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The Daily Eastern News

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The student news site of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois.

The Daily Eastern News

The student news site of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois.

The Daily Eastern News

Running back, redshirt Freshman  Jacarre Fleming  takes the ball running during Football pratice at O'Braine stadium on the Eastern Illinois University campus, Charleston Ill.

Panther running back shares meaning behind nickname in Q&A

Cameron Thomas, Sports Reporter May 7, 2025

Redshirt freshman running back Jacarre Fleming is in his second year with the Panthers.  Fleming started playing flag football at 3 years old and played his first tackle football game at 6 years...

Eastern redshirt sophomore Jay Pearson runs the ball during the football game against Charleston Southern University Saturday at O'Brien Stadium. The Panthers won 16-13.

Youth talent takes starting role at EIU

Cameron Thomas, Sports Reporter April 24, 2025

Jay Pearson, a redshirt junior running back from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was 5 years old when his father Brenden Pearson introduced him to football.  “My dad, he played semi-pro,” Jay Pearson...

Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman, Panayiotis Mihalopoulos, lines up with the offensive line with the ball to throw it back during football practice at O'Brien Field on April 10.

Offensive lineman shares early hockey stint in Q&A

Zaria Flippin, Sports Editor April 17, 2025

Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Panayiotis Mihalopoulos is going into his third year with the Panthers.  Mihalopoulos started playing football during his freshman year of high school, but his...

Quterback redshirt junior Joey Sprinkle, pratices his throw and passes during practice at O'Brien Field on the Eastern Illinois University campus, April 3, 2025

Redshirt junior quarterback discusses position room strengths in Q&A

Zaria Flippin, Sports Editor April 16, 2025

Redshirt junior quarterback Joey Sprinkle is getting ready to go into his second year with Eastern’s program.  Sprinkle, from Monticello, played soccer and baseball growing up and didn’t start...

Senior wide receiver Jamal Jeffers observes his teammates during practice at O'Brien Field on Wednesday, at Eastern Illinois University, Charleston Ill.

EIU wide receiver talks transfer process in Q&A

Zaria Flippin, Sports Editor October 25, 2024

Senior wide receiver Jamal Jeffers is in his second year with the Panthers with one year left of eligibility. The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma native first started his football journey as a quarterback...

Head Football Coach, Chris Wilkerson waits with the football team to run on the hancock field before the Illinois State University, vs Eastern Illinois University

Lindenwood upsets Eastern football in comeback victory

Zaria Flippin, Sports Editor September 28, 2024

Lindenwood’s duo of senior quarterback Nate Glantz and junior wide receiver Jeff Caldwell was enough for the Lions to escape O’Brien Stadium with a 28-25 win over the Panthers Saturday afternoon. The...

Running back shares favorite memory with EIU in Q&A

Running back shares favorite memory with EIU in Q&A

Zaria Flippin, Sports Editor September 14, 2024

Redshirt sophomore running back MJ Flowers shared his favorite memory with Eastern’s football program and who he thinks the greatest football player of all time is.   Q: When did you first...

The football team is practices for their home opener on Saturday.

Eastern prepares for home opener against Indiana State

Payton Liggins, Sports Reporter September 5, 2024

After a tough 45-0 loss to UofI, Eastern’s looking to secure their first win of the season at the home opener against Indiana State University this Saturday. Senior defensive lineman Nicholas Oliveira-Chace noticed...

EIU assistant coach Andrew Strobel directs players after the the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign score a touchdown during the team's season opener at Memorial Stadium Thursday night. The Panthers were shut out 45-0 against the Fighting Illini.

EIU football takeaways by the numbers

Zaria Flippin, Sports Editor September 1, 2024

Eastern kicked off the 2024 season with a 45-0 blowout loss against the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. Turnovers were a key aspect of the loss, as the Panthers recorded four turnovers against...

Senior wide receiver DeAirious Smith drops a pass during the team's season opener against the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana at Memorial Stadium Thursday night.

EIU football fumbles UofI

Aidan Cusack, Multimedia Editor August 30, 2024

Eastern Illinois football had a problem against the University of Illinois during Thursday's home opener. The dreaded turnover bug; a significant ailment that led to Eastern’s 45-0 loss. “Tip...

Redshirt sophomore Jay Pearson getting the catch during the scrimmage game, on the O'Brain field on the Eastern Illinios Campus August 20,2024.

Running back speaks on position change, injury battle

Zaria Flippin, Sports Editor August 21, 2024

Redshirt sophomore running back Jay Pearson discussed his reasoning on switching from a quarterback to a running back and how his experience has helped him develop throughout his football career.   Q:...

Pierce Holley, a junior quarter back practice throwing the ball at O'Brien Field wednesday afternoon.

Holley speaks on summer training in Q&A

Zaria Flippin, Sports Editor June 14, 2024

Graduate student Pierce Holley closed out the 2023 season with a Second Team Big South-Ohio Valley Conference mention. On April 28, right after Eastern’s spring scrimmage, Holley was named a team...

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