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Newcomers Getting Their Chances
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Brian Barnhart
The Voice of the Illini
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Oct. 30, 2009
While the Illini are working their way through what has been a difficult 2009 season to this point, there have been several young players who have had a chance to show what they can do when given the opportunity.
It was on the defensive side of the ball where early-season injuries to linebacker Martez Wilson and cornerback Miami Thomas forced the Illini coaching staff to insert some players who were waiting for their opportunity. Let's take a look at some of them.
Evan Frierson: A red-shirt freshman from Washington D.C., Frierson has already racked up 16 tackles and is among the Big Ten leaders in fumble recoveries. Evan was pressed into duty when Martez Wilson sustained his season-ending injury. The coaching staff is very high on Frierson's potential.
Walt Aikens: A former high school quarterback who threw for over 1,500 yards his senior year, Aikens was a standout on defense as well. He recorded six interceptions and returned one of those picks 104 yards for a touchdown. He made his college debut for the Illini at the "Horseshoe" in Columbus against Ohio State. Aikens' first start came at Indiana where he had seven tackles against the Hoosiers. With 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash, and a 40" vertical leap, Aikens has a promising furture with the Illini.
Terry Hawthorne: Considered the top wide receiver in the state of Illinois last year, Hawthorne suffered a broken hand in the state championship game and then re-injured the hand this past ummer. While he worked on rehab for his hand at Camp Rantoul, Illini coaches started thinking about using the East St.Louis product on defense after the season-ending injury to cornerback Miami Thomas. He has quickly worked his way into more playing time at cornerback and had a career-best four tackles at Purdue last weekend.
Michael Buchanan: The young defensive end from Homewood-Flossmoor has the look of a developing "sack-master" for the defensive line. The 6-6, 290-pound Buchanan shows great potential with his size and speed. Big No. 99 has played in six games already and is going to be fun to watch over the next three years.
On the offensive side of the ball, there have been some changes as well:
Jacob Charest: The media focus turned to the young quarterback from the Charlotte, N.C. area as he stepped onto the field for the first time in two years last Saturday at Purdue. The strong-armed Charest threw for nearly 8,000 yards in high school, and his accuracy numbers were excellent (67 percent). Compared to the other Illini quarterbacks, Charest is more of a drop-back passer, but can also run if he needs to. Ron Zook was pleased with Charest's poise in his first game against the Boilermakers.
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Hugh Thornton: The new Illini right tackle is from the state of Ohio. Actually, he moved to Oberlin, Ohio from Idaho, where he was a two-time heavyweight wrestling champion. The 6-foot-5-inch Thornton made his first start at Indiana and was part of an offense that evening that compiled 443 total yards.
Tyler Sands: Hailing from Eastern Pennsylvania, Sands red-shirted the 2008 season and was listed as the backup center to fifth-year senior Eric Block when the season started. He has impressed the coaches in practice and moved into the starting left guard spot for the Purdue game. The former PrepStar Magazine All-American chose the Illini over Nebraska and Boston College out of high school and looks like he could be a regular on the offensive line for years to come.
Jack Ramsey: The red-shirt freshman reciever from Chicago Simeon has become a regular target for Illini quarterbacks. Ramsey made his first start at Purdue and recorded a career high in catches and yardage. A former quarterback at Simeon, Ramsey is moving up the depth chart at receiver with the Illini. He hit double figures in receptions at the end of October. If junior Arrelious Benn were to turn pro after this season, Ramsey could be counted on even more in 2010.
A couple of final notes:
Mikel LeShoure appears to be emerging as the lead running back for the Illini. After putting together a 78-yard performance at Indiana, the Champaign native followed up that performance with a career-high 122-yard day against the Boilermakers in West Lafayette.
Finally, punter Anthony Santella seems to have hit his stride. In the last three games, the junior from Wauconda has averaged 44.8, 42.4, and 44.8 yards per game punting average. He has also had nine punts over 50 yards, and pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line on seven occasions.
Talk to you on the radio in November!
