Western Courier

Issue date: 2/9/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: AJ Self The Western Illinois football team added 10 players on the defense to help bolster the second to last defense in the Gateway Football Conference last year.

National signing day went by with no signs of trepidation for Leathernecks football coach Don Patterson.

Nineteen commitments kept their word and signed on the dotted line agreeing by late Wednesday morning to play for Western Illinois in the fall.

"We've had a very good batting average," said Patterson Thursday afternoon. "The guys we brought in - we've hit on a good percentage of them, and the vast majority of them signed on signing day."

Western addressed its two biggest needs by signing a punter and four defensive linemen.

Punter Chris Fuchs was the 10th-ranked high school punter, according to Scout.com, and will have an opportunity to pitch for the Leathernecks baseball team.

"The guy we chose is the guy we signed," Patterson said of Fuchs, who averaged 44 yards per punt his senior year of high school. "(Fuchs) is a great athlete and a perfect fit for us."

Two of the defensive linemen are junior college transfers. Defensive end Josh Galloway is already on campus and Clinton Barley was the other signee, a 6-foot-3-inch, 300-pound interior defensive lineman from Coffeyville Community College.

"We felt like we needed some older, more mature guys to join us on defense," Patterson said. "If you're going to recruit an older player, you have to recruit them with the idea that they will help you immediately, if not sooner."

The only other junior college transfer was wide receiver Trent Yancy from Pasadena City College. He only stands at 5-foot-8-inches but draws comparisons to former Leatherneck James Norris, who was with Western during the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

Yancy will be a sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining.

The Leathernecks also signed another receiver under six feet tall - Todd Speight from Bradenton, Fla. He was named third-team all-state from the Florida Sports Writers Association and can also return kickoffs and punts.

"(Speight) might have the skills to help us as a (true) freshman," Patterson said. "I'm anxious to see what he can do."

Other incoming freshmen include four linebackers - Anthony D'Astice, Teague Dentino, Mike Garoppolo and Vince Veltre - all of whom have Italian heritage, according to Patterson.

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