Eastern football head coach Bob Spoo said in early August the Panthers’ quarterback position had to get better.

“It is a battle,” Spoo said. “We’ve got just the preseason to be able to get those guys back to where they’re performing in a consistent manner.”

Last season, Mike Donato started the first five games of the previous year being replaced by senior Cole Stinson. Stinson started the final eight games and guided the team into the playoffs for the second straight year.

This season, Stinson is the projected starter, but some familiar names in the past are gone. Donato was dismissed from the team in December for conduct detrimental to the team and Kyle Kniss transferred to North Central College after the season.

Donato just finished his first season playing professionally, splitting time with the Iowa Sioux City Bandits of the Continental Indoor Football League and the Texas Corpus Christi Sharks of the Arena Football League 2.

Eastern had five quarterbacks on its 2007 roster, but 23-year-old freshman and former pitcher in the Chicago Cubs organization Matt Weber quit in early-August. Freshman D.J. Brown can play several positions, including quarterback, defensive back and wide receiver.

That leaves Stinson, backup sophomore Bodie Reeder and freshman third-string quarterback Luke Hockaday as the quarterbacks who have taken the majority of snaps during fall camp.

Stinson out to improve upon consistency

Stinson doesn’t let the inconsistent label that’s attached to his quarterback play bother him.

Stinson returns as Eastern’s starting quarterback heading into its season opener next Thursday against Tennessee Tech – and does not pay any attention to what people say about his play.

“First, I want the defense and everybody to know that they can have faith in me,” Stinson said. “And if I try to prove anything, that’s all I try to prove. I could care less about what anyone else says.”

Even Eastern’s football media guide lists Stinson’s 2007 outlook as “some inconsistency during spring practice may give other quarterbacks a chance to challenge for playing time.”

Stinson threw for 1,349 yards last season and completed 55 percent of his passes (122-for-224), but again, consistency is the key for Stinson. He threw 12 touchdown passes last year, but also threw 11 interceptions.

The 6-foot-5, 238-pound Stinson had games last year where he showed accurate touch, smart decision-making and the ability to show off his powerful arm.

He went 16-for-22 with 208 yards and threw three touchdown passes in his first start last year against Southeast Missouri.

Eastern went 6-2 in games Stinson started last year. But in the two losses, Stinson struggled.

He went a combined 22-for-45 for only 116 yards and four interceptions in losses against Tennessee-Martin and Illinois State.

“This will be the first time in Cole’s career that he’s ever had the same position coach for two years straight,” said Eastern offensive coordinator Jorge Munoz. “He knows this offense right now. It’s just a matter of him going out and executing and being consistent.”

Mahomet grad settles into backup role

Reeder won’t find many mountains or ski resorts here in Charleston to keep up on his passion for outdoor sports.

The avid skier and snowboarder is far away from his days in the western part of the United States.

But Reeder is set to step in and fill Stinson’s role as Eastern’s No. 1 quarterback at any time this year, if need be – and he’s hopeful he can carry on as the Panthers’ starter after Stinson graduates.

“I would hate to be the quarterback that comes in and can’t sustain success,” Reeder said. “That’s the kind of pressure I kind of put on myself where I want to keep this tradition alive. Whether it be this year or next year or a couple years after that: I just want to be able to kind of carry the torch after it’s been passed along.”

For Reeder, just to be in the mix again and getting repetitions with the first team offense is something he hasn’t experienced since his senior year at Mahomet-Seymour High School.

The 6-foot, 203-pound Reeder went to Wyoming out of high school and fell in love with the scenic countryside of Wyoming. But that did not translate into any opportunities to play.

“When I got out there, I realized there were too many aspects around football that I couldn’t just concentrate on the game and make myself better so I could get on the field one day,” he said. “I came back here and kind of gave me a chance to focus more on football.”

After he red-shirted the 2005 season at Wyoming, Reeder transferred to Eastern. He served as the Panthers’ third-string quarterback last year, charting plays on the sideline and traveling with the team.

This year, he’ll still be on the sidelines unless something happens to Stinson. But if Reeder has learned one thing from his football career since high school, it’s patience.

He doesn’t regret his year in Wyoming, saying, “I got a chance to be out there and ski and snowboard for six months,” and said he learned last year at Eastern despite not playing in a game.

“I learned from other’s people’s mistakes because I wasn’t out there making them,” Reeder said. “I feel at home again. It feels really good just to get out there and compete. It feels good every once in a while to mess up and hear coach yell at me.”

From state champion to learning the college game

The last time Luke Hockaday walked off the field at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, it was as a state champion.

Hockaday threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns and led Maroa-Forsyth to the 2A state championship.

The last time his current Eastern teammates walked off the field at Memorial Stadium, they had just lost 42-17 to Illinois in last season’s opener.

Hockaday isn’t expected to get any playing time this year if Stinson and Reeder stay healthy. But the Panthers open up the 2008 season at Illinois. By then, Hockaday might be in more of a role to contribute than he will be this year.

Now, he is slated in the third-string role and trying to adjust to the complex lingo of Eastern’s offense. Also, a possibility of a red-shirt season still exists.

“Right now, I’m just trying to pick up the system,” Hockaday said. “In high school, I never really had to compete for a job or anything. But now, your spot is never set.”

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Hockaday threw for 7,146 yards in high school and had 91 career touchdown passes in three years as a starter. The 7,146 yards are the fifth-highest total in Illinois High School Association history. His senior year he threw for 2,844 yards and 39 touchdown passes.

“Luke, you can trust me, down the road, he’s going to maybe be one of the better quarterbacks to maybe come out of Eastern,” Munoz said. “Yeah, that’s putting a lot on him, but that’s what expect out of him.”

To see Cole Stinson’s 2006 stats, click here.

To read Bodie Reeder’s bio, click here.

To read Luke Hockaday’s recruiting profile, click here.

To read D.J. Brown’s bio, click here.

Senior quarterback attempts a pass during an intersquad scrimmage Sunday afternoon at O’Brien Stadium.

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