NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State head football coach Brock Spack announced the addition of four new student-athletes to the ISU program Monday, with the additions Josh Burch (St. Petersburg, Fla./Navy Prep), Donovan Harden (Pomona, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga HS) and Football Bowl Subdivision transfers Michael Liedtke (Woodstock, Ill./Western Michigan) and Milton Colbert (Villa Park, Ill./Michigan State).
"As a coaching staff, we are always looking for ways to add to our team speed and to depth and certain positions," Spack said. "We started that process on National Signing Day with a talented class and we believe we have added to that mix with these new additions. We are excited to add them to the program and look forward to working with them when camp begins in August."
Burch was recruited as an option quarterback out of Admiral Farragut Academy and spent a year at the Naval Academy Preparatory School before making the decision to come to ISU. At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Burch will add depth in the secondary at safety for the Redbirds. During his senior season, Burch was named an all-state selection and led his team to the Florida state playoffs for the first time since the 2003 season. A versatile athlete, Burch was also a standout on the track and field teams and claimed the state championship in the long jump as a sophomore.
"We recruited Josh out of high school, but he decided to enroll at the Naval Academy," Spack said. "Fortunately for us, he decided to transfer and we were able to get him to come to our program. He was recruited out of high school as an option quarterback, but we are going to play him at safety to start. He's put on some weight since we initially recruited him and we think he will be a very reliable player in the secondary. "
Harden, a 6-foot, 170-pound wide receiver from Rancho Cucamonga High School, was a late find for the Redbird coaching staff in the recruiting process. Harden amassed over 1,500 yards and caught 17 touchdown passes as a senior on way to first-team all-league and all-conference honors as a senior, while helping his team to a league championship. He was a second-team all-league selection as a junior with over 900 yards receiving and nine touchdowns.
"We were familiar with Donovan's high school coach, Nick Baiz, who has coached a lot of Division I players and he believes Donovan has the skills to play at the FBS level," Spack said. "We watched him on tape and were impressed with his speed and quickness off the ball at the receiver position. He should benefit greatly from working with the talented receivers we have on the team and could also help us in the return game."
Liedtke, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive lineman, transferred to ISU after initially enrolling at Western Michigan. He did not see game action for the Broncos in 2010 and will have four years of eligibility remaining for the Redbirds. A product of Woodstock High School, Liedtke helped lead the team to three-straight state playoff appearances and the 2008 Fox Valley Conference (FVC) championship. A three-sport student-athlete (football, wrestling, track & field), he was named a All-FVC all-area and all-state selection as a senior.
"Mike came to our camp the first year we were here and we extended him an offer, but he decided to go to Western Michigan," Spack said. "We talked to the coaches at Western Michigan and they thought he would be a great fit here on the defensive line. We wanted to develop a young, athletic defensive tackle or end and we think he could be a great fit in our system."
Colbert rounds out the group and will join former Spartan teammate Ashton Leggett on the Redbird roster. A 6-foot-4, 210-pound wide receiver, Colbert will add size and length at the receiver position for ISU. After redshirting in 2008 as a true freshman at Michigan State, Colbert was a member of the practice squad and did not see game action in the last two seasons. During his prep career at Willowbrook High School, Colbert was a two-year letterman and earned DuPage County all-area honors after averaging 22 yards per catch as a senior.
The newest Redbirds and their teammates will return to the field August 6, when fall camp officially opens and preparations for the 2011 season continue at Hancock Stadium.
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