Virginia Transfer Wide Receiver Cole Blackman Joins ISU Roster

NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State offense will feature a lot of familiar faces in 2019, however a new face has joined the Redbird receiving corps as ISU head coach Brock Spack announced the addition of Virginia transfer wide receiver Cole Blackman Wednesday.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound wide out will have two seasons of eligibility remaining with the Redbirds and is expected to enroll at ISU when the Spring semester starts in January.

"We were looking for a dynamic receiver that could help us on the outside," Spack said. "Cole fits that mold for us, is very athletic and has great ball skills. One of his most important traits is his ability to run routes and get off coverage. Our offensive staff noticed that immediately on film and he will be great for our younger players to watch, because he can put on a clinic. Cole comes from a great program at Virginia and is our type of player we want in this program. He was looking for a FCS program where he could make an immediate impact and have success, and he felt like Illinois State is that place and we are excited to have him."

Blackman saw action in 10 games for the Cavaliers in 2018, after missing the entire 2017 season from suffering a season-ending injury in fall camp. As a true freshman, he appeared in four of UVA's 12 games in 2016 and made his collegiate debut against then-No. 5 Louisville that season, and also saw time against Wake Forest, Miami and Virginia Tech on special teams and at wide receiver. 
 
The Glen Allen, Virginia, native was rated a three-star recruit coming out of high school according to ESPN.com, Rivals.com, Scout.com and 247sports.com. He played for the North team at the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa and was a class 5A second-team all-state selection at wide receiver for Atlee in 2015, after making 25 receptions for 382 yards in seven games.

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