2025 Training Camp Preview: RBs / WRs
Published on March 3, 2025 under Indoor Football League (IFL)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release
Moving on to the running backs and wide receivers, the Quad City Steamwheelers will have a healthy mix of new and returning faces in both position groups. In the running back room, the Steamwheelers return Easton Bianchi, a speedster who looks to break out after missing most of last season due to injury. Quad City brings in Jarrod Ware Jr., a back who has IFL experience previously with Northern Arizona and Tulsa, and also Gino Appleberry, who comes in for his first season in the IFL after his collegiate career with Chattanooga and Western Kentucky.
For the receivers, veteran and local product Keyvan Rudd returns for another year with the Steamwheelers. Augustana College graduate Jordan Vesey returns for his second season in the league after a productive but injury-shortened rookie season. The team brought in Ke'John Batiste, Devanaire Concliffe, and Demarcus Gregory, three receivers who have height and will hope to add jump ball potential to the offense. The offense also added three speedy receivers, Travalle Calvin, Davion Johnson, and Deion McShane, who will be able to make plays out in the open.
Running Backs
Gino Appleberry
5'9 / 200 - UT Chattanooga
Appleberry is entering his first season in the IFL and hopes to add a bruising rushing style to the group.
Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Appleberry played collegiately at Western Kentucky University before transferring to UT-Chattanooga to continue his career. With the Mocs, Appleberry rushed for 1,567 yards on 359 carries while totaling 15 touchdowns and 1,905 all-purpose yards. In 12 games with Western Kentucky, he rushed for 212 yards on 61 carries and scored three touchdowns in his freshman season with the Hilltoppers.
Jarrod Ware Jr.
5'10 / 190 - UW-Whitewater
Entering his first season with the Steamwheelers, Ware Jr. spent the 2024 season with the Tulsa Oilers as the team's leading rusher and added six touchdowns in just 12 games.
Before joining Tulsa, Ware played for the Wranglers in 2023, rushing for 388 yards on 82 carries while running in for eight scores. He also showed he could be a threat in the passing game by picking up 394 yards through the air on 46 catches. In the 2023 Western Conference Championship game, Ware Jr. ran for 64 yards and two touchdowns, while totaling 29 receiving yards and one touchdown through the air.
Prior to the IFL, Ware Jr. attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and had a successful career for the Warhawks, earning an honorable mention on the All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team. In total, he rushed for 1,770 yards, 13 touchdowns, and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Ware Jr. also added 482 receiving yards on 42 receptions and one touchdown.
Easton Bianchi
5'6 / 160 - BYU
Last season with the Steamwheelers, Bianchi scored a kick return touchdown in one game before spending the rest of the season on injured reserve. He looks to stay healthy this season and use his dynamic speed to change games.
A Sterling, Illinois native, Bianchi was a first-team All-State running back at Newman Central Catholic before attending BYU and joining the track and field team. At BYU, he recorded personal bests such as running a 6.68 in the 60m and a 21.17 in the 200m, tied for number six all-time at BYU. He also recorded a personal best of 10.31 in the 100m, alongside a 33.90 in the 300m.
Wide Receivers
Ke'John Batiste
6'3 / 190 - Gannon University
Batiste brings size to the receiver room, standing 6-foot-3, and could serve as a jump-ball option for the Steamwheelers offense. His size could help create mismatches between him and defensive players, depending on where Batiste is positioned on the field.
In three years at Gannon, Batiste recorded 113 receptions, 1,585 yards, and 14 receiving touchdowns. His 2022 season as a redshirt junior statistically proved to be his best season, where he picked up a school record 957 yards and also eight scores on 64 receptions, which earned him a spot on the first-team All-PSAC West team. In 2023, he earned All-PSAC West Second Team after recording 45 receptions for 556 yards and five touchdowns.
Travalle Calvin
6'0 / 185 - Doane University
After spending time with Tulsa in 2024, Calvin joined the Steamwheelers for the 2025 season and looks to make an impact. He brings the offense another weapon with his speed, route-running ability, and ability to make great catches with his hands.
Before joining the IFL, Calvin played collegiately at Iowa Central Community College and Doane University.
Devanaire Concliffe
6'2 / 240 - Notre Dame College
A bigger-type receiver, Concliffe brings size and is not only a receiving threat but a rushing threat for the Steamwheelers offense. He previously spent time in the IFL with the Duke City Gladiators.
In two seasons at Notre Dame College, he led the team in receiving yards in 2020 and 2021. Despite a shortened five-game 2020 season, Concliffe brought in 349 yards, six receiving touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown. He was named not only to the first-team All-MEC but to the Academic All-MEC as well. In 2021, Concliffe led the team in every category, catching 61 passes for 1,070 yards and 12 touchdowns, earning him his second straight first-team All-MEC honor.
Demarcus Gregory
6'3 / 210 - Central Missouri
A big, physical receiver, Gregory is one of the many jump-ball options for the Steamwheelers offense this season. Not only can he make contested catches, but he can use his sizable frame to block for the running backs and other receivers when needed.
He started his career at Ole Miss and hauled in 127 yards in his first season in 2019. After transferring to South Florida in 2021, Gregory recorded 147 yards and one touchdown on nine receptions with the Bulls. After one season, he moved to Texas State, where he only played in three games and caught three passes for 23 yards. In his last season in 2023, Gregory flipped to Central Missouri and caught 50 passes for 525 yards and five touchdowns.
Davion Johnson
5'9 / 185 - Central Connecticut State
Johnson looks to bring his shifty playmaking skills to the Quad City offense in his first season with the team. A smaller receiver, Johnson will look to use screen passes and handoffs to show off his moves and speed to make an impact for the Steamwheelers.
At ACU, he played in 28 games from 2020-2022, catching 48 passes for 436 yards and four touchdowns and also adding on 17 rushes for 113 yards and a score. In 2021, he recorded his best season with 239 yards and three touchdown catches. With Central Connecticut State in 2023-24, Johnson caught 36 passes for 311 yards and one touchdown to end his collegiate career.
Deion McShane
5'9 / 175 - Northern Iowa
In 2023, with the Iowa Barnstormers, McShane played two games before suffering a hamstring injury that sidelined him. McShane brings speed to the position group as a receiver, allowing him to be a kick returner in college and potentially with the Steamwheelers. His speed, playmaking ability, and body control will give him an opportunity for a roster spot and playing time.
In five seasons at the University of Northern Iowa, McShane reeled in 148 passes for over 1,900 career receiving yards and seven touchdowns while adding 180 rushing yards on 31 attempts. In 2023, McShane received an invitation to the New York Giants rookie minicamp before joining the IFL.
Keyvan Rudd
6'3 / 215 - MSU Mankato
A veteran of the group, the Davenport native was the second-leading receiver for the Steamwheelers in 2024, catching 50 passes for 513 yards and seven touchdowns. The previous year, Rudd caught 54 passes for 656 yards and 15 touchdowns and added three rushing touchdowns with the Steamwheelers. With a change at the quarterback position, Rudd will look to return to his 2023 production this season.
In his career, he has totaled over 3,700 receiving yards and 61 touchdowns, along with 316 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. In 2019, with the Steamwheelers, he earned a spot on the First Team All-IFL roster..
Before his seven years in the IFL, Rudd played four years at MSU-Mankato, where he reeled in 37 passes for 525 yards and five touchdowns.
Jordan Vesey
6'1 / 190 - Augustana College
In his rookie season in 2024 with the Steamwheelers, Vesey recorded 20 receptions for 280 yards and six touchdowns, one of which ended up on ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 plays. However, he only played nine games due to injuries and is looking to break out in his second season in the IFL.
In three years at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, Vesey caught 68 passes for 893 yards and six touchdowns. During his senior season in 2023, he caught 27 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns. After graduating from Augustana, Vesey continued his football career by staying local with the Steamwheelers.
Indoor Football League Stories from March 3, 2025
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- Blizzard Sign Offensive Lineman Timothy Robinson - Green Bay Blizzard
- Training Camp Look Ahead - Jacksonville Sharks
- Steamwheelers Announce Partnership with XUSD Blockchain Holdings - Quad City Steamwheelers
- Iowa Barnstormers Single-Game Tickets on Sale Now - Iowa Barnstormers
- Bay Area Panthers Bring Fans, Athletes, and Local Businesses Together at Annual Open Tryout - Bay Area Panthers
- 2025 Training Camp Preview: RBs / WRs - Quad City Steamwheelers
- Barnstormers Beef up Defensive Line - Iowa Barnstormers
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