Posted 62 stops, 26 tackles for loss and eight sacks as a senior ... Earned all-league honors as a junior, with 65 tackles, 22 TFL and one sack ... Rated a top-100 recruit in the Midwest by SuperPrep ... PrepStar All-Region ... Helped lead his high school team to an 8-2 record ... Cousin of former Seattle Seahawks Pro Bowl defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy ... High school coach is Doc Gamble ... Full name is Daryle De'Andre Ballew ... Son of Daryle Ballew and Dionne Martin ... Born on Aug. 26, 1989 ... Was on the "A" Honor roll as a high school senior ... Is one of six children, including four sisters ... High school coach was Doc Gamble ... Chose Illinois over West Virginia and Boston College.

2006 USA Today first-team All-American ... Parade All-American ... 2006 DC Gatorade Player of the Year ... Named the Walter Payton Award winner by EA Sports for most-dedicated high school athlete ... 2006 East U.S. Army All-American ... SuperPrep All-American ... Earned first-team All-Met honors by The Washington Post in both 2005 and 2006 ... Named the SuperPrep MidAtlantic Offensive Player of the Year ... Rated the 17th-best player in the country by Rivals.com ... Also ranked No. 17 by ESPN.com ... Five-star player by Rivals.com ... Ranked as the No. 2 receiver in the country and second-best DC-area player by Rivals.com ... A five-star recruit, ranking as No. 2 wide receiver nationally by Scout.com ... Ranked 19th on PrepStar's 100 Team ... SuperPrep Elite 50 ... Caught 56 passes for 1,039 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior ... Also averaged nine yards a carry, rushing for three touchdowns ... Led team to four straight Turkey Bowls ... Was the first player in Dunbar High School history to crack 1,000 yards receiving ... As a junior, caught 50 passes for 1,147 yards and 17 touchdowns ... Averaged 23.1 yards per catch in 2005 ... High school teammate of current Illini cornerback Vontae Davis and fellow signee Nate Bussey ... Chose Illinois over Florida State, Notre Dame and Maryland ... High school coach is Craig Jeffries ... Full given name is Arrelious Markus Benn ... The son of Denise Benn.

PrepStar All-American ... Chicago Tribune first-team All-State ... SuperPrep All-American ... Champaign News-Gazette first-team All-State ... Ranked No. 3 in the "Best of the Midwest" by Detroit Free Press ... Rated among the Top-100 recruits nationally at 80th by Rivals.com ... A four-star recruit by Rivals.com ... Ranked the 11th best player in the Midwest by SuperPrep ... Ranked the ninth-best defensive tackle and fifth ranked player in the state of Illinois by Rivals.com ...Compiled 90 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and eight sacks during his senior season ...Four-star recruit by Scout.com ... Ranked 13th at defensive tackle nationally by Scout.com ... As a junior, recorded 109 tackles, 31 tackles for loss and six sacks ... High school teammate is current Illini tight end Michael Hoomanawanui ... Earned all-area, all-region and all-state honors in 2005 ... High school coach is Bobby Moews ... Chose Illinois over Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin ... Also a four-year letterwinner in basketball and track ... Made the state finals in shot put as a freshman, was the state runner-up as a sophomore and state champ as a junior ... Three-time all-state in track.

Named a top-20 recruit in the Mid-Atlantic region by SuperPrep ... Played quarterback and safety at Dunbar High School, as well as returning kicks ... First-team All-Met by The Washington Post in 2006 ... Top-five player in the Washington DC area by Rivals.com ... Totaled over 8,000 passing yards for his career and a QB rating of 102.7 ... Defensively, he recorded six interceptions, two returned for touchdowns ... Threw for 2,473 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2006 as well as rushing for a team-high 553 yards and 12 touchdowns ... At safety, recorded four interceptions as a senior ... Passed for 2,543 yards and threw 37 touchdowns, while also running for over 700 yards as a junior ... Quarterbacked Dunbar High School to three consecutive Turkey Bowl titles ... Earned honorable mention All-Met honors by The Washington Post in 2005 ... High school teammate of current Illini cornerback Vontae Davis and fellow signing mate, Arrelious Benn ... Full name is Nathan Lee Bussey ... Son of Linda Bussey ... Born Feb. 20, 1989 ... High school coach is Craig Jeffries ... Chose Illinois over Louisville, Colorado, Syracuse and UCLA.

Two-time IHSA All-State offensive tackle as a junior and senior ... Rated a top-100 recruit in the Midwest by SuperPrep ... Earned same honors by the Chicago Tribune in 2005 and 2006 ... Ranked 12th in the state of Illinois by Rivals.com ... Earned All-State honors by the Champaign News-Gazette as a junior and senior ... Rated the 37th-best offensive tackle nationally by Rivals.com ... Named twice to the All-Conference first-team and was the only junior on the team in 2005 ... A four-star recruit by Scout.com, ranking 28th nationally at offensive tackle ... PrepStar All-Region ... Benches 345 pounds and squats 550 ... Invited to play in the 2007 Illinois Shrine Bowl ... High school coach is Bill Connell ... Earned three letters in football and four in wrestling ... Full name is John Leslie Cornell ... Goes by "Jack" ... Son of John and Helen Cornell ... Born June 4, 1989 ... Chose Illinois over Nebraska and Michigan State.

An all-conference selection at College of the Sequoias, rushed for 750 yards and nine touchdowns last season as a freshman ... Three-star recruit by Rivals.com ... Signed with Vanderbilt out of high school and attended for one semester (redshirted) before transferring to the College of the Sequoias ... Rushed for 1,472 yards as a senior in high school, while scoring 15 touchdowns ... Recorded a career-high 245 yards and two touchdowns against Northeast High School ... Earned first-team All-Broward County and honorable mention All-State ... As a high school junior, rushed for 287 yards and four touchdowns and scored on a punt return ... Ran track and played basketball at Stranahan High School ... Played in the Dade-Broward All-Star game ... Named to Broward North-South All-Star Roster ... High school coach was Keith Skinner ... Chose Illinois over UCLA and Louisville.

Returns to football after spending four years in minor league baseball with both the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs organizations ... Was drafted in the fifth round out of high school by the Detroit Tigers ... Chicago Sun Times 2002 Male Athlete of the Year ... Was a four-star recruit by Rivals.com as a high school senior in 2002 ... Earned all-state honors in 2002 in both baseball and football ... Full name is Clarence Flowers, Jr. ... Born on Nov. 12, 1983 ... Nickname is "Bo" which was passed down by his father, who also goes by Bo ... Son of Clarence and Gloria Flowers ... Will be a 23-year-old freshman.

Ranked as a top-50 recruit in the state of Ohio by Rivals.com ... Rated a top-100 recruit in the Midwest by SuperPrep ... Rated the 41st-best safety in the nation by Rivals.com ... Played both running back and defensive back at Washington ... For his career, he totaled 184 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks ... had seven career interceptions, scoring one touchdown and breaking up 16 passes ... Averaged 5.4 yards per carry for his career, rushing for 2,487 yards and scoring 26 touchdowns ... Also caught 56 career passes for 991 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 17.7 yards per catch ... Earned all-Ohio, all-conference and all-county honors in 2005 ... High school teammate of current Illinois defensive end Antonio James ... Chose Illinois over Minnesota and West Virginia.

Chicago Tribune second-team All-State ... Ranked the 15th-best recruit in the state of Illinois by Rivals.com ...Rated a top-100 recruit in the Midwest by SuperPrep ... Earned IHSA first-team All-State ... Champaign News-Gazette all-state special mention ... Ranked as the No. 39 offensive tackle nationally by Scout.com ... Earned first-team all-area honors on defense by the Chicago Sun Times and second-team offensive honors by the Tribune ... Two-time first-team all-area performer by the Arlington Heights Daily Herald, Aurora Beacon News and Kane City Chronicle ... Three-year starter and varsity letterwinner ... Helped lead his team to first state championship appearance in school history ... Team won three consecutive conference championships ... Two-time all-conference ... Earned all-area honors from the Chicago Sun Times ... PrepStar All-Region ... Had 48 tackles as a junior, including nine tackles for loss and another 12 sacks ... Full name is Michael Allen Garrity ... Son of Ron and Kathy Garrity ... Born on May 27, 1989 ... High school coach is Mike Gaspari ... His sister, Megan, ran track at Eastern Illinois (2002-06) ... Chose Illinois over Michigan State, Iowa State and Purdue.

Rushed for over 1,700 yards and scored 25 touchdowns as a senior at Harrisburg Central Dauphin High School, leading the team to a 10-2 record ... Was the Most Valuable Player for the Mid Penn Conference in 2006 ... Earned first-team Class 4A Associated Press All-State honors as a senior after being named to the second team as a junior ... Also garnered all-state honors from the PIAA ... Rushed for 2,008 yards and 28 touchdowns as a junior ... Earned honorable mention all-state honors by PA Football News during his junior season ... Named all-conference in 2005 ... Runs the 100 meters in 10.8.

Ranked as the 10th-best center nationally by Scout.com ... Ranked the No. 22 prep school recruit by Rivals.com ... Earned second-team all-state as a senior in high school ... Named first-team all-district (Columbus Public) and all-city ... High school teammate of current Illini tight end Jeff Cumberland ... High school coach was Tom Blake ... Chose Illinois over Michigan, Minnesota and Oklahoma.

PrepStar All-Region ... Rated the 38th-best player in Ohio by Rivals.com ... Rated a top-100 recruit in the Midwest by SuperPrep ... Earned first-team all-district honors as a senior ... Compiled 70 tackles and five sacks as a senior en route to all-area accolades ... High school coach is Steve Trivisonno ... Also wrestles and competes in track and field for Mentor High School ... Born on Nov. 29, 1988 ... Son of Peter and Linda Matas ... Chose Illinois over Minnesota, Michigan State and Cincinnati.

Second-team USA Today All-American ... Rated the 45th-best player in the country by Rivals.com ... Ranked 43rd on PrepStar's Top 100 Team ... 2006 East U.S. Army All-American ... SuperPrep All-American ... Rated the No. 14 recruit in the state of Florida by SuperPrep ... PrepStar Dream Team ... Ranked No. 64 on ESPN's Top-150 list ... Named the 16th-best player in the State of Florida by the Orlando Sun Sentinel ... Earned all-state and all-conference honors as a senior after posting 40 tackles, eight sacks in just six games ... A five-star recruit, ranking as the fourth-best defensive tackle nationally by Scout.com ... Listed among the top-100 players in the South ... Recorded 80 tackles as a junior, including 26 for loss and 13 sacks ... High school won three district and one conference championship ... High school teammate of fellow signee Troy Pollard ... High school coach is Kevin Sullivan ... Nickname is "Dee" ... Son of Reggie McCray and Michelle Davis ... Born on Feb. 26, 1989 ... Chose Illinois over Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Ole Miss.

Rated a four-star receiver by Rivals.com and Scout.com ... Champaign News-Gazette first-team All-State ... Chicago Tribune All-State special mention ... Rated the 51st player in the Midwest by SuperPrep ... Recorded 41 catches for 665 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior ... Also had 45 tackles and seven interceptions as a safety ... Took three interceptions in for touchdowns ... Named to the Rivals.com Top-250 team ... Ranked the sixth-best player in the state of Illinois by Rivals.com ... PrepStar All-Region ... Caught 39 passes for 615 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior ... Also earned all-conference honors in 2005 ... High school teammate of fellow Illinois signee Craig Wilson ... Chose Illinois over Michigan, Michigan State, and Iowa.

Named the 78th-best player in the State of Florida by the Orlando Sun Sentinel ... Rated a top-50 running back nationally by Rivals.com ... Rushed for a school record 3,816 career yards ... Second-team all-conference as a senior and named to the Times Union Super 24 team ... PrepStar All-Region ... As a junior, rushed for 1,895 yards and scored 22 touchdowns ... Teammate of fellow Illini signee DeAngelo McCray ... High school won three district and one conference championship ... High school coach is Kevin Sullivan ... Chose Illinois over South Carolina, Louisville and South Florida.

Named to the Chicago Sun Times All-Public League Team ... Champaign News-Gazette all-state special mention ... Rated the 104th-best prospect in the Midwest by SuperPrep ... Made 122 tackles, had two interceptions and recovered two fumbles as a senior ... Also caught 28 passes for over 612 yards and 12 touchdowns at the receiver position ... Chicago Tribune All-State special mention ... Earned all-conference, all-city and honorable mention all-state honors ... Team won the City Championship in 2006 ... Earned six letters -- four in football and one each in track and basketball ... High school coach is Elton Harris ... Born on Jan. 10, 1989 ... Son of Thomas and Stephanie Curry ... Is one of seven children ... Illini hero is former linebacker Simeon Rice.

Posted 120 tackles, 12 TFL, 12 sacks and an interception as a senior ... Ranked as the 24th-best weakside linebacker by Scout.com ... Earned All-Ohio honors as a junior and senior as well as all-conference and all-district ... Won the 189 pound Ohio state wrestling title in 2006 ... Totaled 320 career tackles, 30 quarterback sacks, 34 tackles for loss and three interceptions at Maple Heights ... Also saw time at running back with 25 carries for 789 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior, while pulling in seven catches for 105 yards and another two scores ... High school coach is Jeff Rotsky ... National Honor Society student sporting a 3.35 GPA ... Four-time high school honor roll ... Born Jan. 8, 1989 ... Son of Fred and April Robertson ... Chose Illinois over Iowa.

Ranks as the 19th-best weakside linebacker nationally by Scout.com ... Named a top-20 recruit in the Mid-Atlantic region by SuperPrep ... Helped lead DeMatha to four straight state titles, including a perfect 12-0 season in 2006 ... ... Team won WCAC Conference Championship in 2004, 2005 and 2006 ... Posted 126 tackles and six sacks in 2006 ... Had six sacks and two interceptions, while leading a defense that allowed just 6.5 points per game ... Earned honors as the Defensive Player of the State of Maryland as a senior ... Garnered All-Met honors by The Washington Post ... Was named the Most Valuable Player at DeMatha ... Bench presses 385 pounds ... Named to the George Michaels' Golden Eleven team ... As a junior, compiled 101 tackles and five sacks ... Was a boxer from ages 8 to 14 and ranked third in the country in the National Silver Gloves rankings for two years straight ... Full name is Ian Matthew Thomas ... Born June 20, 1989 ... Son of Kim and Ginger Thomas ... High school coach is Bill McGregor ... Attended same high school as current Illini wide receiver Derrick McPhearson ... Chose Illinois over Maryland and UConn.

Recorded 53 tackles, six interceptions and two fumble recoveries as a seniors ... Rated a top-100 recruit in the Midwest by SuperPrep ... Champaign News-Gazette first-team All-State ... Nickname is "Miami" because he grew up in Miami, Fla., attending Carol City High School for one year ... Blocked two extra points to secure wins, once in the state playoffs and at the Prep Bowl ... Rated the 16th-best player in the state of Illinois by Rivals.com ... Recorded 55 tackles, six interceptions, 11 passes broken up and two forced fumbles as a junior ... Also named a top-50 cornerback nationally by Rivals.com ... High school teammate of current Illini wide receiver Chris James ... High school coach is Lexie Spurlock ... Chose Illinois over Boston College, Purdue, Wisconsin and Northern Illinois ... Born on May 5, 1989 ... Son of Marcus Thomas and Katrice Hayes ... Earned three letters in football and two in track ... Plans to pursue a career in coaching after graduation.

Prep School: Ranked the fifth best prep school prospect by Rivals.com ... Prep school coach was Robert Prunty
High School: Chicago Tribune second-team All-State ... Champaign News-Gazette All-State ... Chicago Sun-Times Top 100 all-area ... Daily Southtown All-Area ... Illinois Times All-Area ... Prep Star All-Midwest Region ... Two time All-Conference SICA Gray ... Rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com ... Ranked the 17th-best recruit in Illinois ... Three-year varsity starter ... Won four letters in football and track ... Also lettered twice in wrestling ... High school coach was Bill Mosel ... Chose Illinois over Michigan State, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin ... Full given name Craig Andrew Wilson ... Born on Aug. 21, 1987 ... Son of Lisa and Steve Wilson ... Wants to become a teacher after finishing school ... High school teammate of fellow Illini signee Anthony Morris.

2006 USA Today first-team All-American ... Parade All-American ... Ranked sixth on the ESPN Top-150 list ... SuperPrep All-American ... PrepStar Dream Team member ... Ranked the 21st best player in the country by PrepStar ... Champaign News-Gazette first-team All-State ... No. 1 in the Midwest by the Detroit Free Press ... Rated the 22nd-best player in the country and No. 1 in the state of Illinois by Rivals.com ... 2006 East U.S. Army All-American ... Chicago Tribune first-team All-State ... Five-star recruit by Rivals.com ... Named to the Chicago Sun Times All-Public League Team ... Earned all-area honors from the Chicago Sun Times ... Five-star recruit by Scout.com ... SuperPrep Midwest Defensive Player of the Year ... Ranked No. 2 at defensive end by Scout.com ... SuperPrep Elite 50 ... Finished his senior season with 240 tackles, seven sacks, one interception, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery ... Offensively he had 42 catches for 1,005 yards and nine touchdowns ... Earned All-Metro honors from the Chicago Sun Times as a junior ... Compiled 99 tackles, 20 for loss, 18 sacks, seven forced fumbles and an interception in 2005 ... High school coach is Jesse Chick ... Also runs track, specializing in the 100 and 200 meter dashes ... Chose Illinois over Notre Dame, USC, Ohio State, Miami (FL), Florida and Michigan.