Junior running back Wenkers Wright has numerous family members in Haiti, which has been ravaged by gang violence since late February. (Photo by Barry Bottino, PrairieStatePigskin.com)
By Barry Bottino
NORMAL — Wenkers Wright displayed his usual big, bright smile Saturday after the Illinois State spring game, for plenty of reasons.
“I had a great spring,” said Wright, a junior running back. “I’m healthier. I feel like I’m more patient in the backfield, reading blocks, seeing what the defense is doing.”
Away from the field, Wright’s focus and faith have been more than 1,800 miles away in Haiti, where he was born and has numerous family members.
The Caribbean nation – which has suffered years of political unrest — has been ravaged by violence since late February, when armed gangs attacked government infrastructure and institutions.
Last week, the United National World Food Program said half the country’s population – about 5 million people – are acutely food insecure. Food prices have soared amid the violence.
Wright, who attended high school in Indiana, has his “whole family” still in Haiti, including five older brothers, a younger sister, and multiple aunts, uncles and grandparents.
“I’ve been sending text messages,” he said. “Just the other day, I sent one to my brothers and sister, my parents. Every night I’m just praying. I tell them to keep faith, and I keep faith and I pray for them every night, for their safety.”
Last year, via an NIL deal, Wright raised approximately $2,000 to send to his family.
“There are times when I worry, when I see something on the news,” he said. “It’s not the best situation.”
Yet amid the turmoil, Wright has noticed his family members’ demeanor rarely changes.
“They’re always so positive, no matter the situation,” he said. “They’re always happy.”
Running backs coach Sam Ojuri called Wright “a shining light for his family back in Haiti.”
“He’s so mature and he’s so level-headed,” Ojuri said. “He does a really good job handling it. His maturity is through the roof.”
Bubble benefits
The Redbirds spent “eight or nine” of the spring practices in the school’s indoor facility because of bad weather, according to redshirt sophomore receiver Eddie Kasper.
“We had some really crummy weather. If it wasn’t raining, we were out here,” he said, “or if it was really windy. The (spring) central Illinois winds are really bad. Sometimes it’s just not beneficial to practice when the wind is like that.”
Kasper, a Burr Ridge native, said the indoor facility really helped improve his connection with junior quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse during the winter months.
“The bubble is huge (for us),” Kasper said. “Having the bubble changed everything. Last year we were throwing once a week, if that. Now, we’re throwing three or four times a week during the offseason. I can just text him and say, ‘Hey, can we go throw tonight?’”
Kasper said the extra time helped both players, including improvement in the quarterback’s throwing.
“His ball is coming out a lot faster. It’s a nice spiral. He’s just gotten better overall,” Kasper said. “He’s gotten more comfortable, and that’s the biggest thing. Once you’re comfortable, everything slows down and you can just play football.”
Wenkers and workload
As part of a three-back rotation last season, Wright carried the ball 36 times, rushing for 261 yards and three touchdowns.
With a healthy spring behind him, Wright is hoping to be called upon more often than last fall.
“That’s nothing,” he said. “I had a game where I had 36 carries. I’m due for a little more workload.”
As a redshirt freshman, he made the 2022 Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team and rushed for 180 yards on 36 attempts in a win against Indiana State.
Wright acknowledged the Redbirds’ depth at the position as a reason he carried the ball fewer times. Along with Northern Illinois transfer Mason King’s breakout season of 983 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, former starter Cole Mueller carried the ball 90 times for 442 yards and five touchdowns.
Mueller departed ISU via the transfer portal during the off-season.
“It’s hard when you have a stacked room of running backs and everybody wants to play,” Wright said.
King did not play Saturday and was limited this spring while recovering from shoulder surgery. He is expected to be fully healthy by ISU’s season opener Aug. 31 at Iowa.
Wright likely will pick up more carries since Mueller’s departure.
“He’ll be in the rotation for sure,” Ojuri said. “He’s one snap away from being the starter. I feel really good about playing him. He’s a leader in the (running back) room.”
On Saturday, Western Illinois transfer Seth Glatz rushed 12 times for 122 yards and two TDs. Redshirt freshman Josh Robinson (15 carries, 28 yards) also had two TDs.
Wright rushed six times for 22 yards as part of the victorious Red team, which beat the White squad, 33-21.
Normal siblings
Redshirt freshman receiver Tommy Donovan knew more than just a few basics about Illinois State University before ever stepping foot on campus.
Donovan’s sister, Kaitlyn, is a senior Redbird gymnast. She competed in every ISU meet on the vault and floor, earning all-conference honors with a third-place finish and career-high score of 9.875 on the floor at the 2023 league championship.
Kaitlyn recently announced she would use her COVID-19 year option and return to compete again next season.
Tommy Donovan caught three passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday’s spring game.
The siblings call South Lyon, Mich., home and prepped at Father Gabriel Richards High School.
An additional fall game
Typically, FCS teams are limited to 11-game schedules, but the 2024 and 2025 seasons will include a scheduling quirk that allows FCS teams to play 12 games. The 2024 and 2025 calendar has 14 Saturdays of permissible games according to the NCAA’s bylaws, allowing an additional game in each season.
Therefore, Illinois State will play a 12-game regular season schedule this fall.
The Redbirds open Aug. 31 at FBS Iowa. ISU’s four-game nonconference schedule also includes FCS matchups at North Alabama and at home against rivals Western Illinois and Eastern Illinois.
Illinois State begins its Missouri Valley Football Conference slate Sept. 28 hosting perennial national power North Dakota State at Hancock Stadium. The Redbirds’ eight-game league schedule includes home dates with Missouri State (Oct. 12), Youngstown State (Nov. 2) and North Dakota (Nov. 23).
ISU will renew its rivalry with Southern Illinois after the schools did not play each other last season because of the unbalanced MVFC schedule. The Redbirds travel to Carbondale Oct. 5.
The last time Illinois State played a 12-game regular season was 2019. That fall, head coach Brock Spack’s Redbirds posted an 8-4 record (5-3 in MVFC) and made the playoffs. Led by star running back James Robinson, ISU won consecutive playoff road games at Southeast Missouri and Central Arkansas before falling at NDSU. Thus, the Redbirds finished with a 10-5 record.
Dan Verdun contributed to this report.
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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