Eastern head coach Bob Spoo and the Panther coaching staff announced the 14 players of the 2005 recruiting class, 10 of whom are in-state players.

Bryan Flynn, wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator, emphasized focusing its efforts in attracting Illinois athletes.

“We’re committed to recruiting in state, Chicago and the Charleston area, and they’ve been good to us the last two years,” Flynn said.

Wide receiver Joey Coia, second all-time in receiving yards in IHSA history with 3,279, highlights the 14 new recruits that signed with Eastern football yesterday.

Outside of Coia, the Panthers recruited two more wide receivers to add to their receiving corp. Coia may also be used to return kicks, Spoo said, and could help improve Eastern’s troubled special teams of last year.

The Panthers signed eight offensive players, four of whom were linemen, with another lineman expected to sign later this week. With Eastern returning its whole offensive line from last year, the Panthers can wait for these players to develop, offensive line coach Mark Hudson said, but he still expects his new recruits to be competitive.

“Two of those guys have to step up out of that group,” Hudson said. “We’ll probably red-shirt the rest.”

The Panthers added another quarterback, giving them five total. Kyle Kniss, of Lanark Eastland High School, was an All-State quarterback and was the Freeport Journal Standard player of the year. Kniss played in an identical offense to Eastern’s in high school, Spoo said, and will have a head start when he joins the Panthers.

“More and more true freshman are able to (compete for starting spots),” Spoo said. “They’re better prepared and bigger and stronger.”

On the defensive side of the ball, Eastern added four defensive backs. The defensive backfield is also returning all of its starters from last season.

Two of the standouts of the defensive backs are Adrian Arrington, of Bloomington High School, and Justin Moore, of Colerain High School in Cincinnati. Arrington was an Illinois Football Coaches Association All-State selection and was the Big 12 conference defensive MVP. Arrington was a member of Colerain’s state champion team that was also ranked fifth nationally in prep football.

Defensive linemen Daniel Moore and linebacker Anthony Morrison round out the 2005 recruiting class and are additions to Eastern’s two groups that will be taking the biggest hits in personnel. Moore was the St. Louis Post-Dispatch defensive player of the year.

Overall, Spoo was pleased with the recruiting class but knows that he can’t make an immediate evaluation.

“If (this recruiting class) can measure up to the last two, we’ll be successful,” Spoo said. “It will be a year or two before we can evaluate.”

The recruiting process isn’t finished up, though. Four more players – a defensive and offensive lineman, a wide receiver and a kicker – will visit this weekend, Spoo said.

2005 Football Recruits

Adrian Arrington, 6-0, 186 lbs., Fr, DB, Bloomington, IL (Bloomington)

Joey Coia, 6-0, 180, Fr, WR, Riverside, IL (Riverside-Brookfield)

Joel Evers, 6-1, 185, Fr, WR, Barrington, IL (Barrington)

Irvin Jean-Charles, 5-11, 175, Fr, DB, Plantation, FL (Northeast)

Adam Kesler, 5-10, 170, Fr, WR, Dewey, IL (Mahomet-Seymour)

Kyle Kniss, 6-0, 205, Fr, QB, Lanark, IL (Eastland-Pearl City)

Seymour Loftman, 5-11, 177, Fr, DB, Plantation, FL (American Heritage)

Chaz Millard, 6-3, 275, Fr, OL, St. Charles, IL (St. Charles North)

Daniel Moore, 6-2, 240, Fr, DL, O’Fallon, IL (O’Fallon)

Justin Moore, 5-11, 175, Fr, DB, Cincinnati, OH (Colerain)

Anthony Morrison, 6-0, 219, Fr, LB, Bolingbrook, IL (Romeoville)

Will Norris, 6-7, 292, Fr, OL, Baltimore, OH (Liberty Union)

Mike Scheibel, 6-3, 285, Fr, OL, Highland, IL (Highland)

Chris Vaccaro, 6-4, 290, Fr, OL, Kankakee, IL (Bishop McNamara)