Southeast Missouri State football signee: Dante Vandeven

The Basics

Name: Dante Vandeven

High School: Jackson (Mo.) High School

Position: Quarterback

Measurables: 6-2, 190 pounds

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Profile

Jackson football coach Brent Eckley has a pretty good idea of what it is that the coaching staff at nearby Southeast Missouri State looks for during the recruiting process.

The personality, the ability, and the passion all has to be there, and it just so happens that senior quarterback Dante Vandeven fits the bill.

The Indian signed his National Letter of Intent Wednesday morning to play football for the Redhawks next year.

"They've been really excited about him the whole time, about his athleticism and some of the things that he's able to do," Eckley said. " ... The biggest thing that I got from him, not from them, but just things I've seen, he's really grown and matured as a leader and encouraging his teammates. That's something that doesn't come natural to kids.

"When they recruit they're very specific on the type of kids that they want, and the type of personality they want, and the skill set that they want. They want a kid that's a long, tall athlete, and a kid that loves football and really wants to be successful. He's got those skills and that's a fit for him."

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Vandeven, who was a three-year starter for Eckley, was the recipient of the Carr Trophy, given to the top high school football player in the SEMO Conference by the Poplar Bluff Letter Club, was a member of the Southeast Missourian's All-Missourian football team and a finalist for the inaugural Semoball Awards.

He led the Indians to the Class 5 state quarterfinals as a junior and senior, and had 3,164 yards of total offense last season.

"Little kids when they start playing football, all the time they think about, 'I'm going to play in college,' and there's not that many that get a chance to do that, and there's a very small number that get to be a quarterback and do it because a lot of times kids that are quarterbacks are the best of the best at their level, and they don't get to go to the next level," Eckley said. "I'm really excited for him. He's a very gifted kid. I think he has an opportunity to contribute for them, but it'll be a lot of work. He'll just have to jump in and understand that he's on the bottom side now and he's trying to climb back up to the top, but he can do it."