By ISU Sports Information
NORMAL – Illinois State football head coach Brock Spack added a pair of transfers from the Southeast Conference (SEC) to his roster for 2017, as he announced the additions of former Vanderbilt safety Jalen Banks and former Missouri running back Ryan Williams to the Redbird football program Thursday.
Banks comes to Illinois State as a graduate transfer, with one year of eligibility remaining, and Williams joins the program as a redshirt sophomore with three years of playing time remaining. Both are immediately eligible to play in 2017 due to NCAA transfer rules.
A native of Markham, Illinois, and a product of Thornton Township High School, Banks completed his fourth year as a Commodore in 2016 and will graduate in May before heading to Illinois State to begin his graduate studies. After redshirting in his first season at Vanderbilt in 2013, Banks played in 29 games over the past three seasons. Last season, Banks played in 11 games as a safety and special teams contributor for the Commodores.
“We knew a lot about Jalen coming out of high school and he had a lot of BCS offers,” Spack said. “From what we have heard and seen on tape, he looks like a very physical safety who runs well and could be a versatile asset in our secondary in various packages. He and Jamal (Towns) were high school teammates, and Jamal recommended him highly to us, so we know the type of student-athlete he is and look forward to seeing him after he graduates from Vanderbilt.”
Williams, a Lee’s Summit, Missouri, native and product of Lee’s Summit West High School, played in one game for the Tigers in 2016 recording nine carries for 51 yards against Delaware State. He redshirted in his first season at Mizzou, after joining the program as one of the top-ranked running backs in the state and in the country according to Rivals.com.
“We think Ryan is the type of guy who can catch the ball out of the backfield as well as carry the ball,” Spack stated. “He brings a different style of back than what we have on the roster right now. We have some bigger, stronger downhill guys right now, and he adds speed and versatility to the table. He is also a good kick returner, which was something we were looking for in a player we brought in to help us on special teams.”
Illinois State begins spring practice in preparation for the 2017 season on March 25, with workouts culminating on April 22 with the annual Spring Showcase at Hancock Stadium.
