Four Eastern Washington University football players have been selected by their teammates as co-captains for the 2022 season, head coach Aaron Best has announced this afternoon (June 9).
 
Defensive end Mitchell Johnson, wide receiver Freddie Roberson, defensive back Anthany Smith and quarterback Gunner Talkington will all step into co-captain roles for the first time in their respective careers.
 
The quartet has a combined 144 total games worth of experience at Eastern Washington, including 61 total starts. Johnson, Smith and Talkington all enter their redshirt senior seasons at EWU, while Roberson is listed as a redshirt junior.
 
Last month, Smith was chosen to become the next Eagle to continue the more than 10-year history of wearing EWU's No. 4 legacy jersey that symbolizes the defensive player who most embodies the characteristics of defense at Eastern: grit, toughness, effort, leadership and academic success.
 
Smith hails from Everett, Wash., where he graduated from Mariner High School in 2017. He has 109 career tackles, two interceptions and four passes broken up in 30 games (11 as a starter). He earned All-Big Sky Conference first team honors following the unique 2020-21 Spring season after leading the team with 44 tackles in six games.
 
Johnson earned All-Big Sky first team honors in 2020-21 and was selected to the third team in 2021. The West Linn, Ore., native has 148 tackles in his 47-game career (30 as a starter). He has 26 1/2 tackles for loss, 13 1/2 sacks, five interceptions, 16 quarterback hurries, nine passes broken up, three fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles (T-14th in school history). Johnson is a management major and has been named to the All-Big Sky Academic Team four times in his career.
 
Roberson, who graduated from Rainier Beach High School in Seattle in 2018, has 29 games of experience (19 starts) in his career and with five 100-yard receiving performances. He has caught 96 passes for a total of 1,469 yards and 10 touchdowns, and he has also rushed for a touchdown. He was named to the All-Big Sky second team in 2020-21 and landed on the third team last season along with being named to the HERO Sports Sophomore All-America team for offense.
 
Talkington played in all 13 games for Eastern Washington as a backup quarterback and the holder on special teams. Entering the 2022 season, he is the front-runner to replace Walter Payton Award winner Eric Barriere at quarterback. So far in his career, Talkington has played in 38 games and is 1-0 as a starter. He has completed 32-of-64 passes for 365 yards and five touchdowns in his career. Talkington hails from Battle Ground, Wash., where he graduated from Battle Ground High School in 2017. He is a management major and has been named to the All-Big Sky Academic team four times during his career.
 
The Eagles open 2022 on Sept. 3 at home against Tennessee State. The complete schedule can be found HERE, and season ticket renewals for current season ticketholders are underway until June 20. Season tickets will open to the general public on Monday, June 27. Click HERE for details.
 
More on Mitchell Johnson:
Career: Johnson has been an opportunistic player as EWU's "Buck" defensive end, and he now has 148 tackles in his 47-game career (30 as a starter). He has 26 1/2 tackles for loss, 13 1/2 sacks, five interceptions, 16 quarterback hurries, nine passes broken up, three fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles (T-14th in school history).

2021: He earned All-Big Sky Conference third team honors and was named to the Big Sky Conference All-Academic team after starting in all 13 games for the Eagles. He made 50 total tackles and had 9 1/2 tackles for loss, resulting in 36 negative yards for opponents. Johnson was also credited with 5 1/2 sacks for 27 yards, five pass break ups, five quarterback hurries, and two forced fumbles. He opened the season with five tackles, 1 1/2 tackles for loss, and a sack against UNLV on 9/2/21. On 10/2/21 against Montana, he totaled six tackles (two for loss) and a pass break up. He forced a sack fumble against Weber State on 10/23/21 and Portland State on 11/20/21. Johnson was selected to the preseason All-Big Sky Conference team, and earned the same honor from Phil Steele Publications (second team).

2020-21: He earned All-Big Sky Conference first team honors after starting six of the seven games he played as a defensive end. Was named to the Big Sky Conference All-Academic team. For the season he had 26 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, four quarterback hurries and a pass broken up. In EWU's 62-10 victory over Cal Poly (3/27/21) he had his first career touchdown on a 34-yard return just six minutes into the game to give EWU a 21-0 lead over the Mustangs. He also had a pass broken up versus CP. Two weeks later against Idaho (4/10/21) he had his fifth career interception with a leaping/twisting pick on fourth down against with 1:29 remaining to help seal the 38-31 victory. He also equaled his career high with nine tackles in that game and was credited with a half-sack. He also had eight tackles versus Northern Arizona (3/6/21) with 1 1/2 sacks. All four of his quarterback hurries came in consecutive games versus Idaho (2/27/21), NAU, Idaho State (3/13/21) and Cal Poly. Phil Steele Publications selected him to its preseason All-Big Sky Conference squad as a third team defensive lineman.

2019: He was named to the Big Sky Conference All-Academic team. Played in all 12 Eagle games, starting the first 11 before a senior started in his place on Senior Day. He closed the season with 41 tackles, with six for losses and 1 1/2 sacks. He also was credited with five quarterback hurries, including two versus Lindenwood (9/7/19). Johnson had the third interception of his career, two fumble recoveries and a fumble forced during the 2019 season. He had a season-high seven tackles against North Dakota (9/28/19), six versus Portland State (11/23/19) and five on two other occasions. Mitchell had an interception and a half-sack versus Jacksonville State (9/14/19), and a solo sack against UND. He had three of his hurries versus Northern Colorado (10/10/19). His pressure on a two-point conversion with 4:58 left against Cal Poly (11/16/19) led to a tackle by teammate Joshua Jerome to preserve EWU's 42-41 victory. He also had a fumble recovery and 22-yard return against the Mustangs. He was a first team preseason all-conference selection as chosen by Phil Steele Publications. Johnson had three quick-whistle sacks in the Red-White game, giving him a total of five in three spring scrimmages with 14 total tackles.

2018: Was awarded first team Freshman All-America honors from both Hero Sports and Phil Steele Publications after earning second team All-Big Sky Conference accolades. Was named to the Big Sky Conference All-Academic team. He played in all 15 games as a backup in 2018, and had season highs of four tackles in three different games. He had four of his sacks in consecutive games versus Northern Arizona (9/8/18), Washington State (9/15/18) and Cal Poly (9/22/18). Two of them came against the Cougars, and he also had a half-sack versus Maine (12/15/18) to advance EWU to the NCAA Division I Championship Game on Jan. 5 in Frisco, Texas. Mitchell also had interceptions against Southern Utah (10/6/18) in the regular season and UC Davis (12/8/18) in the playoffs. His fumble recovery came against Weber State (10/13/18) – Eastern's last setback until losing to North Dakota State in Frisco.

2017: Redshirted. Was selected as EWU's Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year. He was the team's defensive scout team player of the week four times on defense and once on special teams.

HS: Graduated from West Linn HS in 2017. Coached by Chris Miller in high school. Was selected by the Oregonian as a first team 6A All-State selection as a senior linebacker. He earned first team All-Three Rivers League honors on defense as well. He had 170 tackles (12.1 per game) as a senior, including 16 tackles for loss and three sacks. He also had three quarterback hurries, two interceptions, five passes broken up and two fumble recoveries. He had at least 10 tackles in his first nine games of the season, and finished with double figures in 11 of 14 games. He had a season-high of 22 with five for losses in a 54-7 win over Lakeridge. Helped lead the Lions to a perfect 14-0 finish and the State 6A championship, beating Central Catholic 62-7 in the title game. He had six tackles in that blowout victory. In five playoff games, they outscored opponents 277-75 (average score of 55-15) after winning the 6A Three Rivers League title with a 7-0 record (average score of 44-10). For the season, West Linn outscored opponents 684-198 (48-14). In his junior season, he had 38 tackles, including one for a safety. West Linn was 12-2 and advanced to the 6A title game where it lost to Jesuit 21-14. He equaled his season high with seven tackles in the championship game. Johnson also played on the varsity as a sophomore when West Linn was 9-3, for a collective 35-5 record in his three seasons.as a Lion. He also competed in lacrosse at West Linn, earning All-USA Oregon honors from USA Today following his sophomore season. He scored five goals as West Linn beat Lakeridge 10-6 to capture the 2015 Oregon High School Lacrosse Association championship and finish 18-4 on the season. He earned honorable mention All-State honors as sophomore, and as a junior he was selected to play in an Oregon all-star game. He was a National Honor Society student at West Linn with a 3.5 grade point average. The Oregonian gave him honorable mention on its list of top college prospects following the 2016 season. Was rated a two-star recruit by scout.com, rivals.com and on 247sports.com, which also ranked him as the 28th best prospect in the state of Oregon.

Personal: Management major with a 3.47 grade point average through spring quarter 2021. Intends to earn M.B.A. Born 6/25/99 in West Linn, Ore. Parents are David and Shannon Johnson.

More on Freddie Roberson:
Career: Roberson now has 29 games of experience (19 starts) in his career and with five 100-yard receiving performances. He has caught 96 passes for a total of 1,469 yards and 10 touchdowns, and he has also rushed for a touchdown.

2021: Roberson earned All-Big Sky third team honors after starting and playing in 11 games for the Eagles. He totaled 49 catches for 779 yards (fifth in the conference) and six touchdowns. His 70.8 receiving yards per game ranked seventh in the Big Sky. Against Western Illinois on 9/18/21, Roberson hauled in six catches for 118 yards and a touchdown. He had his best game of the season against Idaho on 10/16/21, catching nine passes for 192 yards (21.3 per reception) and two touchdowns in a blowout win. Against UC Davis (11/13/21), Roberson had six receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown. In the FCS Playoffs against Northern Iowa (11/27/21), he exploded for 127 yards on just five catches (25.4 per reception), including a career-long of 86 yards. In the preseason, Roberson was named by Phil Steele Publications as a preseason third team All-Big Sky Conference selection.

2020-21: Roberson earned All-Big Sky Conference second team honors after starting six of the seven games he played as a wide receiver. He finished with 33 grabs for 470 yards and three touchdowns, and also had a 42-yard touchdown rush. He had career highs of eight catches for 142 yards versus Idaho State (3/13/21). In the 2020-21 opener at Idaho (2/27/21), Roberson had seven catches for 48 yards, and versus Northern Arizona (3/6/21) he finished with 65 yards and a score on four catches. He had five grabs for 76 yards and a TD against Cal Poly (3/27/21), then had four catches for 86 yards in EWU's 32-22 victory over 11th-ranked UC Davis (32-22). He had a 42-yard rush for a touchdown

2019: Roberson played in 11 of EWU's 12 games, and made his Eagle debut at Washington (8/31/19). He started twice, and made the first start of his Eastern career against Idaho State (11/9/19) in his ninth game as an Eagle. Roberson also started against Portland State (11/23/19) when he had his first 100-yard receiving performance as an Eagle with four catches for 104 yards with a long reception of 46 yards for a TD. He had four catches for 56 yards and a score against Lindenwood (9/7/19) in his second game as an Eagle. He also had three receptions for 34 yards versus Northern Arizona (11/2/19).

2018: Redshirted.

HS: Graduated from Rainier Beach HS in 2018. He was named by the Seattle Times as a "White Chip" selection as one of the top 100 prospects in the state of Washington. He was rated as a three-star recruit as an "athlete" and the 22nd best prospect in the state of Washington by 247sports.com. He was also a three-star prospect by scout.com. He was a two-star prospect on rivals.com. In his senior season, Roberson earned second team All-3A Metro League Mountain Division honors as both a running back and outside linebacker. Roberson helped Rainier Beach finish 10-3 overall and 3-1 in the 3A Metro League Mountain Division standings. The Vikings advanced to the State 3A championship game where it lost to O'Dea 38-11. Rainier Beach won preliminary playoff games against Mt. Spokane (28-21), Peninsula (37-28) and Garfield (49-21). In his junior season in 2016, Rainier Beach finished 8-3 to advance to the State 3A Playoffs, and won the 3A Metro League Valley Division title with a perfect 5-0 record. He also played basketball for Rainier Beach, where he helped the Vikings win the State 3A title in his sophomore season, finishing 23-6 after beating O'Dea 70-49 for the title. The Vikings also advanced to the State 3A Playoffs in his junior season and finished 22-10, and as a senior they lost 72-63 to Garfield in the state championship game to close the year at 22-7. His teammates Antony Stell Jr. and Darrien Sampson also graduated from Rainier Beach in 2018, and their coach at Rainier Beach was Darrien's father, Corey Sampson.

Personal: Communications studies major. Born 11/17/99 in Seattle. Parents are Simetress and Ronald Roberson. His real first name is Frederick, but he goes by his nickname "Freddie."

More on Anthany Smith:
Career: Smith has 109 career tackles, two interceptions and four passes broken up in 30 games (11 as a starter). Smith played in just three games in 2019 before being lost for the season with an injury, and he was limited to six in the 2021 season.

2021: Smith played in six games for the Eagles (five starts), missing the first half of the season due to injury. He racked up 38 tackles (one for loss) and a forced fumble. His season-high of 11 tackles came against Montana State on 11/6/21, where one was for a loss of two yards. Against Portland State on 11/20/21, Smith totaled seven tackles (all solo) and forced a fumble midway through the third quarter of a tied game. The fumble was recovered by Ty Graham, and the Eagle offense used their next possession to reclaim the lead. He had five tackles in an FCS Playoff victory over Northern Iowa in which the Eastern defense only allowed one touchdown.

2020-21: Smith earned All-Big Sky Conference first team honors after starting all six of the games he played as a safety. Was named to the Big Sky Conference All-Academic team. He was also selected as the team's defensive MVP. He finished with a team-leading 44 tackles in six games played (all as a starter). In EWU's last regular season game versus Idaho (4/10/21), Smith had 17 tackles -- equaling the 19th-most in school history. He made his starting debut earlier in the season versus the Vandals (2/27/21) and had 10 tackles, a pass broken up and a 71-yard interception return for a touchdown which was the 18th-longest in school history. He had the first interception return for a touchdown for EWU since Nzuzi Webster had a 48-yard return versus UC Davis on Nov. 10, 2018. Smith also had an interception and four tackles versus Idaho State (3/13/21), and six stops against Northern Arizona (3/6/21). His other pass broken up came versus Cal Poly (3/27/21).

2019: He played EWU's first three games before getting injured at Jacksonville State (9/14/19) and missing the remainder of the season. Smith had nine tackles in those three games, including a high of five versus Lindenwood (9/7/19). He was EWU's special teams player of the week against Lindenwood (9/7/19).

2018: Played in all 15 games for the Eagles and finished with 18 tackles. He had a season-high five versus UC Davis (12/8/18) in the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs. Smith had an interception in the first meeting with UCD (11/10/18), and completed a pass for 30 yards in the next game versus Portland State (11/16/18).

2017: Redshirted.

HS: Graduated from Mariner HS in 2017. Lettered three years in football, and also competed nationally for FSP (Ford Sports) in 7-on-7 football. His former EWU teammate Curtis Billen ('14) also graduated from Mariner.

Personal: Management and communication studies major at EWU with a 3.27 grade point average through spring quarter 2021. Born 9/7/98 in Seattle, Wash. Parents are James Smith and Zaneta Reid.

More on Gunner Talkington:
Career: He has completed 32-of-64 passes for 365 yards and five touchdowns in his career.

2021: Was named to the Big Sky Conference All-Academic team. Talkington played in all 13 games for Eastern as a backup quarterback and the holder on special teams. He completed 11-of-17 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown, also rushing for 14 yards on six attempts. He completed five passes for 58 yards against Central Washington on 9/11/21. Against Idaho (10/16/21), he threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Robert Mason III.

2020-21: Was named to the Big Sky Conference All-Academic team. Talkington made the first start of his career versus Cal Poly (3/27/21) and finished with career highs for completions (6), yards (132), touchdowns (2), rushing yards (14), long rush (14) and total offense (146). On Eastern's second play of the game, he found Talolo Limu-Jones for a 71-yard gain and then followed with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Talkington to Freddie Roberson to open the floodgates in the 62-10 victory. He was the holder on placekicks in all seven EWU games – the third-straight season he's held that duty.

2019: He was named to the Big Sky Conference All-Academic team. He played in all 12 Eastern games as a holder on placekicks, and saw action in five as a quarterback. He finished 9-of-26 for 73 yards and a 15-yard touchdown pass on a fake field goal attempt, with that score coming versus Idaho State (11/9/19) when he finished 2-of-5 for 21 yards. He was 2-of-11 for 27 yards against Sacramento State (10/5/19). Talkington was 10-of-17 and had 155 yards and a touchdown in the Red team's 20-14 victory over the White team in the annual Red-White Game, giving him 327 yards and a pair of TDs in three spring scrimmages.

2018: Was named to the Big Sky Conference All-Academic team. He had a 2-yard touchdown pass to Jayce Gilder on a fake field goal against North Dakota State (1/5/19) in the NCAA Division I Championship Game. For the season, he completed 6-of-12 passes for 62 yards, including a 3-of-6 performance for 35 yards against Southern Utah (10/6/18). He also completed both of his passes for 25 yards against Northern Colorado (11/3/18). He completed 11-of-23 passes (48 percent) for 118 yards and two touchdowns in three spring scrimmages, including 50 yards on 5-of-10 passing in EWU's Red-White Game.

2017: Redshirted. Was selected as EWU's co-Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year. He was the team's offensive scout team player of the week twice.

HS: Graduated from Battle Ground HS in 2017. Played in high school for Larry Peck. He passed for 7,905 yards and 77 touchdowns in his career, completing 70 percent of his passes (566-of-813). He also rushed 284 times for 648 yards and 14 touchdowns, giving him 8,553 yards of total offense in his career while accounting for 91 TDs. He earned first team All-4A Greater St. Helen's League honors as a senior at quarterback, helping Battle Ground finish 7-2. He completed 71 percent of his passes as a senior (185-of-259) for 2,553 yards, 25 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He also rushed for 398 yards and 11 touchdowns, giving him 2,951 yards of total offense and 36 TDs accounted for. He was voted the high school player of the week by The Columbian after he completed 31-of-39 passes for 503 yards and six touchdowns in a win over Mountain View, adding 51 rushing to finish with 554 yards of total offense. Talkington earned All-GSHL second team honors in 2015 and was a first team choice as a sophomore in 2014. He passed for 2,774 yards and 24 touchdowns as a junior and 2,578 yards and 28 scores as a sophomore. Battle Ground advanced to the 2015 State 4A Playoffs in 2015 where it lost to eventual champion Gonzaga Prep 42-14 in the first round. The Tigers were 8-3 in his junior season and 4-5 as a sophomore. He also played baseball at Battle Ground, earning second team 4A All-State honors as a catcher. He started since his freshman season, earning All-GSHL honors three times.

Personal: Management major with a 3.50 grade point average through spring quarter 2021. Born 9/4/98 in Spokane, Wash. Parents are Troy and Cathy Talkington.