At the conclusion of SEMO Football’s final preseason scrimmage last Saturday morning, Northern Illinois University transfer Daniel Santacaterina was named the team's starting quarterback.
Santacaterina will make his first career start at SEMO when the Redhawks kick off the season at Football Bowl Subdivision and Sun Belt Conference member Arkansas State next Saturday, Sept. 1.
First-year offensive coordinator, and former SEMO quarterback himself, Jeromy McDowell said, “Daniel is way more athletic than maybe people give him credit for. He's extremely smart, does a lot of checking at the line, has a strong arm and is very accurate.
He commands the offense well and is a great leader with the ability to attack the whole field."
A native of Geneva, Illinois, Santacaterina played in six games and made four starts at NIU last season, including leading the Huskies to a 21-17 victory over Nebraska in Lincoln.
Santacaterina joined the Redhawks in the spring but was limited due to a shoulder injury. He was cleared before the start of camp and has had a strong preseason.
Head coach Tom Matukewicz was impressed by Daniel’s ability to overcome a lot of adversity and come to a new football team and gain everybody's respect.
Santacaterina takes over for Jesse Hosket who was SEMO's staring signal-caller the last two seasons. Hosket recently signed with upstart Alliance American Football League's Memphis.
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