Source tells FootballScoop that Southern Illinois has made a change at defensive coordinator.
Antonio James, who was promoted to defensive coordinator back in July of last year, has been let go.
He also held an additional titles as assistant head coach and defensive line coach for Nick Hill's program, adding the assistant head coach title in January of last year.
In his first season calling the defense for SIU, James' defense ranked among the top ten nationally in a number of FCS categories including scoring, total defense, sacks, rushing defense, pass efficiency defense, turnovers gained, and 4th down defense.
That success on defense helped them finish the 2023 season 8-5, winning their first-round playoff matchup with Nicholls 35-0 before losing a hard-fought overtime game to #4 Idaho 17-20.
This year, they took a notable step back on the defensive side of the ball, ranking outside of the top 50 nationally in most key defensive metrics.
The defensive struggles were just part of the story for SIU, where the Salukis struggled to a 4-8 finish after being decimated at the quarterback spot, prompting a defensive graduate assistant to suit up in their season finale.
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