Winters Added To Redbird Football Roster

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State football head coach Brock Spack added a late piece to his roster just before the start of training camp, with the signing of Wyoming transfer defensive back Ryon'e Winters (pronounced RYE-on) Tuesday.

Winters joins the Redbirds just prior to the start of camp on Thursday, and could help the Redbirds in several areas on the field in 2015.  The Grandview, Missouri, native will have three years of eligibility remaining with the Redbirds and can play immediately.

"We recruited Ryon'e out of high school, so we had a lot of knowledge on him as a player," Spack stated.  "Wyoming recruited him late and he ultimately decided to head there, but we are glad to have him as part of the program now.  He is a very diverse player and can help us in several different areas.  Obviously, he played corner at Wyoming, so he can help us there but he also played heavily on special teams and should contribute as a punt and kick returner for us.  He's also got great ball skills, so he could potentially see some work at wide receiver.  We are excited to have him aboard and look forward to seeing him when camp starts Thursday."

Winters appeared in nine games as a true freshman in 2014 while at Wyoming and finished the season with four total tackles.  He recorded a career-high two tackles against Fresno State for the Cowboys.

During his prep career, Winters was named a Second-Team All-State selection in 2013 by the Missouri Football Coaches Association.  He earned first-team all-district and all-conference plaudits as a senior at defensive back and wide receiver.  That season, he intercepted six passes and recorded five sacks, while amassing over 1,300 receiving yards and scoring 17 total touchdowns.  Included in that total were three kickoff returns for scores.

The Redbirds report to campus Wednesday, before holding their first practice of the fall Thursday at Hancock Stadium at 3:30 p.m.

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