CHARLESTON — Five months ago, Isaiah Hill was forced to the last place he wanted to be during the spring FCS season at Eastern Illinois — the sidelines.

A torn right Achilles tendon sustained in practices leading up to the unique COVID-19 season knocked the Panthers’ leading receiver out for the entire spring.

“It was heartbreaking,” Hill said. “To tear it right before the first game was devastating.”

As the Panthers prepare for the 2021 season, Hill is confident he can be the player that enjoyed a breakout season in 2019 and help awaken the EIU offense.

“I’m feeling really good,” Hill told Priairie State Pigskin after fall camp practice Aug. 7. “The surgery went well. Rehab is going good. It’s been five months now, and I’m starting to feel like my normal self.”

In only eight games in 2019 after he was ruled eligible by the NCAA as a transfer from South Dakota State, Hill exploded onto the scene at EIU, grabbing 58 passes for 571 yards, leading the team in both categories.

Eastern hopes to have Hill back when the Panthers open the season Aug. 28 at Indiana State, but the timeline for his return remains uncertain only five months out from surgery.

Nevertheless, Hill has big plans for when he hits the field again.

“I feel like I’m going to be back better than I was before,” he said.

Hill said he expects the Panthers to improve upon their 20 points per game average from the spring.

“I feel like we’re going to take a lot more shots (downfield) than we did last year,” he said.

While Hill noted that the wide receiver room features more depth than the in past and those wideouts are more comfortable with the team’s quarterbacks.

“Everybody is trying to get on the field any way they can,” Hill said of his fellow receivers. It’s good to be able to compete with everybody in the room. They keep you on your toes, for sure. We’ve also got a lot more chemistry and trust with our quarterbacks.”

The Panthers return players who caught 95% of the team’s receptions last season.

Quarterback competition

The one-win spring season gave Eastern the opportunity to insert Otto Kuhns as the starter. He was the first true freshman to start for the Panthers since Jimmy Garoppolo in 2010.

During fall camp, Kuhns and Algonquin native Chris Katrenick, a redshirt sophomore transfer from Duke University, are competing for the starting job.

Head coach Adam Cushing called the two QBs “1A and 1B.”

Kuhns said he spring served as a warmup for this fall, and he used the off-season to advance his knowledge of the playbook and the roles of everyone around him on the offense.

“Last season, I was focused on making sure I knew the play, and not everyone else,” he said. “This year, I want to lead them on every drive out there.”

For Katrenick, who earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree at Duke, helping the young EIU roster grow and win were his goals when he chose to play in Charleston.

“Winning is fun, and I want to have a good time,” he said. “In order to have fun, I want to play and win games.”

Cushing said he hopes to have a better idea who is leading the way at QB after the team scrimmages Sunday.

“What’s it take for somebody to win the job?” Cushing said. “It’s the guy who walks out and makes 10 other guys better. It’s been great to see Otto take that next step. Chris has come in and given him instant competition, and competition breeds excellence.”

Cushing said if both players are even after the scrimmage, he foresees having them both takes snaps in Eastern’s first several games.

“That would allow us to do different things with our offense,” he said.