By Adam Studzinski
NORMAL – The 2016 Illinois State football team enters the season with a deep and athletic defense.
That’s according to coach Brock Spack, who spoke highly of his defensive group on Monday.
“(I) wish we were a little thinker in certain spots. We’re young,” said Spack. “Dalton Keene’s played very well, he’s a big guy. I like our whole group.”
The 2015 Redbird defense allowed 21.2 points per game, which ranked them the 4th best scoring defense in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Spack said this year’s defense is deeper than the squad he had in 2015. He added there won’t be one superstar. It’ll be more of a group effort – a “defense by committee.”
“Probably the biggest recognized name will probably be (Alec) Kocour,” said Spack. “All the rest of the guys are just kind of hard hat, lunch pail guys. Our defensive staff uses a ‘pack of mutts’ and that’s what we are.
“We’ll have, you know, 20-22 guys that will play out there, I think.”
Spack pointed to one player, redshirt freshman linebacker Decxavier Kelly-Martin, as a “rising star.” Kelly-Martin is a Plainfield, Ill. native who played his high school ball for Nazareth Academy.
“My son, Brent, he doesn’t give complements out very much. He goes, ‘Decx Kelly-Martin will be the best linebacker to ever play here.’ He’s gonna be really good,” Spack said.
The Redbird defense will take its first test home on Sep. 3 against Valparaiso.
Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].
