By ISU Sports Information
NORMAL – Illinois State football head coach Brock Spack bolstered his defense Wednesday, with the addition of Notre Dame transfer linebacker Josh Barajas to the roster for the 2017 season.
Barajas, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound linebacker, heads to Illinois State with three years of eligibility remaining. The redshirt sophomore from Valparaiso, Indiana, is on campus and will join the rest of his new teammates when the Redbirds officially begin fall practice in late July.
“We knew a lot about Josh coming out of high school, having played at Andrean High School with Tylor Petkovich,” Spack said. “He was a very good player coming out of high school and landed at Notre Dame, but felt he needed a new start. We felt he would be a great fit for our system and give us a lot of flexibility at the linebacker position as a possible pass rusher. He can really play in space outside, but he is athletic enough to play inside or outside for us.”
Barajas played in nine games for the Irish in 2016, after sitting out the 2015 season as member of the practice squad while redshirting.
During his prep career, Barajas was named to the USA Today American Family Insurance All-USA Indiana Football Team as a linebacker and was ranked as the 10th inside linebacker nationally by ESPN. He was also rated as the 93rd player nationally on Tom Lemming’s Top 300 list, following a senior season performance that earned him 2014 Indiana Class 3A all-state team honors from the Associated Press. In addition, he was selected to play in the prestigious U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, making two solo tackles in the contest.
In his final season at Andrean, Barajas recorded 98 tackles, seven sacks, 10 tackles-for-loss and one interception. He helped lead his team to a 15-1 overall record and runner-up spot in Indiana Class 3A playoffs, while also contributing as a tight end. During his junior season, Barajas was named to the Indiana Football Coaches Association Junior 3A All-State Football Team after recording 92 tackles, five sacks and two interceptions in 2013 while helping the 59ers to the Indiana Class 3A state crown along with Petkovich.
