Illinois States football program has signed a pair of linebackers in high school product Glen Eaton and junior college transfer Even Whitley.
Both of these guys had some circumstances that unfolded late, said head coach Denver Johnson. Some times you have to be patient, but it paid off for us in this instance.
Eaton is from the same Milwaukee, Wis., high school, Vincent, that produced defensive back Chris Govan, an earlier Redbird signee. At 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, Eaton is versatile.
Glen is a guy that weve liked a lot for a long time so were really happy to get him, Johnson said. I think we got a very fine football player. He can do a lot of things and I would probably project him as an outside linebacker who could also play some safety.
As a senior, Eaton, had 98 tackles, including 10 sacks and 18 for loss. He was a first team all-conference player
Vincent team won a conference crown with a 5-1 mark and permitted just 35 total points in those six league games.
Whitley is a 5-9, 205-pound native of North Little Rock, Ark. He spent his freshman year at Arkansas State, then played one season at Independence (Kan.) Community College.
According to Johnson, Whitley may remind Redbird fans of Galen Scott, ISUs all-time leading tackler, who graduated this spring.
Every player is different, but there are some similarities, Johnson said. Even is about Galens stature and he is very explosive. He has great speed and is stout enough to play a physical style. He will be a good football player here.
Whitley was clocked at 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash by his junior college coaches. He averaged 11 tackles per game and had a season-high 20 against Hutchinson.
