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"I'm very excited about this group; I thought we had a good day
today," Johnson said. "The coaches worked very hard and a lot of
people on campus worked hard selling our program to the recruits
when they came here on their visits." Inking with Illinois State
were 11 high school products and three junior college transfers.
Combined with six players who signed during the midyear signing
period and are already attending classes at Illinois State, they
form a 20-man recruiting class.
Johnson is pleased with the balance of the class.
"When you combine this group to the guys we signed midyear, it's
really a strong bunch," Johnson said. "We've addressed some
immediate needs, and there's some developmental guys who we think
are going to be outstanding players down the road. This is also the
strongest bunch of students that we've been able to recruit. I look
forward to blending these guys in with the existing team."
Listing by position and combining the two groups, the 'Birds
added five defensive backs, three linebackers, two running backs,
two tight ends, two quarterbacks, two offensive linemen and a
kicker. Johnson is impressed with the overall stature of this class.
"In past years, we were having to fill some desperate needs, but
I don't feel we were in that situation this year," Johnson said. "We
obviously had some pressing needs, but I don't feel like we were in
desperation mode. This has been a normal recruiting cycle for us.
"We signed two corners and a couple of safeties who can play
corner. We're going to give people opportunities to play corner, but
we felt we addressed those needs in this recruiting class."
= = =
Chance Allard
Defensive end
Junior transfer, 6-3, 255, Calistoga, Calif.; Calistoga High School,
Butte Community College
At Butte: Registered 49 tackles, four sacks, two fumble recoveries,
one forced fumble, five pass breakups and one interception in 2004
all-conference and all-state first team selection
helped the
Roadrunners to a 9-2 record and No. 2 ranking in the state
coached
by Craig Rigsbee. At Calistoga H.S.: Two-time all-league, all-county
and all-Empire selection
two-time team captain
named the team's
most valuable player his senior season ... lettered in football,
basketball and track ... coached by Rich Hermann. Data: Born Oct.
11, 1984, in Santa Rosa, Calif. ... son of Patrick and Ann Allard
... the youngest of three children
pronounced AL-ard.
Brian Arndt
Tight end
Junior transfer, 6-4, 245, Albuquerque, N.M.; Sandia High School,
Glendale Community College
At Glendale: Preseason honorable mention all-America
coached by
Joe Kersting. At Sandia H.S.: An all-state second team tight end,
defensive end and punter
all-district first team
all-metro first
team
all-city first team ... lettered in football, basketball and
golf ... coached by Kevin Barker. Data: Born Dec. 12, 1984, in
Albuquerque, N.M. ... son of Peter and Annette Arndt ... the
youngest of three children
pronounced Arnt
junior college
teammate of ISU's Ronnie Tate and Nick Gehrts.
Jelani Gamba
Defensive back
Junior transfer, 6-3, 205, Cypress, Calif.; Cypress High School,
Fullerton Junior College
At Fullerton: Appeared in 10 games (nine starts) as a sophomore free
safety ... collected 51 tackles (22 solo, three for loss) ... tied
for team lead with three fumble recoveries, while forcing one ...
had three pass breakups ... member of the 2004 Golden Empire Bowl
championship team ... Hornets finished 7-4 overall ... recorded
career-high eight tackles in three different games
tallied six
tackles (four solo) in 24-20 bowl game win against Bakersfield (Nov.
20, 2004) ... freshman numbers included three tackles and one fumble
recovery in eight games ... member of 2003 Mission Conference
champions (5-0), California Final Four team and US Bank Beach Bowl
champions ... team finished 10-3 overall and No. 14 in the final USA
Today national rankings ... played under head coach Gene Murphy...
originally signed with the University of Montana out of high school.
At Cypress H.S.: All-California Interscholastic Federation safety at
Cypress High in 2002
voted All-Empire League, and team defensive
MVP as a senior
selected second team his junior year
highlights
included a 75-yard interception return against Kennedy High as a
sophomore
also lettered in track and field and basketball. Data:
Born Feb. 8, 1984, in Long Beach, Calif.
son of Pamela Johnson and
Kminifu Gamba
has a twin sister
pronounced juh-LA-nee GAM-buh.
Brent Gritton
Linebacker
Incoming freshman, 6-2, 230, Lincoln, Neb.; Lincoln East High School
At Lincoln East H.S.: In 2004 preseason was ranked as the nation's
No. 16 linebacker by Tom Lemming
ranked No. 5 prospect in the
state by Rivals.com
played in five games his senior season before
suffering an ankle injury
posted 65 tackles, including 40 solos,
in those five games
a first team all-state selection his senior
season
two-time first team all-city honoree and two-time
all-conference recipient
played on the varsity three seasons
as
a junior ranked No. 2 in the state with 148 tackles
also lettered
in basketball. Data: Born March 27, 1987, in Tulsa, Okla.
son of
Doug and Donna Gritton
has an older sister
pronounced gri-TON.
Nick Gehrts
Quarterback
Junior transfer, 6-2, 205, Buckeye, Ariz.; Buckeye Union High
School, Glendale Community College
At Glendale: Passed for 1,057 yards and 10 touchdowns in eight games
in 2004
named the Western States Football League Offensive Player
of the Week after throwing for 203 yards and four touchdowns on
17-for-29 passing in a 42-16 win over Eastern Arizona
led the
Gauchos on a five-game winning streak in 2004, including a 45-35
victory over No. 5-ranked Dixie State
coached by Joe Kersting. At
Buckeye Union H.S.: As a senior threw for 1,425 yards and 13
touchdowns
named the offensive region player of the year
first
team all-conference selection
honorable mention all-state
owns
the school record for most career passing yards (3,300) and most
passing yards in a season (1,442)
as a junior led the Hawks to
their first playoff appearance (Class 4A) in school history with a
9-1 record and No. 6 ranking
earned honorable mention
all-conference honors his junior and sophomore seasons
two-time
team captain ... member of the honor roll ... lettered in football,
basketball and baseball ... coached by Rudy Pacheco. Data: Born Oct.
3, 1983, in Phoenix, Ariz. ... son of Steven and Denise Gehrts ...
the middle of three children
junior college teammate of ISU's
Ronnie Tate and Brian Arndt.
Kashiev Hunter
Defensive tackle
Incoming freshman, 6-2, 285, Marietta, Ga.; Harrison High School
Background information not available at the time of this news
release.
Muhammad Kahlun
Offensive line
Incoming freshman, 6-4, 270, Garland, Texas; Lakeview Centennial
High School
At Lakeview Centennial H.S.: Led the way for the second-best rusher
in the district during senior campaign ... honorable mention
all-district, football captain, scholar award winner and Lion Heart
award winner ... named best defensive lineman at the 2004 spring
game, Gold Medal award winner for Best Athlete Unity Council ...
academic excellence from 2002-2005 ... National Honor Society member
and top 10 in senior class ... coached by Flint Risien. Data: Born
Dec. 24, 1987 ... son of Azmat Ullah and Rubana Azmat Kahlun ...
oldest of four children ... pronounced ka-LOON.
Bobby Kelsey
Kicker-punter
Incoming freshman, 6-1, 203, Channahon; Providence Catholic High
School
At Providence Catholic H.S.: Four-year letter winner and starter
member of three Celtic state championship teams (2004, 2002 and
2001)
as a senior booted seven field goals, while setting the
school mark with 52 touchbacks
boasted a 41.8 punting average and
hauled in three touchdown catches
posted 130 touchbacks during his
prep career and holds the school record with 18 career field goals
hauled in the game-winning catch on a 72-yard pass against St. Rita
with 1:08 left in the game
longest kicks include a 68-yard punt, a
73-yard kickoff and a 49-yard field goal
a two-time Chicago
Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times All-State selection
named to Tom
Lemming's Preseason All-America list
a Prepstar All-American
a
two-time all-area and all-conference selection
competed in
Australia as part of the All-Midwest team
the NFL Punt, Pass and
Kick state champion in 1997
finished with 11 field goals in 2003
... coached by Matt Senffner. Data: Born Sept. 30, 1986, in Joliet
... son of Jeff and Robyn Martis ... the oldest of five children
member of the honor roll.
Anthony Kummer
Quarterback
Incoming freshman, 6-2, 205, Cincinnati, Ohio; LaSalle High School
At LaSalle H.S.: Led team to the school's first-ever back-to-back
state playoff appearances as a junior and senior, finishing 6-4 both
seasons ... as a senior, passed for 1,600 yards and 14 touchdowns,
rushed for 300 yards and four touchdowns ... first team
all-conference, honorable mention all-city, honorable mention
All-Southwest Ohio as a junior and senior ... team captain senior
year ... junior year, passed for 1,900 yards and 14 touchdowns,
rushed for 1,000 yards and 10 TDs ... led the conference in passing
and was second in rushing during junior campaign ... honor roll and
National Honor Society member
coached by Tom Grippa. Data: Born
Oct. 15, 1986, in Cincinnati, Ohio ... son of Joe and Lori Kummer
... the oldest of five children
pronounced KOO-mer.
Lamont LaGrone
Defensive back
Junior transfer, 5-10, 170, Houston, Texas; Clear Brook High School,
East Mississippi Community College
At East Mississippi.: Played second year of college football with 10
solo tackles and four assisted ... also had four pass deflections.
At Itawamba C.C.: Played freshman year of college, tallying three
tackles. At Clear Brook H.S.: 21 solo tackles, nine assists and
seven passes deflected during senior season ... also lettered in
track and was the team's MVP as a senior ... finished third in the
district in the long jump, fourth in the triple jump and fourth in
the 200-meter dash ... as a junior, tallied eight solo tackles, four
assisted and two pass deflections ... coached by James Smith. Data:
Born April 29, 1984, in Macon, Miss. ... son of Ernest and Darlene
White ... one of four children.
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 Pierre Rembert
Running back
Junior transfer, 6-0, 209, Milwaukee, Wis.; Cudahy High School,
Michigan
At Michigan (2004): Rushed once for 9 yards and played special teams
vs. Miami of Ohio (Sept. 4) ... carried four times for 23 yards at
Notre Dame (Sept. 11) ... had two carries for 11 yards vs. San Diego
State (Sept. 18) ... saw action at running back and special teams
vs. Iowa (Sept. 25) ... rushed once for 3 yards at Indiana (Oct. 2)
... saw action at running back and special teams vs. Minnesota (Oct.
9) ... saw action at running back and special teams at Illinois
(Oct. 16) ... saw action at running back and special teams at Purdue
(Oct. 23) ... saw action at running back and special teams vs.
Michigan State (Oct. 30). At Michigan (2003): Earned first varsity
letter ... played in all 13 games ... saw action at tailback in 11
contests ... rushed 21 times for 85 yards and scored three
touchdowns ... contributed four special teams tackles ... made
career debut against Central Michigan (Aug. 30), rushing five times
for 14 yards and contributing one special teams tackle ... rushed
three times for 22 yards and scored a career-high two touchdowns vs.
Houston (Sept. 6) ... gained 15 yards on four carries and scored one
touchdown vs. Notre Dame (Sept. 13) ... played backup running back
and was on kickoff return unit at Oregon (Sept. 20) ... played
running back vs. Indiana (Sept. 27), rushing five times for 15 yards
... special teams contributor at Iowa (Oct. 4) and at Minnesota
(Oct. 10) ... rushed twice for 15 yards vs. Illinois (Oct. 18) ...
special teams contributor vs. Purdue (Oct. 25) ... played running
back and special teams at Michigan State (Nov. 1), recording one
special teams tackle ... played running back and special teams at
Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... rushed once for 3 yards and recorded one
special teams tackle vs. Ohio Sate (Nov. 22) ... rushed once for 1
yard vs. Southern California in the Rose Bowl (Jan. 1). At Michigan
(2002): U-M Athletic Academic Achievement ... did not see game
action
coached by Lloyd Carr. At Cudahy H.S.: Started and lettered
four years on varsity team
ran 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds
carried 696 times for 5,203 career yards
caught 27 passes for 500
yards
scored 80 career touchdowns
2,188 yards and 29 touchdowns
senior season
ran for 1,491 yards and 16 touchdowns in six games
as a junior
ran for 1,500 yards as a sophomore
three-time
all-conference selection
ranked No. 32 running back in the country
and No. 22 in Midwest by SuperPrep
rated No. 17 running back and
given a four-star rating by Rivals100.com
named No. 4 player in
the state of Wisconsin by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
ranked No. 31
player in Midwest by Midwest Football Recruiting News
ranked No.
53 player in Midwest by Prep Football Report ... named
all-conference in basketball and track as a sophomore and junior ...
coached by Jeff Cavanaugh. Data: Born Oct. 30, 1983.
Rafael Rice
Running back
Junior transfer, 5-11, 210, Los Alamitos, Calif.; Mater Dei High
School at Santa Ana; Fullerton Junior College
At Fullerton: Rushed for 985 yards and seven touchdowns
also had
103 receiving yards
earned first team All-Mission Conference
National Division honors
all-state honorable mention
led the
Hornets to a 7-4 record and a Golden Empire Bowl championship
finished the season ranked No. 10 in southern California
coached
by Gene Murphy. At San Jose State (2003): Redshirted. At Mater Dei
H.S.: Rushed for 1,287 yards his senior season with 26 touchdowns
first team All-Serra League selection
PrepStar All-American
All-California Interscholastic Federation selection
rushed for
1,365 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior en route to a first team
All-Serra League selection ... coached by Bruce Rollinson
played
his first two prep seasons at Loyola High School and rushed for
1,410 yards and 24 touchdowns as a sophomore. Data: Born Feb. 26,
1985, in Columbus, Ohio ... son of William and Alice Rice
the
third of four children
junior college teammate of ISU's Jelani
Gamba.
J.W. Sheering
Linebacker
Incoming freshman, 6-2, 210, Clinton; Clinton High School
At Clinton H.S.: A three-year starter at quarterback and linebacker
led the Maroons to back-to-back IHSA Class 4A state playoff
appearances
as a senior passed for 1,751 yards and 17 touchdowns
also rushed for 359 yards and five touchdowns
posted a school
record 168 tackles his final season, including eight tackles for
loss
added three interceptions
a first team all-conference
selection at both positions
second team all-state
two-time team
most valuable player
two-time Champaign News Gazette Player of the
Week
first team all-area by the Bloomington Pantagraph and Decatur
Herald & Review (senior and junior seasons)
two-time all-state
honorable mention selection by the Champaign News Gazette ... owns
the school record for career passing yards (3,190) and career
touchdowns (31)
also owns the school standard for career tackles
(408)
as a junior, passed for 1,389 yards and threw for 13
touchdowns, while collecting 123 tackles, including nine TFLs
honored by the Chicago Sun-Times his junior year as a first team
all-state quarterback
lettered in football, basketball and
baseball
coached by Josh Johnson. Data: Born Jan. 15, 1987, in
Normal ... son of John and Lisa Sheering
has an older sister,
Amber.
Kyle Siskowic
Linebacker
Incoming freshman, 6-1, 225, San Diego, Calif.; Clairemont High
School
At Clairemont H.S.: A four-year letter winner and varsity starter
registered a school-record 164 tackles his senior season
added
four sacks, two blocked kicks, four forced fumbles, four fumble
recoveries and one interception
in 2004 led Clairemont to its
first league championship in 32 years
named the team's most
valuable player his junior and senior seasons
team defensive MVP
his sophomore season
two-time first team all-league selection
named to the Union Tribune All-San Diego Selection Football Team
earned the National Football Hall of Fame Award
California
Interscholastic Federation first team recipient
posted 437 career
tackles during his prep career, including 111 stops as a junior
lettered in football, basketball and tennis
coached by Mike
Smerdon. Data: Born Sept. 10, 1986, in LaJolla, Calif. ... son of
Dan (deceased) and Liz Siskowic
younger brother of current
Illinois State linebacker Cameron Siskowic.
Chance Smith
Defensive back
Incoming freshman, 5-11, 180, Columbus, Ohio; Beechcroft High School
At Beechroft H.S.: Team finished 9-1 senior year ... as a senior,
had 483 yards rushing and 12 receptions for 80 yards ... also
tallied 35 tackles and six interceptions ... earned all-city,
all-area and All-Ohio honors ... team captain and MVP senior season
... as a junior, recorded 27 tackles and three interceptions for 43
yards ... team had six shutouts during junior campaign, a school
record ... played in 10 games as a sophomore, including one starting
assignment ... National Honor Society member, National Honor Roll
member and "Who's Who" academic award winner ... three-year varsity
player ... also competed in track and basketball ... coached by Tom
Dunlap. Data: Born April 4, 1987, in Canton, Ohio ... son of Charles
and Lisa Thomas ... oldest of three children.
Jason Tate
Defensive back
Incoming freshman, 5-11, 171, Lake Mary, Fla.; Seminole High School
At Seminole H.S.: Three-year starter on varsity ... as a senior,
tallied 70 tackles, including three tackles for loss and 44 solo,
four interceptions, nine pass breakups and one defensive touchdown
... named the team's defensive MVP ... first team all-conference,
all-district, All-Central Florida and second team all-state ...
honorable mention All-South ... team finished 7-3 during senior
season ... as a junior, tallied 52 tackles, including 28 solo and
four interceptions ... second team all-conference and second team
all-district ... four-year member of the honor roll ... coached by
Mick Harris. Data: Born Dec. 28, 1986, in St. Louis, Mo. ... son of
Gwen Tate ... has an older brother ... high school teammate of ISU's
Bert Whigham.
Ronnie Tate
Defensive end
Junior transfer, 6-3, 255, Glendale, Ariz.; Westview High Schoool,
Glendale Community College
At Glendale: Collected 9.5 sacks as a sophomore
NJCAA All-Region I
honorable mention selection
team posted a combined 14-6 mark in
his two seasons
coached by Joe Kersting. At Westview H.S.: Posted
a team-high 12 sacks, a school record, his senior season
first
team all-region
first team all-state ... three-year varsity player
on a team that advanced to the playoffs every season
coached by
George Martinez. Data: Born March 8, 1985, in Phoenix, Ariz. ... son
of Ron and Tonie Tate
youngest of three children
junior college
teammate of ISU's Nick Gehrts and Brian Arndt.
Bert Whigham
Tight end
Incoming freshman, 6-4, 245, Lake Mary, Fla.; Seminole High School
At Seminole H.S.: Three-sport athlete at Seminole ... competed in
football, basketball and track ... member of the principal's honor
roll ... coached by Mick Harris. Data: Born Sept. 18, 1986, in
Sanford, Fla. ... stepson of Wayne Stephens and son of Sally Whigham
Stephens ... has an older brother ... high school teammate of ISU's
Jason Tate.
Nick Zapata
Offensive line
Incoming freshman, 6-2, 300, Mesquite, Texas; Dr. John Horn High
School
At Dr. John Horn H.S.: Lettered four seasons and started three
the
team captain his senior season
named second team All-District 5A
his senior season
a two-time second team All-District 4A selection
(junior and sophomore seasons)
coached by Don Payne. Data: Born
Dec. 26, 1986, in Houston, Texas ... son of Armando Zapata and
Sandra Plunk
cousin of former Wichita State hoopster Jason Perez
member of the honor roll.
[Todd Kober,
assistant athletics director, media relations,
Illinois
State University]
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