The Ohio Valley Conference in association with the Big South announced their preseason offensive and defensive players to watch this past week. Western Illinois University is proud to recognize a select group of Leathernecks expected to make a major impact on the field. Highlighted for their standout performances, leadership, and work ethic during offseason training, these offensive, defensive, and preseason players to watch represent the future of WIU Football. Their commitment sets the tone for a promising season ahead. The Ohio Valley Conference selected these players, to recognize their hard work and highlight them.
Western Illinois was selected 5th out of 9 schools based off the OVC PreSeason Poll.
2025 OVC-Big South Predicted Order of Finish
1. Tennessee Tech (5 first-place votes) 57 points
2. UT Martin (2) 56
3. Southeast Missouri (2) 53
4. Lindenwood 39
5. Western Illinois 30
6. Eastern Illinois 24
Gardner-Webb 24
8. Tennessee State 23
9. Charleston Southern 18
OFFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Chris Irvin (Sr.)- Quarterback
Markell Holman (Jr.)- Running Back
Christian Anaya (Jr.)-Wide Reciever
Brandon Lanier (Grad.)- Tight End
Dagen Miller (Sr.)- Offensive Line
Demari Davis (Sr.)- All Purpose
Antonio Chadha (Sr.)- Placekicker
DEFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Peyton Bradford (Grad.)- Defensive Line
Christian Pierce (Grad.)- Linebacker
Willie Jones (Jr.)- Defensive Back
Avery Knight (R-Fr.)- Kick Return Specialist
Demari Davis (Sr.)- Punt Return Specialist
Ben Bergfield (Jr.)- Long Snapper
Following the release of the players to watch, the Ohio Valley Conference held their virtual media day, where Coach Joe Davis, Defensive Line Graduate Student Peyton Bradford, and All Purpose Senior Demari Davis joined via Zoom to talk about expectations for the following year, share the wins from the previous season, and highlight their players and how they have done in previous seasons.
Coach Joe Davis first shared how successful the football team has been academically in their 2024 season, and how he is anticipating the same success for the 2025 season. “We’re certainly excited, very proud of this football team, in terms of how far we have come here in my first 16 months, and probably most proud of how far we’ve come academically… We’ve achieved over a 3.0 GPA as a team for the entire school year, it matters to us as coaches, to players, and to this university that we’re excellent students and we’re representing this campus in a first class manner in the class room”.
While celebrating their successes, Davis shared about his feelings toward the upcoming 2025 football season saying, “I’m excited to see this team on the field. We have taken a lot of strides when it comes to recruiting, I’m very impressed and proud of how hard our staff has worked when it comes to recruiting, it was reflected by signing the top high school recruiting class in the OVC Big South for the class of 2025, and being able to sign the top 20 national of the transfer portal class. This is going to be a very competitive camp for us, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and I’m excited to see these guys get their pads on and start to learn our systems and compete on day-to-day basis”. Davis then shares his thoughts on the schedule and the teams the Leathernecks will go on to compete against, “Very well aware of our schedule and the challenges that it does present, we’re excited about it, to play the two power four state programs here…I’m excited to be able to go and represent Western Illinois on the road against what will be the top 10 or top 15 Big 10 team… when asked about how I feel, I can promise you this, this team won’t blink and we’ll be ready to go. We have the talent to be very competitive in those games.”
“I’m as excited about this offensive line as I have been in recent years as an offensive coordinator. Our offensive line coach, Brad Wilson, he’s an unbelievable coach. He’s one of our best assistant coaches, he has completely flipped our offensive linemen… we’re never going to be a small offensive line. We’re going to recruit for size, length, and physicality in multi-sport guys. Coach Wilson has really led that charge… Dagen Miller has a chance to be one of the best offensive lineman in the country… That offensive line, I’m head over heels for it.”
“We struck gold at the midyear with a transfer with James Duran from the University of Wisconsin, who hadn’t played at all at Wisconsin, we didn’t know what we were getting, and thus far through 15 spring practices and off-season workouts, talent wise, physicality, and character, this young man should be one of the best tackles in the OVC Big South”
“I think the competition is elevated,” Davis shares about the conference and the schools, “I have a unique perspective than most in that I’ve coached in four different FCFS conferences… I think the OVC Big South has really asserted itself and is one of the top conferences in FCFS football… I’m impressed with the league and am proud to be a part of it.”
Peyton Bradford, Senior Defensive End, interviewed with the OVC, sharing his thoughts and accomplishments of the team. “There’s a lot of new going on. I’m really excited about how new everything is and how we have an opportunity to put ourselves back into the spot that we were before. It’s really just a lot of excitement for us.”
“The team and I have put in a lot of work in the weight room and on the field, doing player led practices in the morning, holding each other accountable, doing a lot of player leadership and making sure that we’re all on the right track as a team. With the help of some of my teammates and other defensive linemen, it’s just been constant work, so I think with that consistency, going into this next season, there’s no reason why we can’t do that every game. I think that we’re going to thrive with this team.”
“I would like the defense to be a hard nose, no B.S. defensive scheme,” shared Bradford on his expectations for the defensive team, “I want people to be scared to run the ball against us, and when they’re scheduled to run the ball against us, they try to throw the ball, I want the quarterback to have fear that we are coming after them, that no matter what decision they make, it’s the wrong decision. I want them to know that we’re coming after them no matter what they run… I really just want them to have the worst time. I want them to see Leathernecks on the schedule and say ‘Oh my gosh, we’re going to have one hell of a time.’ That’s what I want.”
The Leathernecks will face the Fighting Illini August 29th at the University of Illinois Memorial Stadium.
***Courtesy of Western Illinois University***
