Alabama football Week 13 opponent preview: Eastern Illinois Panthers

On Saturday afternoon, the Alabama Crimson Tide welcome an unfamiliar opponent to Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium in the Eastern Illinois Panthers.

Alabama's final regular season opponent, the Panthers come to Tuscaloosa as a FCS program who has struggled at times this fall, especially recently. Because of this, do the Panthers have what it takes to come into Tuscaloosa to potentially give Alabama troubles on Saturday afternoon?

Following is everything you need to know about the Eastern Illinois Panthers ahead of Saturday's game against the Crimson Tide.

Eastern Illinois Panthers 2025 team overview

• Conference: OVC-Big South

• Stadium: O'Brien Field, Charleston, Illinois

• Record: 3-8 overall (2-6 in OVC-Big South)

• Ranking: Unranked in FCS Coaches Poll

Eastern Illinois comes to Tuscaloosa in the midst of a rough 2025 season that includes a 3-8 overall record. The Panthers also own a 2-6 record in conference play, and have lost six-straight dating back to Oct. 11.

Eastern Illinois Panthers 2025 coaching staff

• Head Coach: Chris Wilkerson

• Offensive Coordinator: Kyle Derickson

• Defensive Coordinator: Andrew Strobel

The head coach of the Panthers is Chris Wilkerson, who is currently in his fourth season at the helm of the Eastern Illinois program. Under Wilkerson, the Panthers own a combined 16-29 overall record dating back to 2022.

Eastern Illinois Panthers 2025 offensive stats

• Points Per Game: 19.3

• Total Yards Per Game: 322.4

• Passing Yards Per Game: 178.1

• Rushing Yards Per Game: 144.3

The Panthers offense has struggled at times offensively this season, averaging only 19.3 points per game coming to Tuscaloosa. Eastern Illinois offensively is nearly equal in terms of passing and rushing yardage per game, with the two combining for 322.4 total a contest.

Eastern Illinois Panthers 2025 defensive stats

• Points Per Game Allowed: 26.7

• Total Yards Per Game Allowed: 375

• Passing Yards Per Game Allowed: 230.7

• Rushing Yards Per Game Allowed: 144.3

Defensively, the Panthers have also seen some struggles at times this season, allowing an average of 26.7 points a game to opponents. Eastern Illinois is also allowing an average of 375 yards per game to opponents, a majority of which come through the passing game.

Eastern Illinois Panthers 2025 offensive players to know

• Charles Kellom, Running Back, Redshirt Junior

• Cole LaCrue, Quarterback, Redshirt Sophomore

• DeAirious Smith, Wide Receiver, Graduate Student

• Connor Wolf, Quarterback, Redshirt Freshman

• CJ Nelson, Wide Receiver, Redshirt Junior

The Panthers offense has used two quarterbacks often this season in Cole LaCrue and Connor Wolf, the former of which is a Wisconsin transfer who is also one of Eastern Illinois' top rushers this season. Leading the Panthers in rushing this season is Charles Kellom, while DeAirious Smith and CJ Nelson are prominent wideouts alongside of Cooper Willman.

Eastern Illinois Panthers 2025 defensive players to know

• Ja'Wuan Nickson, Linebacker, Junior

• Tylan Foster, Linebacker, Senior

• Samuel Robles, Defensive Line, Junior

• Isaiah Houi, Defensive Back, Sophomore

• Moses Alexander, Defensive Back, Redshirt Senior

The duo of Ja'Wuan Nickson and Tylan Foster are tied for the Eastern Illinois team lead with 89 total tackles this season. Samuel Robles is also a notable name to know as the junior leads the Panthers with four sacks this season, as is Moses Alexander, a redshirt senior defensive back who has three interceptions.

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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama football vs. Eastern Illinois Week 13 team, roster preview