU signed several local players and Spoo was again excited to talk about those incoming players. “The local players we signed, (Adam Drake and Taylor Duncan) are both good athletes. They just happen to be local players. They both come from great families and are familiar with our program from coming to summer camps at Eastern. I think both are talented players who will be in the mix for playing time.” 

Another unique signee for Eastern Illinois is kicker Cameron Berra, a relative of former New York Yankee baseball great Yogi Berra. “He is indeed a relative of Yogi and we just had to sign him to keep defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni (a lifelong Yankee fan) happy,” Spoo joked. “He is a great find for our program and a very talented athlete who will also play baseball at EIU. We were able to work out an arrangement with our baseball staff that allowed Cameron (Berra) the ability to play both sports.” 

Eastern Illinois finished the 2009 season by winning the Ohio Valley Conference championship with an 8-4 overall record. EIU advanced to its 13th FCS playoff appearance and ended the season ranked No. 15. 

The Panthers will open the 2010 season on September 4 at Iowa 

2010 FOOTBALL CLASS BIOS