Defensive back Steve Harris participated in his first Illinois State football practice Tuesday after transferring to the Redbirds from Illinois.
Harris is the fourth former Illini player on the Illinois State roster this season joining Dwayne Smith, Jim Ferguson and Jesus Terrazas. Head coach Denver Johnson is pleased to add a player of Harris caliber to the Redbird line-up.
Were excited to have Steve in camp, Johnson said. Were anxious to see what hes going to bring to the table. Obviously hes a guy that was highly thought of coming out of high school. He had a lot of options and things just didnt work out the way he wanted them to.
Hes a speed guy that has some pretty impressive accomplishments in high school track. Speed is a commodity that you can never have too much of. Were still a little thin in the secondary and Steve is another potential corner. Were excited to have him and anxious to see how he develops.
Harris, who will have four years of eligibility with the Redbirds, redshirted last year at Illinois.
A four-year letterwinner at Rockford Boylan Central Catholic, Harris was a member of the SuperPrep All-Midwest team. In his senior season with the Titans, Harris had 62 tackles and picked off seven passes, while also rushing for 970 yards. He was an all-state selection as a quarterback during his sophomore and junior campaigns. Rated as the 64th best cornerback in the country out of high school by Rivals.com, Harris was also a three time Northern Illinois Conference (N.I.C.-9) selection.
The Rockford, Ill., native also lettered in basketball and track. An honorable mention all-state basketball honoree in 2000, Harris was an all-conference selection in the 200 meters with a time of 21.6 seconds and an all-state recipient in the 4 x 200 meter relay.
In other Illinois State roster moves, freshman quarterback Robby Wages has opted not to participate in football this year. The Orlando, Fla., native is still enrolled at Illinois State and cited personal reasons. Johnson and his staff have left the door open for his return. In addition, junior college transfer Robert Taylor has yet to be admitted to the university and will likely not be in a Redbird uniform this season.
