2016 NIU HUSKIES FOOTBALL RECRUITS

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1 2016 NIU HUSKIES FOOTBALL RECRUITS Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Cl. High School/JC Hometown 1. Mitchell Brinkman TE Fr. Lewis Central Council Bluffs, Iowa 2. Antonio Cannon RB Fr. Oak Park River Forest Oak Park, Illinois 3. *Marcus Childers QB Fr. Adairsville Adairsville, Georgia 4. *Lance DeVeaux Jr. S Fr. St. Thomas Aquinas Fort Lauderdale, Florida 5. Jalen Embry CB So.-R Iowa Central CC/Iowa/ Detroit, Michigan Martin Luther King 6. Ryan Gibbons WR Fr. Maine South Park Ridge, Illinois 7. Andrew Gregory LB Fr. Normal Community Normal, Illinois 8. Ezekiel Gueths OL Fr. Shawano Community Shawano, Wisconsin 9. Jack Heflin DL Fr. Erie-Prophetstown Prophetstown, Illinois 10. Daniel Isom DB Fr. St. Louis University St. Louis, Missouri 11. Karon Keyes WR Fr. Glenbard East Lombard, Illinois 12. Justin Knauf K Fr. Boylan Catholic Rockford, Illinois 13. Ben LeRoy DL Fr. Loyola Academy Wilmette, Illinois 14. Corey Lersch LB Fr. McHenry McHenry, Illinois 15. *Alton Meeks DE Jr.-R Iowa Western CC/ Orlando, Florida Iowa State/Dr. Phillips 16. Benn Olson OL Fr. Burnsville Burnsville, Minnesota 17. Andrew Parchment WR Fr. Cypress Bay Fort Lauderdale, Florida 18. Brayden Patton OT Fr. Edgewood Elletsville, Indiana 19. Jordan Robinson WR Fr. Norland Miami, Florida 20. Ivan Smith ATH Fr. South Dade Homestead, Florida 21. Anthony Thompson QB Fr. Mount Carmel Chicago, Illinois 22. Austin Warner OL Fr. Oswego Oswego, Illinois *Enrolled for Spring 2016 semester Huskie Recruits By Position Offensive Line 4 Wide Receiver 4 Defensive Back 3 Defensive Line 3 Linebacker 2 Quarterback 2 Running Back 1 Tight End 1 Athlete 1 Kicker Huskie Recruits By State Illinois 10 Florida 5 Minnesota 1 Michigan 1 Wisconsin 1 Georgia 1 Indiana 1 Iowa 1 Missouri 1

2 2016 NIU FOOTBALL SIGNING DAY BIOGRAPHIES Mitchell Brinkman Tight End, 6-3, 235 Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central HS High School: Talented tight end who helped Lewis Central to one of the best seasons in school history last fall, including an 8-4 record and a trip to the Iowa 4A state quarterfinals. Selected All-State by the Des Moines Register, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier and The Gazette in Cedar Rapids. Caught 31 passes for 453 yards and five touchdowns as a senior after posting 36 catches for 570 yards and seven scores as a junior. Also made more than 150 tackles in his prep career as a defensive lineman. His father, Matt, played linebacker at Northern Iowa from Coached by Jim Duggan at Lewis Central. Antonio Cannon Tailback, 5-9, 175 Oak Park, Illinois / Oak Park-River Forest HS High School: Speedy ball carrier rushed for over 1,000 yards with 12 touchdown as a senior, captaining OPRF to nine wins and the second round of the Illinois 8A state playoffs last fall. Selected to the All-West Suburban Silver Conference Team in Finished his prep career with more than 2,000 career rushing yards and 26 touchdowns. Coached by John Hoerster at Oak Park-River Forest. Marcus Childers Quarterback, 6-0, 212 Adairsville, Georgia /Adairsville HS High School: Dual-threat quarterback who led Adairsville to a 10-2 season and the second round of the Georgia 3A state playoffs as a senior in Guided the Tigers to the most points in a season in school history with 499 points in 12 games for an average of 41.6 points per game. Rushed for over 1,500 yards and passed for more than 1,000 yards in his two years as a starting quarterback in high school. Helped Adairsville reach the Georgia 3A state playoffs with a 7-4 record during his junior season in Coached by Eric Bishop at Adairsville. Lance DeVeaux Jr. Safety, 6-0, 190 Fort Lauderdale, Florida / St. Thomas Aquinas HS High School: Safety from one of the top prep football programs in the country. Won a Florida 7A state title at St. Thomas Aquinas in 2014, while helping lead a defense that allowed just six points per game in the Raiders 15-1 state title-winning season. As a senior, made 45 tackles with five passes defended, three interceptions and two blocked kicks. Ball-hawking defender who tallied two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, nine passes defended and four INTs in his prep career for the Raiders. Coached by Rocco Casullo at St. Thomas Aquinas. Jalen Embry Cornerback, 6-0, 184 Detroit, Michigan / Iowa Central CC Prior to NIU: Transfer from Iowa Central made 49 tackles last season for the Tritons to rank near the top of the ICCAC. Redshirted at Iowa in 2014 before transferring to Iowa Central for 2015 and will be a sophomore at NIU in Was a standout prep defensive back at Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Detroit, earning All-State recognition by the Detroit Free Press in 2013 and first team All-Metro and All-City selection by the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press as a senior after tallying four interceptions with 28 tackles. Also showed offensive ability, going over 1,000 yards receiving with 12 touchdowns on 53 catches. Excelled in sprints and jumps as a track & field letterwinner in high school as well. Coached by Dale Harvel at King.

3 Ryan Gibbons Wide Receiver, 5-11, 175 Park Ridge, Illinois / Maine South HS High School: Pass catcher with NIU roots from the northwest suburbs. As a senior, helped Maine South reached the second round of the Illinois 7A state playoffs playing wide receiver and safety. The Hawks earned Central Suburban League Championships his junior and senior seasons and went 10-1 his final year. Caught 52 passes for 576 yards and five touchdowns as a senior. Forced and recovered a fumble on defense. Father, John Gibbons, was a four-year letterwinner for NIU from Coached by David Inserra at Maine South. Andrew Gregory Linebacker, 6-1, 197 Normal, Illinois / Normal Community HS High School: Athletic defensive hybrid capable of playing several positions. Helped Normal Community advance to the Illinois 7A state quarterfinals as a senior, earning unanimous IHSFCA All-State selection and All-Big 12 Conference honors by the league coaches and the Bloomington News-Gazette. Honorable mention All-Area by the Chicago Tribune and The Pantagraph. With 143 tackles and three sacks, helped the Ironmen post a 10-2 record and hold five opponents to 14 points or less in Tallied almost 300 tackles during his prep career with 78 as a junior and 62 his sophomore season. Collected seven sacks, broke up seven passes, intercepted three passes and recovered a pair of fumbles in his career. Won back-to-back Big 12 titles at NCHS during his junior and senior seasons. Coached by Wes Temples at Normal Community. Ezekiel Gueths Offensive Line, 6-5, 280 Shawano, Wisconsin / Shawano Community HS High School: The latest Wisconsin offensive line prospect to choose NIU. Selected All-Area by the Green Bay Press Gazette and named Academic All-State by the same outlet. Showed his physicality in all facets of the game, earning All-Bay Conference selection with his fine blocking offensively, and his 59 tackles and two fumble recoveries on defense. Added a blocked kick on special teams. Three-year letterwinner and two-year captain while being coached by Alan Tomow at Shawano Community. Jack Heflin Defensive Line, 6-3, 245 Prophetstown, Illinois / Erie-Prophetstown HS High School: Gifted player at the line of scrimmage who garnered Quad City Times first team All-Western Illinois honors as a defensive lineman in 2015 after being named first team All-Western Illinois as an offensive lineman by the same outlet the previous year. Earned All-State recognition last fall from the IHSFCA after leading Erie-Prophetstown with 85 tackles. Made 249 career tackles for the Prophets while forcing eight fumbles. Showed tremendous durability as his 30 career high school starts over three years set a new Erie-Prophetstown school record. Coached by Chuck Milem at Erie-Prophetstown. Daniel Isom Cornerback, 5-10, 173 St. Louis, Missouri / St. Louis University HS High School: A phenomenal athlete with a pedigree in both football and track & field. Ranked in the Top 10 of the St. Louis Dispatch Super 30 in As a senior, captained SLUHS to an 8-4 season and the second round of the Missouri Class 6 state playoffs. Two-time All-Metro Catholic League Conference selection by the St. Louis Dispatch. Played cornerback, wide receiver and returned kicks for the Junior Bills. Tallied over 50 tackles with six interceptions and four forced fumbles during his high school career. Also accumulated over 1,000 all-purpose yards with eight touchdowns. Finished second in the Missouri 5A 110- and 300-meter hurdles during his prep track career. Son of the former Chief of Police in the city of St. Louis. Coached by Gary Cornfeld at St. Louis University High.

4 Karon Keyes Wide Receiver, 5-7, 155 Lombard, Illinois / Glenbard East HS High School: An offensive playmaker from the West Suburbs. Earned Honorable Mention All-Area from the Daily Herald. Coached by John Walters at Glenbard East. In his senior year, Keyes averaged 64.2 yards receiving per contest and caught five touchdown passes. He averaged all-purpose yards per game with a 19.8 average on 12 punt returns for 238 yards. Totaled 57 catches for 864 yards as a junior and senior with 10 TD receptions. Justin Knauf Kicker, 5-10, 153 Rockford, Illinois / Boylan Catholic HS High School: Rockford area native Justin Knauf booted field goals and extra points as Boylan Catholic averaged 22.9 points per game in Finished with 5-of-6 in high school on field goal attempts with a long of 40 yards. As a senior, converted every one of his extra points. Selected All-Northern Illinois Conference-10 as a punter following his senior season. Three-year letterwinner and special teams starter for the Titans. Coached by John Cacciatore at Boylan Catholic. Ben LeRoy Defensive Line, 6-2, 255 Glencoe, Illinois / Loyola Academy High School: Dominating defender from the 2015 Illinois 8A state champions at Loyola. Garnered numerous honors for his performances last fall, including Pioneer Press, Daily North Shore and Chicago Catholic Blue Defensive Player of the Year and Chicago Tribune and IHSFCA All-State. Finished his senior season with 83 tackles with 17 tackles for loss and 12 sacks as Loyola held opponents to just 8.8 points per game. Also lettered for the Ramblers as a junior and sophomore, helping Loyola go 31-4 in three seasons with LeRoy on the roster. Coached by John Holecek at Loyola Academy. Corey Lersch Linebacker, 6-3, 210 McHenry, Illinois / McHenry East HS High School: Big-play and red-zone receiving threat from the tight end position in high school who also excelled at linebacker. Made 45 tackles with two forced fumbles as a senior, despite having half of his senior season cancelled by a teachers labor dispute. Averaged more than 25 yards per catch during his prep career with five touchdowns on 24 total receptions. Had receptions of 67 and 97 yards as a senior at McHenry East. Coached by Dave D Angelo. Alton Meeks Defensive Line, 6-3, 245 Orlando, Florida / Iowa Western CC Prior to NIU: Stand-out at Iowa Western in 2015 will be a junior at NIU in Finished with 52 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss in 2015 for the Reivers. Played in 11 games with two starts at Iowa State in 2014, making 12 tackles on the season. Coming out of high school, was listed in the Top 100 by the Miami Herald after a stand-out prep career. Also won a wrestling state title in high school. Began his collegiate playing career at Iowa State. Coached by Rodney Wells at Dr. Phillips High School. Benn Olson Offensive Line, 6-4, 260 Burnsville, Minnesota / Burnsville HS High School: One of the top prospects from the state of Minnesota, Olson was named All-State by the Minnesota Vikings, USA Today, the Associated Press, Minnesota Star-Tribune and Pioneer Press last season. In 2015, helped Burnsville reach the Minnesota 6A state playoffs for the first time in 20 years as the Blaze finished with a 9-2 record. Blocked for an offense that averaged 27.2 points per game while winning the East Metro White Conference title. Two-way standout and three-year letterwinner for the Blaze. Coached by Tyler Krebs at Burnsville.

5 Brayden Patton Offensive Line, 6-4, 265 Elletsville, Indiana / Edgewood HS High School: Three-year high school letterwinner earned First Team All-Area honors from the Bloomington Herald-Times last fall. Athletic blocker was selected All-Western Indiana Conference as a senior at Edgewood. Chosen to play in the Wabash Valley Classic All-Star Game. A stand-out basketball player for the Mustangs as well. Son of Indiana football tight ends and fullbacks coach and offensive recruiting coordinator James Patton. Coached by Jerry Bland at Edgewood. Andrew Parchment Wide Receiver, 6-3, 180 Fort Lauderdale, Florida / Cypress Bay HS High School: Versatile offensive threat from one of the country s prep football hotbeds. Playing numerous positions, contributed over 1,700 yards of offense with 12 touchdowns to Cypress Bay last fall, including 10 catches for 150 yards with two scores. Helped the Lightning tally 23 points per game in 2015 while competing in Florida s well-known 8A District 12. Coached by Mark Guandolo at Cypress Bay. Jordan Robinson Wide Receiver, 6-3, 175 Miami, Florida / Norland HS High School: One of five Floridians in the 2015 signing class, Robinson helped the Vikings to their first winning season since Caught 43 passes for 672 yards and seven touchdowns last fall, averaging over 20 yards per reception. During his junior campaign, averaged more than 30 yards per catch with 367 receiving yards and three scores on just 12 receptions. Coached by Daryle Heidelburg at Norland. Ivan Smith Athlete, 5-11, 170 Homestead, Florida / South Dade HS High School: Athlete from a south Florida powerhouse. Playing primarily running back as a senior, helped South Dade post 10 wins and reach the quarterfinals of the Florida 8A state playoffs. Served as team captain his senior season, when he 560 yards and caught 16 passes for 790 yards with seven touchdowns. As a junior, gained 980 yards in 15 games with 22 touchdowns. Ranked among the Miami Herald Top 50 for the Class of 16. During his junior year, reached the Florida 8A state final at Columbus High School. Coached by Nathaniel Hudson at South Dade. Anthony Thompson Quarterback, 6-0, 196 Chicago, Illinois / Mount Carmel HS High School: Talented quarterback from the same high school as 2013 NIU Heisman Trophy Finalist Jordan Lynch. A dualthreat signal caller, the left-handed throwing QB captained Mount Carmel to the second round of the Illinois 7A state playoffs last fall. Passed for more than 900 yards each of the last two seasons with 27 total touchdowns. As a junior, rushed for 350 yards and led the Caravan on a six-game winning streak all the way to the Illinois 7A semifinals. Selected First Team All- Chicago Catholic League Blue in Coached by Frank Lenti at Mount Carmel. Austin Warner Offensive Line, 6-4, 265 Oswego, Illinois / Oswego HS High School: An offensive lineman equally capable as a run blocker and pass protector. Selected a Semper Fidelis All-American. As a senior captain, helped Oswego reach the quarterfinals of the Illinois 8A state playoffs last fall. Earned All-State selection from the Chicago Tribune, All-Area honors from The Beacon-News and All-Conference recognition from the Southwest Prairie Conference in Blocked for an offense that tallied 30 points per game during the Panthers nine-win campaign last year. Coached by Brian Cooney at Oswego.