Southern Illinois University-Carbondale football Coach Nick Hill recently named five new Saluki team members, all transfers, to the squad’s roster for the 2016 season — with players hailing from the West, Midwest and South.
Deionte Gaines (WR, Colorado State), C.J. Jennings (CB, Wyoming), Jarvis Leverett, Jr. (RB, Kansas State), Vince Martin (S, New Mexico Military Institute) and Ryan Sousa (WR, Florida) will all be eligible to play immediately.
Gaines (5-8, 180) originally started in Orlando, Florida, before attending Colorado State.
Jennings (5-10, 182) also has Orlando connections, arriving at SIU after record-setting tackles in games against Nevada and UNLV.
Leverett (5-11, 203) comes from Katy, Texas, and most recently played at Kansas State. In high school, Leverett was ranked as Texas’ eight-best running back by the Houston Chronicle.
Martin (6-0, 195), a Miami native, played two seasons at New Mexico Military Institute, tallying 28 tackles.
Sousa (6-0, 195), another Orlando original, ranked as a Florida All-Stater his junior and senior years, accumulating over 4,100 yards and 53 TD catches.
Hill, who joined SIU’s coaching staff in 2014 as quarterback coach, was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2015 and launched a successful offensive strategy reboot. Hill became head football coach for the Salukis in December 2015.
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