The Illinois State football roster got a little fuller on Wednesday with the addition of six mid-year transfers as head coach Denver Johnson added
Chance Allard, a defensive end from Butte Community College;
Jelani Gamba, a defensive back from Fullerton Junior College;
Nick Gehrts, a quarterback from Glendale Community College;
Pierre Rembert, a running back from Michigan;
Rafael Rice, a running back from Fullerton Junior College; and
Ronnie Tate, a defensive end from Glendale Community College; to the 2005 Redbird roster.
Rembert and Rice will join All-Gateway Football Conference Newcomer Team member Brian Thompson in the Redbird backfield. Rembert, at 6-foot, 209 pounds, played a reserve role the last two seasons in the Michigan backfield. With the Wolverines, Rembert posted 29 carries for 131 yards and three touchdowns in two seasons. Prior to Michigan, Rembert was a four-year varsity letterwinner at Cudahy High School in Milwaukee, Wis. As a senior prep he rushed for 2,188 yards and 29 touchdowns and was rated as the No. 17 running back and given a four-star rating by Rivals100.com.
Pierre is a guy that weve known about for a while, Johnson said. We think hes a true tailback and he reminds me a lot of [former Redbird] Quincy Washington. We think hes a little leaner and slicker than Quincy and we really believe he can be a quality back in the Gateway.
Rice, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound tailback, rushed for 985 yards and seven touchdowns at Fullerton Junior College in 2004. He earned first team All-Mission Conference National Division honors and led the Hornets to a 7-4 record. Prior to redshirting a season at San Jose State, Rice rushed for 1,287 yards and 26 touchdowns his senior season at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif.
Rafael is a little different from Pierre in that hes more of a power back, Johnson said. He really looked good on film and hes going to add another dimension to our running game that we really havent had; a guy who can pound the football.
Gehrts, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound signal caller, will be the elder statesman for the Redbirds under center in 2005. With the graduation of Yance Vaughan, the Redbirds return sophomore
Luke Drone and redshirt freshmen Wally Cirafesi and
Kevin Brockway to the position. Gehrts passed for 1,057 yards and 10 touchdowns in eight games for Glendale (Ariz.) Community College. He was named the Western States Football League (WSFL) Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 203 yards and four touchdowns on 17-for-29 passing in a 42-16 win over Eastern Arizona. At Buckeye Union High School, Gehrts threw for 1,425 yards and 13 touchdowns en route to being named the offensive region player of the year.
We liked (Gehrts) on film and we liked him even more after we met and talked with him, Johnson said. He had a nice high school and junior college career. Were very young at the quarterback position and we felt like we needed to bring in a more mature guy to interject into the meeting room and competition. We felt Nick was the kind of guy that would fit in well with our team.
With the graduation of all-conference second team performer Josh Chrestman, Johnson wanted to add some depth at the defensive end position and did so with Allard and Tate. Allard, a 6-3, 255 pound rush end, earned first team all-conference and all-state honors in 2004. He finished the year with 49 tackles, four sacks, five pass break-ups and two fumble recoveries. He helped the Roadrunners to a 9-2 record and the team was ranked as high as No. 2 in the state during the season.
Tate posted 9.5 sacks last season at Glendale Community College and earned National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Region I Honorable Mention honors. At 6-foot-3, 255 pounds, Tate has a track record of getting to the quarterback. As a senior prep at Westview High School in Glendale, Ariz., Tate posted a school record 12 sacks and earned first team all-region and all-state honors.
Were really excited about
Chance Allard and
Ronnie Tate, Johnson said. Theyre a couple of quality guys that play hard and have demonstrated some very nice football skills. We feel that these guys will blend in nicely with the guys we have and that they will give us the quality of play that we need on the defensive front.
At defensive back, Johnson added Gamba, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound free safety. Gamba collected 51 tackles, including 22 solo stops, and tied for team lead with three fumble recoveries, while forcing one. As a member of the 2004 Golden Empire Bowl championship team, he recorded a career-high eight tackles in three different games.
(Gamba) is really a very impressive kid and a great person to talk to, Johnson said. He played some cornerback early in his career, so hell get a look at that position. Weve been in the market for a big corner, but hell also get a look at free safety as well and maybe even the rover and whip positions. Jelani brings a lot of value with him and can help us out in a lot of different spots.
Johnson and his coaching staff will continue on the recruiting trail as they prepare for spring signing day.
Were still in the market for cornerbacks, thats probably the biggest focus right now, Johnson said. We probably would like to find some d-linemen as well. Were looking at other positions and our recruiting other positions, but the big focus right now is on d-linemen and corner.
