Beckman and Staff Sign Five Junior College Players
CHAMPAIGN,
Ill. - Illinois head football coach Tim Beckman announced Wednesday the
signing of five junior college student-athletes to national letters of
intent to play football at the University of Illinois.
"We're
extremely excited about these five young men and their families joining
the Fighting Illini family," Beckman said of the newest Illini. "These
men are coming to Champaign from winning programs around the country.
There are two national champions and several conference champions in
the group. The most exciting part is that they fill immediate needs for
us. They all play a different position of need and are spread across
all areas of the team. The fact that we were able to go throughout the
country and sell Illinois football to these young men and their
families shows the work ethic and commitment from our staff. We also
are very grateful to everyone who helped us with this process."
2013 Illinois Football Junior College Signees Name
Pos. Ht.
Wt. Hometown/High
School/Last College Martize Barr WR
6-0 190
Washington, D.C. / Calvin Coolidge HS / Iowa Western CC Abe Cajuste
DT 6-3 290
Miami, Fla. / North Miami Beach HS / Victor Valley
College (CA) Eric Finney STAR
6-1 205 Corona, Calif. /
Centennial HS / College of the Canyons (CA) Dallas Hinkhouse
OL 6-5 275
Clive, Iowa / West Des Moines Valley HS / Iowa
Western CC Zane Petty S 6-1
190 Corning, Calif. / Corning HS
/ American River College (CA)
Martize Barr 2012 JC Signing Day head shot 68x100MARTIZE BARR (pronounced mar-TEZ) WR, 6-0, 190, Washington, D.C. / Calvin Coolidge HS / University of New Mexico / Iowa Western Community College Remaining Eligibility: Will have 2 years to play 2 starting in 2013 Junior College Coach: Scott Strohmeier High School Coach: Jason Lane Intended Major: Communications Illinois Academic Recruiting Assistant: Anthony Fontana - Associate Director, Undergraduate Admissions, College of Business College/Junior
College: Three-star recruit by Rivals ... Ranked the No. 26 junior
college wide receiver in the nation by 247 Sports ... Transferred to
Iowa Western for the 2012 season after two seasons at the University of
New Mexico ... Had 31 receptions for 498 yards (16.1 ypc) and five
touchdowns in 2012 ... Helped lead Iowa Western to the NJCAA national
championship and a Midwest Football Conference (MFC) title with a
perfect 11-0 record ... Played in 10 games at New Mexico in 2011,
making eight catches for 79 yards and rushing for 40 yards on six
carries on the season ... Also started five games at safety and had 21
tackles, two TFLs and 2 PBUs ... Played in the Lobos' 2010
season-opener at Oregon but suffered a hand injury that forced him to
sit out the rest of the year. High School: Helped Coolidge compile a
23-12 record over his final three years, including a playoff berth in
2008 ... Had 35 receptions for 563 yards and six TDs as a senior in
2009 ... First-team D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association selection
by The Washington Post and named one of the top 60 players in the D.C.,
Maryland and Virginia area (DMV) after making 51 catches for 1,000
yards and nine TDs as a junior in 2008 ... Also scored twice on punt
returns in 2008 ... Was a sprinter for the Colts' track team ... Made
the honor roll in 2009. Beckman on Barr: "Martize brings a lot of
game experience to our group of wide receivers. He has played on both
sides of the ball at the Division I level and spent this past season in
a very explosive offense at Iowa Western. Martize will work extremely
hard to help the Fighting Illini in every way possible. He won a
national championship this year, and that is the type of guys we want
in our program."
Abe Cajuste 2012 JC Signing Day head shot 68x100ABE CAJUSTE (pronounced ka-JUST) DT, 6-3, 290, Miami, Fla. / North Miami Beach HS / Central Connecticut State / Victor Valley College (CA) Remaining Eligibility: Will have 2 years to play 2 starting in 2013 Junior College Coach: Dave Hoover High School Coach: Jeff Bertani Intended Major: Communications Illinois Academic Recruiting Assistant: Jermaine Martinez - Graduate Teaching Assistant, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences College/Junior
College: Three-star recruit by Rivals, Scout and 247 Sports ... Ranked
the No. 20 junior college defensive tackle in the country by 247 Sports
... Played in only six games in 2012, totaling 14 tackles and a
half-TFL ... Played in eight games in 2011, making 17 tackles and four
TFLs ... Redshirted the 2010 season at Central Connecticut State before
transferring to Victor Valley ... One of the most sought after
defensive tackles nationally. High School: Helped North Miami Beach win district championships in 2006 and '07. Beckman
on Cajuste: "Abe gives us a big body on the defensive line. He will
help add depth with the departure of several key seniors from the line.
Abe's strength and his get-off were the things that we noticed when we
originally watched the film. He plays to the echo of the whistle on
every snap."
Eric Finney 2012 JC Signing Day head shot 68x100ERIC FINNEY STAR, 6-1, 205, Corona, Calif. / Centennial HS /College of the Canyons (CA) Remaining Eligibility: Will have 3 years to play 3 starting in 2013 Junior College Coach: Garrett Tojague High School Coach: Matt Logan Intended Major: Kinesiology Illinois
Academic Recruiting Assistant: Amy O'Neill - Undergraduate Advisor,
College of Applied Health Sciences (Kinesiology and Community Health) Junior
College: Sat out the 2012 season due to injury ... Played in seven
games in 2011, making 19 tackles with one TFL, one interception and one
pass break-up. High School: Played wide receiver in high school before switching to defense in college. Beckman
on Finney: "Eric is a big safety that can play the star position for
us. He is a big athlete who runs extremely well and will provide depth
and competition on the defensive side of the ball, as well as on
special teams. Getting Eric here for spring ball was a huge priority
for us."
Dallas Hinkhouse 2012 JC Signing Day head shot 68x100DALLAS HINKHOUSE OL, 6-5, 275, Clive, Iowa / West Des Moines Valley HS / Iowa Western Community College Remaining Eligibility: Will have 3 years to play 2 starting in 2013 Junior College Coach: Scott Strohmeier High School Coach: Gary Swenson Intended Major: Communications Illinois Academic Recruiting Assistant: Annie White - Football Academic Advisor Junior
College: Three-star recruit by Rivals ... Ranked the No. 18 junior
college offensive tackle in the nation by 247 Sports ... First-team
NJCAA All-American in 2012 after helping Iowa Western to the NJCAA
National Championship and a Midwest Football Conference (MFC) title
with a perfect 11-0 record ... Helped pave the way for an Iowa Western
offensive that led the nation in points per game (62.8) and yards per
game (598.4) in 2012 ... Team went 9-2 and averaged 482 yards per game
in 2011. High School: Two-time CIML Iowa All-Conference selection ... All-Des Moines Team selection as a senior. Beckman
on Hinkhouse: "We're excited to have Dallas join the program. We
graduated two key players on the offensive line that played a lot of
football in their careers here. Dallas comes from a great program in
Iowa Western where he learned how to work and compete for the last two
seasons. He has played in two bowl games and won a national
championship, making him exactly the kind of guy we want involved in
our program."
Zane Petty 2012 JC Signing Day head shot 68x100ZANE PETTY S, 6-1, 190, Corning, Calif. / Corning HS / Colorado State University / American River College (CA) Remaining Eligibility: Will have 2 years to play 2 starting in 2013 Junior College Coach: Jerry Haflich High School Coach: John Studer Intended Major: Kinesiology Illinois
Academic Recruiting Assistant: Amy O'Neill - Undergraduate Advisor,
College of Applied Health Sciences (Kinesiology and Community Health) College/Junior
College: Ranked the No. 11 junior college safety in the country by 247
Sports ... Played in 11 games and racked up 90 tackles, seven
interceptions - including one pick-six - and one fumble recovery as
American River went 8-3 in 2012 ... Was first-team All-Valley
Conference in 2012 ... Totaled 50 tackles and four interceptions in
2011 ... Originally went to Colorado State and redshirted the 2010
season before transferring to American River. High School: Played on
both sides of the ball at Corning HS, leading the team with five
interceptions as a senior ... Also returned punts and kicks throughout
his high school career. Beckman on Petty: "Zane brings a lot of
playing experience to a young secondary. He fills a critical need for
us with the departure of several key seniors in the defensive
backfield. We are excited to see Zane develop into a physical safety in
our defense."
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