Leatherneck Football Reports to Practice

Head coach Charlie Fisher and the Leathernecks go through the first of 29 preseason practices

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MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois returned to the football practice field and for the first time since late April, the Leathernecks and head coach Charlie Fisher went through a two hour practice on Wednesday afternoon (Aug. 3).

The first year head coach noted that day one was much of what was expected as 95 student-athletes reported for fall camp the day before.

"It was a typical first day. First off, you have a lot of energy, enthusiasm, and the guys are looking forward to get going. But it was a typical first day that was sloppy in spurts and good at times, so organizationally we just need to get better," said Fisher. "We need to be smoother and more polished, but the effort and competitiveness is there. Those are good things you want to see in your team… You always have to get back into the flow of practice and in the flow of seeing things 11-on-11 and playing football. In the summer, it's a little bit different, but I saw a whole lot of good things that we can continue to build on. But it's day one and we still have a lot of work ahead of us."

During the first days of camp, Western will take to the practice fields and the natural grass turf.

"I love it. I'm a natural grass guy and we're going to be out here as much as we can, but we also have to remember that we play on turf, so there's going to have to be days when we're over there (at Hanson Field). But early in camp, we want to take advantage of these fields," said Fisher. "The school did a great job of taking care of the fields, especially when the (St. Louis) Rams were here, so we're going to use them and it's good on the heat for our players."

Western will have another day of no pads, then practice two consecutive days with shoulder pads only. The team is scheduled to practice later in the afternoon those days.

"Tomorrow's (Thursday) practice will be very similar. It will be the same thing where we work on different situations here and specific things with certain players. We want a high tempo and want to be polished in the transition from drill-to-drill and from team period-to-team period."

ROSTER MOVE: Senior defensive lineman Jean-Marc Charles will forego his senior year due to an injury. He sat out the 2015 season due to injuries as well. Charles, who played as a true-freshman, will stay affiliated with the program this season. In 23 career games, he recorded 22 tackles, 2.5 for a loss, 1.5 sacks, recovered two fumbles and intercepted a pass. Charles recently finished his requirements for a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science.

THREE NEW TRANSFERS: Western also welcomed three more transfers during the summer, two from the FBS level… Junior defensive back Alex Olivas recorded three interceptions last year at Chaffey College in California. He made 28 tackles and broke up five passes… Junior quarterback Cameron Birse was a three-year member of the Arkansas State program. He played in nine career games, including eight last season. Birse completed 4-of-4 passes for 37 yards in his career… Sophomore tight end Joe Turk saw action in nine games as a true-freshman at UCF. He saw action mainly on special teams.

OTHER ROSTER NOTES: Senior wide receiver J'Vaughn Williams moved from No.15 to No.11... Defensive lineman Matt Costenson-Segura moved to No. 92… Freshman Darron Wheeler started fall camp at defensive back… A total of 21 true-freshman worked through their first Division I football practice. On the flip side, the Leathernecks have a total of 12 seniors participating in fall camp.

TICKETS ON SALE: Tickets for the five home games are on sale. Fans can purchase tickets by calling (309) 298-1190 or online at www.GoLeathernecks.com. The preseason 16th-ranked Leathernecks open the season on Sept. 1 at Eastern Illinois. The home opener versus Northern Arizona is set for Sept. 10 at 3 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#90 Jean-Marc Charles: DL; 6' 4"; Junior; Hollywood Hills

#92 Matt Costenson-Segura: DL; 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman; Kewanee

#11 J'Vaughn Williams: WR; 6' 5"; Senior; Collinsville

#12 Darron Wheeler: DB; 5' 11"; Freshman; Belleville

#21 Alex Olivas: DB; 5' 9"; Junior; Upland / Chaffey College

#41 Joe Turk: RB; 6' 2"; Sophomore; Ridge Point / UCF

Players Mentioned

#90 Jean-Marc Charles
: 6' 4"; Junior; Hollywood Hills
: DL

#92 Matt Costenson-Segura
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman; Kewanee
: DL

#11 J'Vaughn Williams
: 6' 5"; Senior; Collinsville
: WR

#12 Darron Wheeler
: 5' 11"; Freshman; Belleville
: DB

#21 Alex Olivas
: 5' 9"; Junior; Upland / Chaffey College
: DB

#41 Joe Turk
: 6' 2"; Sophomore; Ridge Point / UCF
: RB