With National Signing Day on Feb. 1, Eastern’s football team has already locked down quite a few commits for the 2012 season.

One commit is defensive end/outside linebacker Tyler Paulsen. Paulsen, who played at Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas, had previously been considering the University of Wyoming, decided to commit to Eastern after he made his official visit to the university.

“The coaches were great,” Paulsen said. “They made me feel like they wanted me and that’s where I needed to be.”

Another factor that lead to Paulsen’s decision was that he had family that lived close by, so he said living far away from home doesn’t faze him.

“It doesn’t faze me because I have family that live two hours away from the campus; and my mom is going to be coming up, so I’m not worried about how worried about how far it is away,” he said.

The next big factor that led to Paulsen’s decision was new head coach Dino Babers. Paulsen said he had known Babers back in his Baylor days and that helped make his decision easier.

“I met him before when he was at Baylor, so I had a good idea of who he was and what he had accomplished,” he said.

Paulsen, who describes himself as a speed rush player, stands at 6-foot-1-inch, 225 pounds. According to recruiting website Rivals.com, Paulsen runs a 4.6 second 40-yard dash, while having a max bench press of 345 pounds and a max squat of 415 pounds. Paulsen’s Lake Travis High School is the first football program in Texas to have won five straight state championships.

Another commit incoming from the Lone Star State is Frenship High School running back Bobby Huey. Huey, who is a 5-foot-10-inch, 210 pounder, runs a 4.4 second 40-yard dash.

Huey said it was a combination of the area and the coaching staff that led him to his decision.

“It’s just like home, pretty much. It’s just a little bit colder,” he said. “Not only that, the coaching staff. They’ve got a great coaching staff.”

Like Paulsen, Huey also felt he had a good relationship with the coaches, especially Babers.

“He’s a great guy surrounded by a great group of coaches. I clicked well with the coaches, clicked well with the players.”

Huey and Paulsen are two of three potential signees from the state of Texas, the third being Keiondre Gober, a safety, also from Frenship High School. According to ESPN.com, Gober is 6-foot-2-inches and 185 pounds, while running 4.63 second 40-yard dash.

Huey said he is excited about bringing the Texas style of football to Charleston.

“I’m from Texas, that’s where the ballplayers are at,” he said.

Another defensive back that could potentially be signing with the Panthers on National Signing Day is Micah “Pono” Choy of Honolulu, Hawaii. Choy has committed to the Panthers, according to the Pacific Islands Athletic Alliance.

He stands 5-foot-10-inches, weighs 175 pounds and runs a 4.5 40-yard dash, with a vertical leap of 33-inches. Graduating from Kamehameha High School in the spring, Choy was named to the 2011 All-Hawaii Football Team.

The Panthers do have two Illinois recruits in Jimmy Lowery and Anthony Taylor, both of Montini Catholic High School.

Lowery, an offensive lineman, has committed to Eastern according to Rivals.com and is also a two-star recruit according to the website. Taylor, listed as an athlete, played wide receiver in high school.

Montini Catholic knocked off Joliet Catholic in the IHSA state title game by a record score of 70-45.

National Signing Day is Feb. 1, and the Panthers’ first game is against Southern Illinois-Carbondale on Aug. 30.

Dominic Renzetti can be reached at 581-7942 or dcrenzetti@eiu.edu.