Eastern Washington Harlem Shake

This Harlem Shake thing has taken over the world, it even has reached the campus of Eastern Washington University in Cheney!

SWOOP!!!




(Buy the Harlem Shake single here)

Eastern Washington Meme

EWU Memes for playoff game this weekend

With the Eagles going deep into the playoffs, with a win this weekend advancing them to the National Championship game... the EWU marketing department decided to make a few memes on Facebook. I changed them a little...

Eastern Washington vs Illinois State FCS Preview

Eastern Washington Eagles vs Illinois State Redbirds - FCS Playoffs
Location: Roos Field, Cheney, WA
Game Time: Saturday, Dec. 8, 3:05 PM (Pacific)
TV: ESPN 3

On Saturday the Illinois State Redbirds travel to the red turf of Roos Field for a FCS Quarterfinal game against the Eastern Washington Eagles.

It's a battle of red!

Illinois State is 6-0 this season on the road, including last weeks playoff victory at Appalachian State, 38-37.
The Redbirds are led by senior quarterback Matt Brown who threw for five touchdowns in the win over the Mountaineers. On the season he completed 62 percent of his passes for 2,998 yards and 25 touchdowns.

For the Eagles it was all Kyle Padron at quarterback last week. This season the Eagles passing offense ranks ninth in the NCAA with 301 yards per game and in the last two games, Padron has thrown for three touchdowns, 708 yards and completed 71 percent of his passes. Padron is expected to be the starter this week, but it will be interesting to see if redshirt freshman Vernon Adams sees any playing time during the game. Adams certainly has the electric play-making ability.

But passing is not going to be easy for the Eagles as Illinois State's passing defense ranks ninth in the FCS in passing efficiency. It's certainly going to be a great matchup!

EWU will have to rely on their ground game and lucky for them running backs Demitrius Bronson and Quincy Forte have been catching on as of late. Look for another close game from the Eagles but they'll hangout at the end and move on to the FCS Quarterfinals!

FINAL SCORE: Eastern Washington 30, Illinois State 27

Eastern Washington football FCS playoffs preview

Eastern Washington University's quest for a National Championship begins tomorrow as they host the Wagner College Seahawks in the second round of the FCS playoffs.

Eastern is the number 2 seed coming into the playoffs and lucked out with a bye last week in the first round. Now hopefully the team won't come out lackluster against the Seahawks after their time off. Wagner is coming off a first round 31-20 victory over Colgate. It was the program's first-ever FCS playoff victory. The Seahawks started the season 0-3 but have since won their last nine games.

Now honestly I had never hear of Wagner College and had to look up where it was. The school is located in State Island, NY and have pretty much spent their whole season being unknown. The team has flown under the radar all season. And any team that has confidence, the ability to win and is under the radar, well that is a dangerous opponent. 

The Seahawks offense is ran by quarterback Nick Doscher who has thrown 210 straight passes without an interception. Additionally the team has committed only one turnover during its nine-game win streak.Those are some impressive stats. You win games by protecting the football.

However, the Seahawks will have to travel across the county and not only have to deal with playing on the red turf of the Inferno at Roos Field, but it should be about 40 degrees at kickoff.

Buy an Eastern Washington Eagles flag for tailgating.

Plus, the Eagles earned that number 2 ranking for a reason. And if Eastern can keep winning, that means they'll play all their games at home. Which is a huge advantage.
 
The Eagles enter the game 9-2 overall this season, finished Co-Big Sky Conference Champions, but won the league’s automatic playoff berth. And Eastern knows how to win close games. Of Eastern’s seven Big Sky wins this season, one was by seven points, two by six points and three wins by just three points. Additionally Eastern's two losses came by four points against FBS Washington State and three points against Southern Utah on a last second field goal.

Playing in the Big Sky Conference also helps the Eagles. The Big Sky offers some of the best football teams in all of FCS and week in and week out the team plays playoff caliber teams. Eastern uses a duel quarterback system of Vernon Adams and Kyle Padron, who have combined for 3,270 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. Eastern also has some of the best receivers in all of college football with the trio of Brandon Kaufman, Greg Herd and Nicholas Edwards.

Expect the hometown Eagles to pick apart the Seahawks defense in this one. But it will be close, it is Eastern football after all. And give the town of Cheney another week of football.

FINAL SCORE: Eastern Washington 34, Wagner 24

Roos Field might get a whole lot better

It looks like EWU is planning big to replace those bleachers on the Washington Street side of Roos Field. Much like they made a splash with the red turf, they're going all-in on an 8,000-seat addition to the stadium that once looked like a high school played there.

The vision is in place at Eastern Washington University for a multimillion-dollar “city within a city” that aims to improve the campus experience on game day – and every day.
The Gateway Project, unveiled recently to the EWU Board of Trustees, would include 8,000 additional seats on the Washington Street side of Roos Field. Inside, the facility would house concessions, leased commercial space, suites and more.

Now comes the hard part, said Mike Westfall, vice president for university advancement and executive director of the EWU Foundation, which made the presentation to the trustees.

“Right now we are trying to temper expectations as much as possible, so we are strictly in a feasibility phase right now,” Westfall said. “But everyone we have heard from has reacted favorably.”

Now there's plenty of other bells and whistles with this project that make it more than extra seats in the stadium. While they haven't even begun taking donations, so who knows how far out this is, it shows a direction for the future. The current size of their stadium is more than adequate now for all their games, except for the Montana Griz game. An increase of 8,000 seats and the extra facilities that they're putting along with it look like this is more of a precursor to the FBS. Again, this is years and years and years off, but if you're not selling out your stadium every game right now, why are you adding 8,000 seats?

Most of the feedback from alumni I've seen is very positive and I'd imagine that the fundraising will be a popular effort. However, it has a $20 million price tag - I think the press box project was just a few million to complete - and it would be the biggest addition that Roos Field has ever seen. I'm just guessing you might see this become a reality in 5-10 years if the project doesn't lose steam. By that time, EWU might be ready for the WAC (I'm not thrilled at the prospect of being an FBS small fish).

It's amazing how much EWU changed when I went there, and how much it built up after I left. This project doesn't surprise me. The university has gradually improved their campus and this is another step in that.

Now the question becomes... is it a better stadium than WSU?

Would the real Brandon Hansen please stand up?

In my last post I joked that Brandon had become a Griz fan during his time in Montana over the last few years. I guess I picked the wrong Montana team.

I always considered Brandon and myself some of the biggest Eastern Washington University fans around. We even have custom jerseys. Please take note of this photo snapped three years ago:

Yes, that's Brandon, Swoop and myself at the Eastern game at Qwest Field. Note how Brandon was so excited to meet Swoop.

Now please look at the photo Brandon posted to facebook tonight:

I saw this and got sick.

Who is this guy? And would the real Brandon Hansen please show up to rip this shirt of this imposter's back.

Things we can take away from the UW-EWU game

Many Eastern Washington fans are lamenting on what could have been last night. The Eags had a ball intercepted in the endzone to end their comeback and they fell to FBS member Washington 30-27. They outplayed, out-gained and out-quarterbacked the Huskies.

An EWU wide receiver even made it quite clear that the Huskies are one of the most arrogant teams they've played. That's kind of crazy for a football team that hasn't SHARED a national championship since the early 90s. But having followed the WSU Cougars for a long time, the Huskies' behavior doesn't surprise me at all. If there were a smug center to the universe, UW fans would be in the middle of it, sniffing their own farts.

With that, lets talk about what we learned from this game...

Eastern is legit again
While it is amazing that Sac State beat Oregon State, let me point out that the Beavers have a slow start to every season and then they come on late. Look up the scores, they always are terrible right out of the gate and that has really stunted their chances at long-term glory. But who would have thought that EWU would be playing in a very competitive game against UW? What this shows is that the Eagles could play in the Pac-12. I'm not kidding, they could. They're going to give UW a better fight than WSU and probably some other teams in the conference.

Bo Levi-Mitchell is a steely-eyed missile man
Greatest quarterback in EWU history? Erik Meyer, Matt Nichols... Bo Levi Mitchell? The guy lit up the Washington secondary like a damn Christmas tree and had Warren Moon talking about his "NFL arm." Before this season is over, Mitchell might be the best player in Eagles' history.

Husky fans are lame
We already talked about this but I want to touch on it again. You guys are the worst possible fans in the realm of college football. If I wanted to hang out with a bunch of yuppies that want to talk about how great they are, I'll go to a creative writing workshop. Any other fan base would have been going "Hey good job EWU! You played us tough" It's a respect thing. You think Husky fans would be caught dead saying that? Nope because they're UW!

I hope for nothing but losses for the University of Washington the rest of the way.

FBS in 10 to 15 years
If fans start showing up to EWU games, you've really got to start looking at a move to the FBS. They're competing with Pac-12 programs now, they're winning national championships and they have a large corporate sponsorship base in Spokane. EWU is better set for a move to the FBS than Montana or Montana State and that's the truth. While they'll have to do some work to their stadium and Spokane will need to realize there's a football team out in Cheney, it's a definite possibility now.

College Football is here!

Today is the day. College football returns to the state of Washington. And it does so in a BIG BIG way.

Heading into Husky Stadium will be the defending Eastern Washington University Eagles. Sure they might be 18 point underdogs to the home Washington Huskies but you don't win a National Championship by being a pushover team.

From ESPN.com:

"Washington QB Keith Price makes his debut as Jake Locker's replacement against Eastern Washington, which is hardly a patsy. Sure, the Eagles are an FCS team. But they also are the defending FCS national champions and they are the preseason No. 1 team in FCS football. Warning! Warning!"

Now I've grown up a UW fan so this will be the first time I've ever rooted against the Dawgs, but in this matchup Eastern is my team. I have to root for the Eagles.

I've got the jersey out of the closet. It still has the smell of a National Championship on it. It's sure to be a great game and hopefully the Eagles can pull off the upset. I'll be at the game. Feel free to follow my tweets at @CaseyKnopik as I'll be tweeting before, during and after the game.

Eastern Washington vs Washington game an NCAA must see

The national exposure for Eastern Washington University just keeps coming. NCAA.com has now previewed the game as a "must-see matchup."

From NCAA.com:

Eastern Washington’s first game action since winning the FCS championship will be its inaugural matchup against Washington at Seattle's Husky Stadium on Sept. 3.

It’s a must-watch game for Evergreen State football fans; seven players -- four Eagles and three Huskies -- are on various preseason watch lists:

• Eastern Washington quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and wide receiver Brandon Kaufman are on the 20-player watch list for the Walter Payton Award, given annually to the top FCS player.

• EWU safety Matt Johnson and defensive tackle Renard Williams are on the 20-player watch list for the 2011 Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top FCS defensive player.

• Washington running back Chris Polk, who is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery on Thursday, is on the watch list for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award as well as the Maxwell and Doak Walker awards.

Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian has not ruled out Polk possibly playing in the season opener, but said this was the best time to have the procedure done. “We don’t know. It depends on his body and how he recovers,” said Sarkisian, who finished 7-6 last year, including a 19-7 victory against Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl, UW’s first bowl since 2002. “But I think for the long haul of this thing it was the right thing to do.

“It’s not serious but I just didn’t want it to linger and I thought the doctors handled it really well, and let’s just do it now so we are not dealing with this thing come October, November,” Sarkisian added. “It potentially could be a couple of weeks but I think he already feels good about it.”

The Walker Award is given annually to the nation’s top college running back; the Maxwell Award has been presented to the nation’s top player since 1937.

• Huskies defensive lineman Alameda Ta’amu is on the Nagurski, Bednarik, Outland watch lists.

The Bednarik Award is given to the best defensive player in the country; the Outland Trophy goes to the nation’s best interior linemen on both sides of the ball; the Nagurski Award is presented to the best defensive player in college football.

• UW kicker Erik Folk is on the watch list for the Lou Groza Award, presented annually to the nation’s top kicker.

As for the teams, Eastern Washington edged Montana State as the preseason pick by both the coaches and the media to win the Big Sky title.

The Eagles open the season with three consecutive road games, including non-conference games at Washington and South Dakota, then the Big Sky opener at Montana, which last season failed to advance to the FCS playoffs for the first time since 1992.

“We know darn well that it is hard,” EWU head coach Beau Baldwin said of replicating the success his team had in 2010. “It is hard work in the offseason. It’s hard work to win the non-conference games we have on our schedule. And it’s hard to win any Big Sky Conference game, let alone trying to win the league title.

“It starts over again no matter what it says on paper and whatever comments are made that we look better entering 2011 than we did in 2010,” added Baldwin, whose team returns 15 starters and 52 lettermen from last season’s team that finished 13-2.

“That doesn’t matter in terms of the success we have on the field. Our players are very mature in handling that and understand we still have to work hard and look for short-term goals.”

Washington was picked to finish third -- behind Oregon and Stanford -- in the North Division in the inaugural Pac-12 preseason poll.

Sarkisian, entering his third season at the Huskies' helm, said one of his preseason goals is continuing the physicality with which UW won the final four games of 2010. "We've got to play lower football, better pad-level football, to be the physical football team I think we can be," he said.

I can't wait for this game! And yes, I'll be there keeping fans updated from a fan's perspective through twitter.

Eastern Washington ranked No. 1 in preseason football polls

Things are already shaping up nicely for the Eastern Washington Eagles and they haven't even played a game yet. The Sports Network has them ranked No. 1 in the preseason FCS poll ahead of Appalachian State. The MSU Bobcats were also ranked sixth.

The Montana Grizzlies were ranked No. 12, and Sac State was No. 24. In other words, the Big Sky Conference is STACKED.

See the full poll here.

Eastern picked to win the Big Sky Conference

Preseason media polls are out for Big Sky Conference football and look who are the favorites? Those incredible Eastern Washington Eagles.

You know what this also means? Montana wasn't picked to win the Sky. Wonder of wonders! And obviously this is making a little bit of news in the Treasure state:

It's the lowest the Griz have been ranked by the media since 1992, when they were predicted to finish third; the coaches haven't picked them this low since 1991, when Montana was No. 4 in both polls.

Montana had been either first or second in each poll from 1993 on, and first in every poll other than 1997 (Northern Arizona) and 2005 (Eastern Washington).

"It's really pretty close to what I expected," said second-year Griz coach Robin Pflugrad, who guided UM to a 7-4 mark last season, 5-3 in the Big Sky. "I think primarily historical date is what goes into it, and they look at who has what coming back.

"With Eastern Washington having so many players back, including an outstanding quarterback, that's where they should be."

If you read between the lines what Pflugrad is setting up for is that Sept. 17 game against the Eagles at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. I hate to say it, but all the pressure of the world will be put on the Eagles.

It's one thing to be a good team, it's another thing to be a good team with expectations. The road to a Big Sky Championship will be tougher for the Eags this year, and they'll have to brace for everyone's best shot. Montana State and Montana are going to come after Eastern Washington like Spokane just insulted their mother.

I feel a bit uneasy, not really looking forward to that EWU-UM game, it could get a bit ugly on both sides.

Bo Levi-Mitchell named Preseason All-American

The FCS All-American list came out and EWU fared pretty well, having their quarterback and defensive tackle selected. The Daily Inter Lake reported on the list, although from a Montana angle but I managed to pull out the EWU stuff...

Also making the first team was Bo Levi Mitchell, the 6-foot-1 quarterback who led the Eastern Washington University Eagles to a national championship in January. EWU defensive tackle Renard Williams was named to the first team defense.

FIRST TEAM: OFFENSE

QB- Bo Levi Mitchell, 6'1", 211, Eastern Washington
WR- Chris Summers, 6'3", 209, Liberty
WR- Tyrone Walker, 5'10", 198, Illinois State (Jr.)
RB- Nate Eachus, 5'9", 212, Colgate
RB- Eric Breitenstein, 5'10", 225, Wofford
TE- David Duran, 6'4", 241, Coastal Carolina
OT- Teren Jones, 6'8", 305, Alabama State (Jr.)
OG- Gino Gradkowski, 6'3", 294, Delaware
C- Rob McDowell, 6'3", 293, Delaware
OG- Rodney Austin, 6'3", 311, Elon
OT- Shea Allard, 6'5", 297, Delaware
K- Matt Blevins, 6'1", 206, Liberty
KR- Gralyn Crawford, 5'10", 175, Stephen F. Austin (Jr.)

FIRST TEAM: DEFENSE
DE- Mario Kurn, 6'0", 221, San Diego
DT- Asa Chapman, 6'5", 380, Liberty
DT- Renard Williams, 6'2", 305, Eastern Washington
DE- Zack Nash, 6'2", 265, Sacramento State
LB- A.J. Storms, 5'11", 217, Idaho State
LB- Kadarron Anderson, 6'1", 236, Furman
LB- Jordan Ridley, 5'11", 229 Butler (Jr.)
LB- Cliff Exama, 5'9", 235, Grambling
CB - Trumaine Johnson, 6'2", 197, Montana
S- Jose Gumbs, 5'10", 205, Monmouth
S- Tyler Brock, 6'2", 196, Southeast Missouri
CB- Charles James, 5'9", 175, Charleston Southern (Jr.)
P- David Harrington, 6'2", 185, Idaho State
PR- Tavoy Moore, 5'7", 193, Idaho state

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB- Brad Sorenson, 6'4", 225, Southern Utah (Jr.)
WR- Aaron Mellette, 6'3", 212, Elon (Jr.)
WR- Justin Wilson, 6'0", 174, Delaware State (Jr.)
RB- Andrew Pierce, 5'10", 202, Delaware (Jr.)
RB- Bryan Hilliard, 5'10", 222, Sacramento State
TE- Derek Buttles, 6'4", 235, Maine
OL- Kyle Bogumil, 6'5", 310, Rhode Island
OL- Terron Armstead, 6'3", 310, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
OL- Roane Babington, 6'2", 275, James Madison
OL- Chris Browne, 6'3", 300, Southern
OL- Sanford Banks, 6'4", 319, Grambling (Jr.)
K- Jason Cunningham, 6'0", 175, Montana State
KR- Jeremy Caldwell, 5'9", 183, Eastern Kentucky

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DE- Brian McNally, 6'2", 258, New Hampshire
DT- Jonathan Hollins, 6'3", 285, Texas Southern
DT- Brent Russell, 6'2", 287, Georgia Southern
DE- Jerome Raymond, 6'3", 224, Morehead State
LB- Jerryan Harris, 6'0",215, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (So.)
LB- Matt Evans, 5'11", 233, New Hampshire (Jr.)
LB- Tony Bachman, 5'10", 220, Appalachian State
LB- Caleb McSurdy, 6'0", 242, Montana
CB- Al-Rilwan Adeyemi, 5'9", 186, San Diego
S- Reshaude Miller, 6'3", 182, Morgan State
S- Micah Pellerin, 6'0", 197, Hampton
CB- Colby Walden, 5'10", 185, Jacksonville (Jr.)
P- Jonathan Plisco, 6'0", 220, Old Dominion (Jr.)
PR- Dontrell Johnson, 5'10", 180, Murray State

Eastern Washington University's new press box signage

Just saw this gem over on the official facebook page of Eastern Washington University athletics.

New signage on back of donor suites and media center at Roos Field, recognizing Eastern's 2010 NCAA Division I Football National Championship!

That is one good looking press box!

EWU basketball adds big transfer

Martin Seiferth, a 6-foot-10, 220-pound center from Berlin, Germany, will transfer from the University of Oregon to Eastern Washington University to play men's basketball, new Eagle head coach Jim Hayford announced Monday (June 6).

Seiferth will redshirt the 2011-12 season. He is Eastern's first transfer from a Pacific-10 Conference school in nearly 10 years. Josh Barnard transferred from the University of Washington in 2002, and lettered in the 2003-04 season when the Eagles made their first and only appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

6 foot 10 inches! Are you kidding me! This is great for Eastern and the rebuilding of the basketball program. I'm already liking what Hayford is doing for the team. Seiferth will add HUGE size to the team.

He was a proven coach at Whitworth University and in a short time is taking steps to become that at Eastern. Now we'll have to see what the team does on the court.

And if all else fails, just paint the court red and the national championship will come.

Check out goeags.com for all the latest info on Eagle athletics.

Brandon Kaufman named top 10 FCS wide receiver

Last week I told you about how The Sports Network named Eastern Washington University defensive back Matt Johnson as one of the top 10 defensive backs in the FCS.

Today they named EWU's Brandon Kaufman as one of the top 10 FCS wide receivers.

Here's what The Sports Network had to say about Kaufman:

Brandon Kaufman, Eastern Washington, Jr., 6-5, 205 - With star tailback Taiwan Jones sidelined for the FCS semifinals and championship game last season, Kaufman took his play to an elite level, catching a combined 17 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns for the national champion Eagles. He finished the season with 76 receptions for 1,214 yards and 15 touchdowns in 15 games, and was the first EWU player to score on the new red turf at Roos Field. He uses his big body to be physical in traffic and long legs to get behind the secondary.

Looks like the team is already getting tons of national exposure!

Kaufman also has the distinction of being the first Eagle to score a touchdown on the red turf. I was there as he scored. Fast forward to 2:05 I'm the guy in the number 8 Eastern jersey jumping and screaming.

Matt Johnson named top 10 FCS defensive back

The Sports Network, basically the best site on the internet for all things FCS related (sorry ESPN but you suck when it comes to REAL college football) has released their list of the top 10 defensive backs in the Football Championship Series.

They didn't rank the defensive backs, instead just listed the top 1o. And making the list is Eastern Washington University's very own Matt Johnson.

Here's what The Sports Network had to say about Johnson:

Matt Johnson, Eastern Washington, S, Sr., 6-2, 220 - With 15 career interceptions, Johnson will threaten the school record of 18. He's entering his fourth season as a starter, having earned All-Big Sky first-team and The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS All-America third-team honors for the FCS champion Eagles last season. In 15 games, he totaled 105 tackles with five interceptions and eight other pass breakups, adding two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He is a physical presence who is instinctive.

And of course you can always check out goeags.com for more on Eastern Athletics.

Is it football season yet? I'm ready for the repeat!

Hey UW fans... you're royally screwed!

Casey's Washington Huskies are screwed. This year's game between UW and the EWU Eagles has already been put on the "upset watch list" on the Bleacher Report for FCS and FBS inter-classification matchups.

While no doubt, Casey will come up with some cop-put half EWU-half UW jersey like this one, I will give no such respect to the University of Washington. You may remember that I lost a bet to Casey when UW beat WSU in the Apple Cup last year and I still owe him a "Carlton Dance" video which is roughly almost 8 months late in production, but it's coming!

Now Eag fans, check this wonderful bit of writing out...

You may know Eastern Washington’s football program best from their decision to install red turf on their football field. Whether the red turf is a genius decorative move or a cheap Boise State rip off is up for debate.

Regardless, Eastern Washington is a FCS power and is the reigning FCS National Champions. The Eagles have sent players to the NFL, most recently running back Taiwan Jones. Jones was selected by Oakland in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL draft.

Washington returns a sizeable amount of personnel from last season’s Holiday Bowl team, but the Huskies could still fall to Eastern Washington. Quarterback Jake Locker must be replaced. Expect running back Chris Polk to emerge as the featured talent in the Huskies offense.

Washington hosts Hawaii in Week 2, and then travels to Nebraska in Week 3. Hawaii and Nebraska are two higher profile opponents, but Eastern Washington will test this transitioning Huskies team.

CA-CAWWWWW!

Eastern's 2010 FCS Championship Rings

Today Eastern Washington University posted on their flikr account a photo of the Championship rings that the football team received.

I think the rings are absolutely awesome!

They feature "the Inferno" of Roos Field on side and the Eastern Eagle logo on the top.

The photo was taken on The Inferno which is just awesome because of course the team went 8-0 including play-off wins on the turf this year. And it all started back in September with the victory over Montana. Which was still the coolest sporting even I have ever been too.

Relive that game today.

What do you think of the rings?

J.C. Sherritt joins the Eskimos

Former Eastern Washington University linebacker J.C. Sherritt has signed with the Edmonton Eskimos.

Sherritt becomes the third Eagle on the roster joining EWU alum Matt Nichols and Greg Peach in Edmonton.

Winner of the 2010 Buck Buchanan Award as a top defensive player in Division 1 subdivision, J.C. Sherritt (5-11, 212lbs) is Eastern Washington’s all-time career leader in total tackles and is second in tackles on the Big Sky conference all-time list. He’s also been recognized with multiple All-American, Academic All-American and Big Sky awards.

Eskimos General Manager Eric Tillman commented on Sherritt on the Eskimos website, "JC may not be the biggest or fastest player we'll sign, but without a doubt he's one of the best football players. He's a hybrid type athlete, who’s smart, physical and is an outstanding open field tackler. Obviously, his production at Eastern Washington was off the charts. We expect to give JC an early look at the will linebacker spot where he’ll likely compete with Damaso Munoz and Will Harris. Signing players who possess athletic versatility will be one of our highest priorities as we continue to build a winning franchise."