NORMAL, Ill. - After quarterback Matt Lancaster transferred to Butler following spring training camp, the Illinois State football team was in need of another quarterback to add to the roster. ISU head coach Brock Spack filled that hole Thursday, with the addition of transfer quarterback Brian Athey.
Athey transferred to ISU from West Virginia, where he enrolled in January and subsequently joined the football program for the Mountaineers. He will have four years of eligibility remaining for the Redbirds. At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Athey not only adds depth to the quarterback position for the Redbirds, but also possesses the size, arm strength and mental abilities that Spack was looking for.
"Brian is a very big athlete at quarterback and comes from a great football family," Spack said. "His grandfather, Dwight Wallace, was the head coach at Ball State when I was at Purdue and has been around the game for a long time. We recruited Brian out of high school as a junior, but it became apparent that he was looking to go to a FBS program and went to West Virginia. However, after a coaching change, Brian decided that he wanted a change of scenery and we were in need of some help at quarterback after Lancaster's departure. He came at a really good time for us and we are excited to have another young arm in the program."
The Eden Prairie, Minn., native led his team to a combined record of 21-3 during his junior and senior seasons at Eden Prairie High School for head coach Mike Grant. During his senior season, Athey completed 45-of-90 passes for 719 yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. Those numbers earned him First-Team All-Lake Conference honors and resulted in him being rated as the No. 6 recruit on the Rivals.com Minnesota Postseason Top 10 list. A strong all-around athlete, Athey was also a three-year starter on the Eden Prairie baseball team that was ranked No. 2 nationally.
Athey will report to camp Thursday with the rest of his new Redbird teammates and will take the field for the team's first practice Friday night at 7 p.m. at Hancock Stadium.
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