After a 3-8 finish in 1997, SIUC football coach Jan Quarless is making it known just how much better his 1998 squad can be.

Quarless announced the signings of 18 players to national letters of intent late Wednesday afternoon as well as the addition of transfers from the University of Kansas and Iowa State University.

Nine Illinois natives top the list, followed by players from Missouri, Michigan, Florida, Mississippi, Iowa and Pennsylvania.

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With a disappointing debut three months behind them, Quarless and his staff’s intense recruiting schedule has paid off in a big way.

We’re pleased with our first true recruiting class, especially in that we feel there’s some quality involved, Quarless stated in a press release. We definitely had some areas we needed help in, and we feel we’ve covered those fairly well.

One of those areas was the Saluki defense, where SIUC ranked at the bottom of the Gateway Football Conference in two categories in 1997. The Salukis gave up a league-worst 275.5 yards per game on the ground, more than 75 yards more per game than their nearest opponent.

SIUC also finished last in conference play in total defense, giving up an average of 459.6 yards per game.

Quarless added 13 defensive players with his first recruiting class, including defensive tackle Jason Weite, who transferred from Iowa State at the semester break and is enrolled in classes at SIUC.

Joining Weite on the defensive line is Brad Burtnette, a freshman from Downer’s Grove; Mike Hart, a freshman from Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; Ryan McAllister, a freshman from Ottumwa, Iowa; Mike Nelson, a freshman from Poplar Bluff, Mo.; and Matt Scheffler, a freshman from Springfield who can also play offensive line.

The Salukis also stocked up at linebacker. Freshmen Bryan Archibald (Bartlett), Jimmy Bearden (Orange Park, Fla.), Walter Bucki (Naperville) and Bilial Rashid (Detroit) will help replace the loss of seniors Ryan Hallahan and Greg Harrison to graduation. Rashid, at 6 feet 2 inches and 220 pounds, can also play defensive end.

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Rounding out the SIUC defensive recruits are defensive backs Ricky Hayward (Evanston) and Carlo McClelland (Meridian, Miss.).

On offense, returning senior quarterbacks Kent Skornia and Marcus Capone will be joined in the backfield by transfer Paul Davis, a 5-foot-11, 196-pound running back from Kansas. Davis is also enrolled at SIUC this spring.

Davis is joined by a trio of freshman quarterbacks Johnnie Cooper (St. Louis), Kevin Kobe (Naperville) and Wes Parker (Robinson). Offensive lineman Martin Berishaj (Sterling Heights), tailback Victor Williams (Bethel Park, Penn.) and wide receivers Brian Hamlett (Libertyville) and Darian Yarborough (Park Forest) wrap up the class.

Quarless’s first group also includes quality to go with the quantity. Of the 20 new additions, 13 earned all-conference honors last season. Archibald, Bearden, Berishaj, Burtnette, Hamlett, Hart, Kobe, McAllister and Rashid earned all-state honors, while Williams was named one of Street & Smith’s Top 100 running backs.

Obviously, the real proof of our success will not be known until we see them on the practice field next fall, Quarless said, but right now we feel we’ve taken a strong first step.