July 31, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -
As the Illinois State football team took the field for the first time to open training camp Thursday, NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sophomore transfers Ben Graves (Middle Tennessee State) and E.J. Jones (Minnesota) and junior-college sophomore transfer Paul Wright (Diablo Valley Community College) took the field for the first time as Redbirds.
Head football coach Denver Johnson is excited about all three of the additions.
"The fact that each of these guys have three years (of eligibility) left really enhanced our interest in them, because they are not short-turnaround guys," said Johnson. "We are excited that each of these guys are going to be in our program for some time."
Jones, a product of Edwardsville High School, will be considered for both tailback and cornerback. He was redshirted last season at Minnesota, after playing in five games for the Gophers during the 2006 season. In 2006, Jones was the only true freshman to start for the Gophers. He had 14 carries for 30 yards.
"E.J. was an outstanding football player down at Edwardsville High School," said Johnson. "He was an outstanding running back, defensive back and kick returner in high school. We're not exactly sure what he is going to play for us, but we feel that he's a football player. We are probably going to start him off on defense, but he can play cornerback, safety, running back or wide receiver."
At 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, Jones was the 2005 St. Louis Post-Dispatch Greater Metro Player of the Year. He was also named the Belleville News-Democrat and Alton Telegraph 2005 Player of the Year, while being named all-state by the Champaign News-Gazette, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune and the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association (IHSFCA). As a senior at Edwardsville, Jones rushed for a school-record 2,066 yards on 249 carries, while scoring 23 touchdowns.
Graves is a 6-foot-3, 208-pound wide receiver from Columbus, Ohio, and Grandview Heights High School. At Middle Tennessee State, Graves played in two games during the 2007 season without a statistic. He was redshirted in 2006. As a prep, Graves earned all-state honors as a junior and a senior. In his last two seasons, he compiled 122 catches for 2,202 yards and 22 touchdowns.
"Ben is a big-bodied receiver who will come in and enhance our receiving corps," said Johnson. "He's got good hands and is a big, physical guy, so we feel like he could play X (receiver) or an inside receiver. He should also show up on a number of special teams as well."
Wright is from the same high school (De La Salle) and junior college (Diablo Valley Community College) as current Redbird Chris Garrett. Like Garrett, Wright is transferring to Illinois State after his freshman season. As a freshman, Wright collected 65 tackles and four quarterback sacks, while ranking second on the team in tackles-for-loss.
"Paul was an NCAA qualifier out of high school and eligible to leave after his first year of junior college," said Johnson. "We feel like he's an extremely athletic outside linebacker prospect. He is another fast, agile defender as we continue to supplement and add to our defensive football team."
The 6-foot, 210-pound linebacker is a native of Martinez, Calif. As a senior prep, Wright earned first-team all-league and second-team all-district honors after posting 87 tackles and five interceptions.
