Illinois State coach Denver Johnson announced the 2002 Redbird football signing class, Wednesday, at the Kaufman Football Building. The signees will fill some immediate holes while also providing a nice blend and depth with the returning players.
Im really excited about this class, Johnson said. Its a really strong class that will fit nicely with our earlier class and our returning veteran players. This is a solid and talented class that we are very pleased with.
Some 14 high school and junior college products inked with Illinois State, as well as five players inked during the mid-year junior college transfer signing period that are already attending classes at Illinois State.
Of the 14, five are from Illinois, three from Wisconsin, two from Florida, two from Michigan and one from Iowa and Minnesota.
Johnson said his focus during the recruiting period was the defensive line position. The Redbirds graduated both starting defensive tackles, David Bull and Jeff Weese, as well as key reserve Osa Nosa.
We feel very good about (meeting our needs), Johnson said. We didnt think we were going to get both Jon Gusman and Ron Maye during the mid-year signing period and that alleviated some of the pressure at the defensive tackle spot. Today we added some players that will give us some versatility on the defensive line.
By position, the Redbirds signed seven lineman (five defensive and two offensive), two running backs, two wide receivers, a defensive back, a linebacker and a tight end.
Johnson will look to redshirt most of his incoming freshmen.
I dont want to play anybody before they're ready, Johnson added. When you have a long-term vision, you like to redshirt guys for their career and the program. There will be some freshman in this class that will have an opportunity to contribute immediately, but well just handle that when it comes.
Johnson applauded the efforts of his assistant coaches in landing this class after a disappointing season.
Im so proud of this bunch, Johnson said. They did an outstanding job on this class after going through a tough season. They did an excellent job of selling our program and Illinois State University on the recruiting trail. I salute them and just cant say enough about the job they did.
2002 Redbird Signees Capsules
Brandon Allen 6-3 210 DB Plantation, Fla. (Hollywood Hills)*
Hollywood Hills HS: had 25 receptions for 535 yards and six touchdowns ... CBS, Prep Star and Nike All-American ... ranked the 76th best prep player in the nation by Rivals.com ... Miami Heralds Broward County Offensive Player of the Year.
Kory Anderson 6-2 270 OL Hanska, Minn. (St. James)
St. James HS: set a school record with eight fumble recoveries last season ... 59 tackles and five sacks ... all-conference selection ... team captain ... won the team lineman award ... currently ranked No. 1 in the state of Minnesota in wrestling at the heavyweight division (hasnt even been scored on) ... defending state champion in wrestling ... all-conference in football, track and wrestling his junior season ... coached by Scott Allen.
Ramon Barber 6-0 172WR West Palm Beach, Fla. (Palm Beach Gardens)
Palm Beach Gardens HS: played his first three prep seasons at Palm Beach Lakes ... had 25 receptions last season for 351 yards in a run-oriented offense ... first team all-conference selection ... all-area honorable mention ... selected to play at the Palm Beach County All-Star Game ... team finished No. 5 in the state with a 10-2 mark ... coached by Tim Thorp.
Mike Blough 6-5 225 DL Leonard, Mich. (Brother Rice)
Brother Rice HS: named second team all-area as a senior ... posted 49 tackles and 3.5 sacks as a senior prep ... during junior campaign, team won state championship and finished No. 24 in the National Rankings ... a four-year letterwinner in football and a two-year letterwinner in track and field ...coached by Albert Fracassa.
LaShawn Bullock 5-7 165 RB/KR Milwaukee, Wis. (Vincent)
Vincent HS: Owns the eighth fastest 60-meter time in the nation ... as a senior averaged 10.2 yards per carry with 28 touchdowns ... also had a 35-yard kickoff return average ... conference offensive player of the year ... elected to play in the Shrine Game ...all-state selection ... three-year letterwinner in football, basketball and track and field ... coached by Adam Walker.
Janiah Downing 6-3 315 OL North Marion, Fla. (North Marion)
North Marion HS: named conference offensive lineman of the year ... first team all-state ... first team all-area the last two years ... won back to back district championships his junior and senior seasons ... his team finished 8-3 last season ... lettered in football, track and field and weightlifting ... coached by Craig Damon.
Austin Dunlap 6-3 240 DL Riverside, Iowa (Iowa City West/Iowa Central)
Iowa Central CC: ranked second on the team in sacks and led the defensive line in tackles ... named all-region ... team finished 7-3 ... coached by Kevin Twait. Iowa City West HS: set the school record for most sacks and tackles by a defensive lineman ... ranked No. 51 in the nation for defensive lineman by The Sporting News ... all-American selection by Gridiron Greats, The Sporting News and USA Today ... all-state first team elite ... all-state first team ... all-conference and all-area ... graduated with an overall record of 35-1 ... went undefeated his junior and senior seasons (26-0) with two state championships ...lettered in football four years ... coached by Reese Morgan.
Alex Filin 6-4 200 RB Skokie, Ill. (Niles West)
Niles West HS: all-state selection ... conference offensive player of the year ... team captain of the Pioneer Press All-Area Team ... Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times All-State Honorable Mention ... team captain the last two seasons ... rushed for a team-high 958 yards ... caught 21 passes for 412 yards ... had 121 tackles, including 71 unassisted ... key player on special teams as the punter, kicker, kick returner and punt returner ... averaged 30.6 yards per kickoff return ... currently averages 15.5 points and 10 rebounds per game in basketball ... clocked a 400-meter time of 51 seconds ... lettered in football, basketball and track ... coached by Mark Egofske.
Clarence Glenn 6-4 210 TE/Ath. Southfield, Mich. (Southfield-Lathrup)
Southfield-Lathrup HS: all-conference senior season ... has only played football two seasons and started his senior year ... lettered in tennis four years ... coached by Stephon Thompson.
Jon Gusman 6-4 250 DL Decatur, Miss. (Newton County/East Central CC)*
East Central CC: tallied 24 solo tackles and 20 assists during 2001 ... named honorable mention all-state. Newton County HS: as a senior was voted all-district and was a second-team all-state tight end ... also named all-district as a junior.
Michael Heffernan 6-1 295 DL Hawthorn Woods, Ill. (Lake Zurich)
Lake Zurich HS: named Fox Valley All-Conference ... Northwest Herald First Team All-Area ... Lake Zurich Courier First Team All-Area ... voted lineman of the year ... selected for the Illinois Coaches East-West All-star Game ... lettered in football, track and tennis ... coached by Mike DiMatteo.
T.J. Jackson 6-2 212 LB Boynton Beach, Fla. (Olympic Heights/Virginia Tech)*
Virginia Tech: played in 10 games during the 2001 season including three starts ... posted 18 solo stops, 20 assists, a tackle for loss, a pass break-up and a quarterback hurry .. for his career finished with 19 games, 23 solo tackles and 23 assists. Olympic Heights HS: named team MVP his junior and senior seasons ... as a senior selected to North-South and Palm Beach County all-star games ... a two-time first team all-conference honoree.
Calvin Jones 6-3 210 LB Normal, Ill. (Normal Community)
Normal Community HS: two-time all-conference selection ... participant in the state all-star game in June ... posted 15 tackles in the game against Normal West ... team advanced to the Elite Eight with a 7-3 mark ... lettered in football and basketball ... coached by Hud Venerable.
Leon Kittrell 5-9 180 DB Oak Creek, Wis. (Oak Creek)
Oak Creek HS: team finished 9-2 and advanced to the semifinals ... had 53 solo tackles, 102 assists, two sacks and 11 interceptions, including two that were returned for touchdowns ... returned three punts for touchdowns and four kickoffs ... named all-state, all-area and all-conference. Sahuaro HS (Tucson, Ariz.): as a defensive back had 26 solo stops and one interception ... returned four kicks for touchdowns (1 punt, 3 kickoffs) ... named all-state and all-area ... lettered by football, basketball and track ... coached by Joe Koch.
Mike Larson 6-4 252 TE Palatine, Ill. (Mascoutah/Harper CC)
Harper CC: started at tight end and defensive end for a team that finished 7-3 and played in the Empire State Bowl ... had 24 catches for 200 yards ... named first team all-conference and first team all-region. Western Illinois: Redshirted in 2000-01. Mascoutah HS: threw for over 800 yards and ran for 350 yards during senior season as a quarterback ... had 118 tackles ... named first team all conference and all-area as a QB and LB ... honorable mention all-state by the Champaign News Gazette ... as a junior had 25 catches for 270 yards ... named all-conference and all-area as a WR ... lettered in football four years ... coached by Chris Lindsey.
Justin Martindale 6-3 275 DL Wadsworth, Ill. (Warren Township)
Warren Township HS: two-time all-conference and all-area selection ... last season the team posted an 8-4 mark and advanced to the third round of the playoffs ... lettered in football all four years ... coach by Dale Mohapp.
Ronald Maye 6-1 285 DL Monticello, Miss. (Copiah-Lincoln)*
Copiah-Lincoln: played in nine games for the Wolves with a 5-4 record ... finished the season with 68 stops, including 32 solo tackles and 36 assists ... also added one fumble recovery.
Nick Rohrer 6-0 290 DT Oak Creek, Wis. (Oak Creek)
Oak Creek HS: all-state offensive and defensive lineman ... 2001 Wisconsin Defensive Player of the Year ... Associated Press defensive lineman of the year ... first three-time first team all-state selection in the history of Wisconsin high school football ... high school jersey retired ... owns the school record for career sacks with 43 and career tackles for loss with 90 ... career record was 40-7 and he started in 44 straight games ... during senior season had 13 sacks, 54 tackles, 28 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles ... team finished season ranked No. 3 in the state ... as a freshman became the first freshman in the history of the school to start on the varsity ... four-year letterwinner ... coached by Joe Koch.
Mike Souza 6-0 180 QB Royal Oaks, Calif. (North Monterey County/Hartnell)*
Hartnell: led the Panthers to an 8-3 record and a Coast Conference championship in 2000 ... started 17 games in two years at Hartnell, which was coached by his father, Larry ... completed 172 passes on 362 attempts for 2,801 yards and 30 touchdowns. North Monterey County HS: completed 125 passes on 250 attempts for 1,600 yards and 22 touchdowns his senior campaign ... named league MVP, first team all-league and first team all-county.
* Signed during the mid-year signing period and is already attending classes at Illinois State.
