Illinois State receiving corps has potential to return ‘Birds to great heights

Junior Daniel Sobkowicz returns as ISU’s top receiver from a season ago. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)

By Dan Verdun

In a year in which career passing leader Matt Brown will be inducted into the Illinois State athletics hall of fame and a 10-year reunion will be held for the program’s national runners-up team, the 2024 Redbirds may be ready to take flight.

ISU will feature a receiving corps that has already impressed head coach Brock Spack as he begins his 16th season in Normal.

“We’re better there (than in recent years),” Spack said during the Missouri Valley Football Conference’s virtual media day. “I think the receiving corps would compare favorably to our ’14 team.”

Those words should carry weight. After all, that 2014 group featured future NFL players James O’Shaughnessy and Cameron Meredith.

Moreover, that duo and Lechein Neblett combined for 150 receptions for 2,644 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Current Canadian Football League corner Tre Roberson was the quarterback for the team, the most successful in Illinois State history.

There’s plenty back

As it stands, this year’s roster returns 71 percent of its receiving yards from a season ago.

Leading the way is preseason MVFC first-team selection Daniel Sobkowicz, the top ISU receiver with 68 catches last fall.

Sobkowicz, a redshirt junior, ranked in the top 20 in the country in touchdowns (10), receiving yards (933), yards per game (84.8) and receptions per game (6.2) in 2023.

“He’s had a great run here,” Spack said. “We took him out of (Rolling Meadows) high school as a walk-on believe it or not. I was stunned he didn’t have any type of offer for a scholarship.”

The Redbirds also return redshirt sophomore Eddie Kasper (48 receptions for 432 yards) and redshirt senior Jalen Carr (18 receptions for 135 yards).

A year ago, ISU got a consensus All-American season out of Division II transfer Cam Grandy. The Benson, Ill., native now finds himself in Cincinnati Bengals training camp.

Stepping into Grandy’s role could very well be junior Brett Spaulding, a player Spack has been high on recently.

Listed at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, Spaulding suffered a season-ending injury early last season.

There’s also transfer Mitch Bartol who appeared in 12 games for Western Michigan last season. The senior is listed at 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds.

The Redbirds have raved about junior Xavier Loyd, a spring transfer from FBS Kansas State.

“We think we have about six or seven guys right now that can play and contribute in games,” Spack said.

Dual quarterbacks

Spack told Prairie State Pigskin last month that ISU will likely run a two-quarterback system.

With fall camp set to open in the coming weeks, the coaching staff will get closer looks at returnee Tommy Rittenhouse and Kansas State transfer Jake Rubley.

Both quarterbacks spent time running the first-team offense in the annual spring game, which was played at Hancock Stadium in April.

News and notes: Spack is Illinois State’s all-time leader with 101 wins. The Rockford native has posted a 101-70 career record with a 64-52 mark in Missouri Valley games. … The Redbirds have qualified for the FCS playoffs five times during Spack’s tenure, the first coming in 2012 with Brown as their quarterback. ISU’s last playoff appearance was in 2019. …Illinois State was picked to finish sixth in the 10-team MVFC when the league’s preseason poll was released Monday. … Joining Sobkowicz as preseason first-team all-conference selections were running back Mason King, offensive lineman Hunter Zambrano and linebacker Amir Abdullah. … The Redbirds also received second-team nods for defensive lineman Jake Anderson, linebacker Tye Niekamp and defensive back Keondre Jackson. … Six ISU players were honorable mention picks — Kasper, fullback Scotty Presson Jr., defensive lineman Jake Siegel, defensive back Mark Cannon Jr. and linebackers Jalan Gaines and Lavoise Deontae McCoy. … Illinois State opens its season Aug. 31 at FBS Iowa. … The Redbirds begin their home schedule hosting longtime rival Western Illinois Sept. 14 at Hancock Stadium. … ISU kicks off its MVFC slate hosting North Dakota State, the nation’s No. 2 ranked FCS team, Sept. 28. That game also serves as Illinois State’s homecoming as well as its athletic hall of fame induction weekend.

Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.

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