CARBONDALE — Southern Illinois Football announced five more recruits yesterday as the second signing period opened up for College Football.  Among those five, the Salukis managed to reel in a local standout in Fairfield running back Cade Carter.

Carter was first-team All-Conference in the Black Diamond in 2018 and 2019 and Captain of the Conference in 2019.  In his senior season Carter led the Mules with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions.  He played varsity in all four seasons at Fairfield and helped lead the Mules to a 37-5 record during his time at the school and four conference titles.  He is listed as a wide receiver on SIU’s roster.

“Cade has a tremendous work ethic and an extremely high football IQ.  He has been a major part of our success the last few years,” says Fairfield coach Justin Townsend.  “I have no doubt that he will transition well to the next level and be a big time contributor for the Salukis.”

“We try to take our football team to a game every year at SIU and many of our athletes attend football camp at SIU,” continued Townsend.  “The thought of having a former Mule run out with the Salukis is very exciting!”

Running back Robert Jones III also joined the roster.  He recorded 1,182 rushing yards, 400 receiving yards, and 12 touchdowns in his senior season at Cedar Groves High School in Georgia.  Jones helped his team to a 10-1 record and state championship in 2018.  He originally signed with Army in 2019 but attended military prep school in the fall and did not play football this past fall.

Coach Nick Hill also announced three transfers to the team since the first signing period.  Senior defensive tackle Jajuan Blankenship from Tulsa, senior cornerback Roderick Campbell from Northwestern, and sophomore defensive tackle Devin Love from Monroe College, were added during January.

The Saluki recruiting class grew to a total of 23 thanks to all the new incoming players.