NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State head football coach Brock Spack announced the newest additions to the Redbird football team Wednesday, as he formally unveiled the 15-man recruiting class on National Signing Day at a press conference at the Kaufman Football Building.
The 15 recruits join Illinois State's five mid-year FBS transfers to bring to bring the total number of players added to the 2010 roster to 20.
"We're very happy with this class and we feel we addressed a lot of needs from top to bottom," Spack said. "We added a lot of speed, length and strong players who can run and move well in open space. With the transfers added into the mix, I think we've had a very, very good year and we are excited about the future.
The group included four defensive backs, three defensive linemen, two tight ends and two offensive lineman, and one running back, quarterback, linebacker and wide receiver. Members hail from as far as Maryland and Washington and six of the 15 will head north from Florida to play collegiate football.
Defensive end Nickcaro Golding (Evanston, Ill./Purdue), wide receiver Marvon Sanders (Ypsilanti, Mich./Eastern Michigan), running backs Erik Smith (Bolingbrook,Ill./ Wisconsin) and Ashton Leggett (Muskegon, Mich./Michigan State) and linebacker Leonard Hubbard (Springfield, Ill./Wisconsin) all enrolled in spring classes at Illinois State and helped the coaching staff fill out the roster.
"We knew heading into the offseason that we needed to add some depth on both the offensive and defensive line and also at the running back position," Spack said. "You can never have enough young, talented linemen and we fought to get those types of players signed and we succeeded in getting five quality players there. We also signed a running back, but with the two transfers, we now have several capable backs that can do everything we ask of them in our system."
Overall, Spack is extremely pleased with the signing class and looks forward to seeing how they progress in the fall.
"We'll have to wait and see how these players develop, but I expect several of them to have a chance to move into the two-deep rotation immediately and have an impact in the field," Spack said. "Obviously, if they can help us win right away then we will play them, much like we did with guys like Mike Zimmer, Tyrone Walker, Ben Ericksen and Matt Lancaster last season. There are a lot of potential playmakers in this group and we look forward to getting them on campus and seeing what they can do."
Spack and his staff will publicly announce the 2010 Redbird recruiting class at a National Signing Day party to be held at Alexander's Steakhouse in Normal, Ill., this evening. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m., with a short meet-and-greet session before Spack and his coaching staff provides commentary and recruiting insight on each of the Redbird prospects, with video clips of the newest Redbirds available for viewing.
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