Southern Illinois is building one of the top 2017 recruiting classes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference — and the Salukis have been mega-busy in the past week, specifically.
Three new prospects came on board in just the past couple of days, and a fourth came on board in late October. DL/OL Tate Rujawitz, DB Dijon Anderson and ATH D.J. Hampton all gave their pledge to SIU with 24 
hours of each other, and they joined LB Bryan Strong as pledges in the past couple of weeks.
Hampton is a great example of the job SIU does in bringing in players from Florida. He's out of Sanford, just north of Orlando. Rujawitz and Anderson are from the states of Illinois and Indiana respectively, while Strong is also from Illinois. Strong said he's been in touch with the coaching staff and they say there are 11 players on board, though some haven't come out publicly about their commitment.
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"That just shows great great of a staff we have at SIU," Strong told HERO Sports. "The program is in our coaches' hearts. Our own head coach (Nick Hill) is a former player, and so are a few other coaches on staff. I love the direction this program is headed and after our state playoffs I'll be even more excited to get on campus and just start working."
Rujawitz, one of the more recent pledges, agreed.
"I really just fell in love with the school and the coaching staff when I took a visit down there," Rujawitz told HERO Sports. "I just think it's the best place for me. They just love that I'm a big physical player and I love the game of football. I'm looking to play defense but whatever helps the team, I'll do."
Quarterback Reece Goddard, Strong and Hampton are rated two-star prospects by at least one recruiting service.
| POS | RECRUIT | HOMETOWN | HGT | WGT | COMMITTED? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Reece Goddard | Kirkwood, Mo. | 6'2" | 210 | 6/20/2016 |
| OL | Max Edwards | Johnston City, Ill. | 6'6" | 275 | 6/27/2016 |
| LB | Bryson Strong | Belleville, Ill. | 5'11" | 215 | 10/22/2016 |
| ATH | D.J. Hampton | Sanford, Fla. | 5'9" | 180 | 11/2/2016 |
| DL/OL | Tate Rujawitz | Edwardsville, Ill. | 6'3" | 290 | 11/3/2016 |
| DB | Dijon Anderson | Indianapolis, Ind. | 5'10" | 160 | 11/3/2016 |
| DB | Jalen Moore | Franklin Park, Ill. | 6'0" | 165 | n/a |
| DB | Mike Ebert | Carl Junction, Mo. | 6'2" | 185 | n/a |
| TE | Devin Jones | DuQuoin, Ill. | 6'4" | 260 | n/a |
