A run to last month’s FCS championship game has helped raise Illinois State’s football recruiting profile and the biggest impact could be felt soon.
Redbirds coach Brock Spack announced a 22-member class on national signing day Wednesday with seven from the Chicago area among 13 home state recruits.
“The long playoff (run) affected us both positively and negatively, but we will take that any year and we have a great class in 2015,” Spack said. “Most of these guys were lined up (before the playoffs). Playing in the national championship game will help us in next year’s recruiting class.”
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The newest Redbirds might have a tough time breaking in on a team looking too replace five starters on each side of the ball. But Spack welcomed a chance to add depth.
Illinois State went 13-2 and shared a Missouri Valley Football Conference title before falling 29-27 in the title game to league rival North Dakota State.
Recruits include the son of a former Bears defensive lineman, a three-star Chicago Public League defensive back and a 6-foot-9 offensive lineman who passed on a college basketball scholarship.
Defensive line recruit Jason Harris was a four-year varsity player at Barrington and Tribune All-State special mention. The son of ex-Bears defensive lineman Al Harris had 72 tackles, 13 sacks and an interception last season.
Defensive back Jamal Brown helped Phillips become only the second Public League team to reach a state championship game. Brown had six interceptions and 90 tackles as a senior.
Among the most intriguing recruits is 6-9 Geneseo tight end/offensive lineman Drew Himmelman. Spack said he turned down a basketball offer from Northern Illinois to continue his football career.
Other Chicago area recruits included Richards quarterback Hasan Muhammad-Rogers, a potential backup and heir to returning starter Tre Roberson; Marist wide receiver Jawill Aldridge, a four-year two-way varsity player for the IHSA state semifinals; Nazareth linebacker Decxavier Kelly-Martin, a three year starter, two-star recruit and Tribune All-State special mention; Naperville Central wide receiver Michael Kolzow, also a two-star recruit and a coaches’ All-State pick; and Erik Mikkelson, an Oswego outside linebacker who was honorable mention all-state.
David Kenney, a defensive lineman from Indiana, also comes to Illinois State as a transfer, joining former Hoosiers teammate Roberson.
“We addressed several depth issues and questions with this class and were able to add three transfers at the semester who will help us immediately,” Spack said. “Recruiting the state and the Chicago area extremely hard has always been a priority for us and we were able to add some local kids as well this year.”
Western Illinois: Leathernecks coach Bob Nielson announced a 24-member class that includes Jack Beneventi, a 6-6 quarterback originally bound for Iowa before the Hawkeyes pulled the offer late last year.
Beneventi began at Benet Academy where he was ranked among the nation’s top quarterbacks in 2012 and ’13 while setting a series of school records. He switched to Fenwick as a senior and played most of the season before a late-season slump led to a benching.
Linebacker Justin Corbett, a one-time all-conference pick from Lincoln-Way East, is coming from Glendale Community College. He’s among five linebackers and three defensive linemen in the class.
“This class has high quality players at every position, and specifically addresses our depth needs at linebacker and in the secondary,” Nielson said.
Eastern Illinois: The Panthers picked up an all-state lineman from Montini and an all-state wide receiver from Lincoln-Way East as part of coach Kim Dameron’s 16-member class.
Left tackle Grant Branch IV helped lead Montini to a Class 5A championship game with an offense that averaged 34.2 points and 360 yards per game.
Wide receiver Paul Gossage had 54 catches for 755 yards and five touchdowns as a Lincoln-Way East senior and was named first team All-State by coaches.
Other Chicago-area recruits include Homewood-Flossmoor wide receiver James Sheehan, who had had 29 receptions for 524 yards and six touchdowns and also punted and Prospect linebacker Joe Caputo, an all-Mid Suburban East selection who also played quarterback.
The Panthers, who lost three running backs, bolstered that spot with transfers Devin Church from Illinois and Korliss Marshall from Arkansas.
Southern Illinois: Thornton Fractional South cornerback Torian Lewis is the lone Chicago-area recruit in a 26-member Saluki class representing 11 states.
Lewis earned South Suburban Blue all-conference honors and rated among the top eight cornerbacks in Illinois. He has 11 career interceptions, 21 pass breakups and 155 tackles. He also collected 1,200 total yards and 10 touchdowns on offense.