It wasnt 40 times or bench press figures that Illinois State head coach
Denver Johnson most appreciated on Wednesday, the signing day for I-A and I-AA football prospects. It was, of all things, the calendar.
Last year, we were still getting our feet on the ground as a newly-hired staff and it just always felt like we were playing catch-up to one degree or another, Johnson said. This year, we were in sync with the calendar and were working on the same schedule as everybody else. Time is always the judge of your recruiting efforts, but I really believe that being here for a full year paid off. It appears that we have signed a very talented class.
Some 23 high school and junior college products inked with Illinois State, including seven mid-year junior college transfers who are already attending classes at ISU.
Of the 23 seven are from Illinois, four from Florida, three from Wisconsin, , two from Georgia, two from Texas, two from Washington, two from California and one from Tennessee.
Johnson said his teams most pressing need during the recruiting period has been addressed with the addition of four defensive backs. The Redbirds graduated both starting cornerbacks, Lee Lafayette and Sam Young, and their starting strong safety, Ryan Szokola.
Some outstanding defensive backs have joined the program and we feel like we addressed the needs at safety and corner with some tremendous players, Johnson said. We also feel like we picked up some very good prospects on the offensive line and at quarterback. I just see a lot of talent and potential in this class.
By position, the Redbirds signed seven linebackers (including inside and outside), five defensive backs, three defensive linemen, two wide receivers, two offensive linemen, two quarterbacks, one running back and one kicker.
Johnson hopes to redshirt most of his incoming freshmen.
We hope to have an opportunity to redshirt as many as we can, but some may play as freshmen, he said. You evaluate those things once they are on campus. Its exciting for us to know that we have a some who may force us to make a decision in that regard. That tells us that we have some talented young players.
Johnson applaued the efforts of his assistant coaches in landing this class.
I have a great group of assistant coaches who can really coach this game and take care of the other duties , he said. They can also recruit and I just cant say enough about the job they did.
Last season, Illinois State notched its third consecutive winning season and was ranked in Division I-AAs season-ending poll for a third straight year. The 2000 Redbirds were 7-4 overall and 4-2 in the Gateway Football Conference, good enough for a second-place tie with Youngstown State.
Redbird Signees At A Glance
Brennan Berg, 6-3, 200, WR, Jackson, TN (University School)
Wes Burgess, 6-4, 285, OL, Fresno, CA (Clovis/Hancock CC)
Dennis Butler, 5-10, 185, DB, Chicago, IL (Simeon/LA Valley CC)
Josh Chrestman, 6-4, 220, LB, Sandwich, IL (Sandwich)
Stafford Davis, 6-1, 270, OL, Orange Park, FL (Clay)
Jonathan Friend, 6-2, 225, DE, Orange, TX (Little Cyprus/Blinn CC)
Nolan Gatewood, 6-6, 210, WR, Puyallup, WA (Puyallup/Santa Rosa CC)
Chris Govan, 6-0, 185, DB, Milwaukee, WI (Vincent)
Greg Helle, 6-1, 224, LB, Tacoma, WA (Puyallup/Santa Rosa)
Ryan Hoffman, 6-2, 180, P/K, Stevens Point, WI (Area)
Samuel Idllett, 6-3, 240, DL, Atlanta, GA (Douglass)
Kendall Kelley, 6-3 236 Defensive End Dallas, Tex. (Carter)
Stephen Kolodziej, 6-6, 213, QB, Schaumburg, IL (Schaumburg)
Joe Koren, 6-4, 235, LB, Joliet, IL (Catholic)
Drew Laurenti, 6-2, 195, LB, Kankakee, IL (Bishop McNamara)
Jim Mancuso, 6-0, 200, OLB, Wisconsin Rapids, WI (Lincoln)
William Rolle, 5-10, 185, Outside Linebacker, Immokolee, Fla. (Immokolee)
Otis Spates, 6-1, 185, DB, Riverdale, GA (North Clayton)
Mike Stegeman, 6-5, 280, OL, Chatham, IL ( Glenwood)
T.J. Watts, 5-7, 160, RB, Dunnellon, FL (Dunnellon)
Sesamir Yearby, 6-3, 185, DB, Quincy, IL (Quincy)
Samuel Yeargin, 5-11, 170, DB, Lauderhill, FL (Dillard)
Kevin Zouzounis, 6-4, 205, QB, Burlingame, Calif. (Junipero/City Coll. SF)
