Dru DeShields verbally commits to play football at Eastern Illinois

BELOIT — Dru DeShields' dream to play football at the next level took another step when he verbally committed to Eastern Illinois University in early August.

His decision came during the preseason practice schedule prior to the start of his senior year with the West Branch Warriors.

Eastern Illinois, located in Charleston, is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference and competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. Its Division I status was one of the major selling points.

"It was my only D1 full ride scholarship offer," DeShields said. "That was important."

Eastern Illinois has a playoff championship pedigree, capturing the 1978 Division II playoff title with a 10-9 win over Delaware. Since moving a division, the Panthers have experienced success, highlighted by a 12-2 record in 2013 when current Syracuse head coach Dino Babers was in charge of the program.

In the last three seasons, however, the Panthers struggled, posting an aggregate 3-26 record, resulting in some coaching changes. Following the 2021 season, Chris Wilkerson was hired as head coach and Joe Davis became the new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Davis also was the coach who recruited DeShields and his presence played a major factor in the West Branch senior selecting Eastern Illinois.

"Coach Davis was a big help during the recruiting process, especially with me, and that's (one reason) why I think (DeShields) made a good decision," West Branch first-year head coach Tim Cooper said. "He also gets the chance to play for a Division I school without a veteran in the (quarterback) room."

Cooper, who was the West Branch offensive coordinator under previous head coach Ken Harris and intends on staying in that capacity, and Davis share one football commonality that made DeShields feel comfortable when examining the program.

"Coach Davis runs the same offense Coach Cooper runs at West Branch," DeShields added. "I love our offense, because it's a numbers system based on creating mismatches."

In his first year running Cooper's spread offense, DeShields complied video game-like numbers, completing an efficient 68 percent of his passing attempts (259 of 383) for 3,654 yards and 41 touchdowns. He was more than a one-dimensional signal caller, rushing for 1,726 yards and 16 scores.

A three-sport athlete who played basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring as a sophomore, DeShields started intensifying his commitment to football during his junior year, when he gave up baseball for track.

"I switched to track, even though I liked baseball and my dad (Walt) and older brothers (Kip and TJ) had also played it," DeShields said. "I wanted to improve my speed for football, because I wanted to play football in college and I thought the best way to do that was running track. My dad understood and supported me."

His decision was rewarded. Before the 6-2, 187-pound DeShields ran track, his best time in the 40 was a 4.7. By focusing on track last spring, he cut it to 4.5, making him more attractive to college recruiters.

DeShields, who also plays cornerback, was recruited as a quarterback by a university known for developing signal callers. Former National Football League head coaches Mike Shanahan (early 1970s) and Sean Payton (1983-86), along with former Dallas starter Tony Romo (1999-2002) and Jimmy Garoppolo (2010-13), who started for San Francisco the last five seasons, all played quarterback at Eastern Illinois, although Shanahan's career was cut short due to a kidney injury.

"They had successful people who went on to the NFL who played quarterback at Eastern Illinois," DeShields said. "That says a lot."

Lindenwood (Mo.), Murray State, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin are Eastern Illinois' OVC rivals, and the Panthers have been ambitious with scheduling non-conference road games in the immediate future, something which impressed DeShields.

"They scheduled games at Illinois (2024), Alabama (2025), Minnesota (2026) and Kentucky (2028)," he added. "That tells me they're serious about turning things around and I'm excited."

But first, West Branch football will command his sole attention in 2022.

"That's all my focus is on, and I plan to take it one day at a time, and my decision allows me to concentrate on West Branch (football)," DeShields said.

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: West Branch quarterback Dru DeShields commits to Eastern Illinois