ISU Redbirds Football feat. NFL

    This year’s NFL Draft was held in Green Bay, Wisconsin, from May 24^th to May 26^th in front of a total crowd of roughly 600,000 fans. The population of Green Bay is around 105,000 people. Super Bowl LIX was 77 days ago, and for most fans, football has been placed on the back burner in terms of attention. The NFL Draft reignites their focus and passion for football, serving as the unofficial start of the upcoming season. The Draft weekend marks an annual influx of talent into the National Football League, drawing from universities and colleges nationwide. This year, two ISU Redbirds were signed to free-agent deals with two different NFL franchises:

 DB - Keondre Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)

    Jackson was selected to play in the Hula Bowl and Reese’s Senior Bowl. He was named an All MVFC selection at Safety and an FCS All-American by numerous sources. Three double-digit tackling efforts defined his 2024 season. 

LB - Jalan Gaines (Seattle Seahawks).

    On November 9, 2024, Gaines was named Illinois Army National Guard Defender of the Game against Northern Iowa, with 3 tackles, 1 sack, and 1.5 TFL (tackle for loss). Gaines had 35 solo tackles in his 2024 season, coming on the heels of 36 solos in 2023. Over the course of the 2023 season, Jalan totaled 60 tackles and 5.5 sacks, career highs at Illinois State. In 2024, he ended the season with 50 tackles and 5 sacks (stats per ESPN). 

    For the first time since 2019, the Illinois State Football program clinched the playoffs and won a playoff game. Illinois State earned the 12th overall seed in the 2024 FCS Playoffs after winning 9 regular-season games, losing only to Iowa, North Dakota State, and Missouri State. In 2023, the IHSA State Playoffs returned to Hancock Stadium for the first time since 1998 and are now held at ISU annually for the foreseeable future. Because of this, the Redbirds were unable to host the first round of the FCS Playoffs in 2024, but overall Coach Spack and ISU football fans have expressed the importance of hosting the IHSA State Playoffs, even at the expense of hosting the first playoff game. I support having the best high school football teams in the state playing at ISU and getting a chance to tour and use the ISU campus and facilities. Hosting the IHSA State Playoffs provides an opportunity for the players to become familiar with ISU while giving a boost to the local economy. I also enjoyed the trip to SEMO for the first round for a change of scenery and the opportunity to experience another stadium. Redbird Nation did a tremendous job supporting the football team on the road in the playoffs, making it feel like an ISU home game. 

    The success of the 2024 ISU Redbirds Football season can be attributed to multiple players and members of the coaching staff. Specifically, the individual contributions from Keondre Jackson and Jalan Gaines helped set the tone for the dominant ISU defense. In the first round of the FCS Playoffs, Keondre Jackson compiled 6 tackles and 2 interceptions in a winning effort against SEMO. Keondre Jackson was an All-Valley selection and All-American at Safety in 2024.During the first round of the FCS playoffs against the Redhawks in Cape Girardeau, MO, Jalan Gaines had 4 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. Linebacker Tye Niekamp was named an All-American and finished 3rd in the Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year vote. The NCHS graduate and Normal resident led the hometown Redbirds in total tackles with 113. Daniel Sobkowicz (Wide Receiver), Mark Cannon Jr. (Cornerback), and Jake Anderson (Defensive Tackle) made the All-MVFC Second Team. 

    In April of 2025, Brock Spack had his contract extended through the 2027 season, signaling his return for the 2025 campaign. Since most players are returning, the 2025 ISU roster will significantly resemble the 2024 team. With the all-time ISU winning football coach at the helm and a deep and talented roster of warriors on both sides of the ball, I am confident the Birds will make the playoffs again this season. With their recent playoff experience, they will only do better! The Birds will make a lot of noise in the MVFC and have a chance to win the conference title. I look forward to seeing all of the students and alumni, fans, and community members at the tailgates and in the stands for a historic season. RDB!

Closing Time: The Transfer Portal

 

    Hear thee hear thee! The Transfer Portal is officially closed! After 30 days of wheeling and dealing, the Men’s and Women’s Basketball rosters have been completed. The portal period began on March 24^th and ended at the end of the day on April 22^nd for MBB, and the WBB portal opened on March 25^th and closed on April 23^rd.  The portal's closing and the roster's completion signal the beginning of the upcoming basketball season. Here is the list of players who did not play for the 2024/2025 Redbirds who are on the 2025/2026 roster (MBB and WBB):

Injured Returners- Brandon Lieb, Boden Skunberg, Grace Nelson

Freshmen- Nick Allen, Tyreek Coleman, Mason Klabo, Isaac Ericksen, Madison Austin, Jordan Fenske, Kaya Hurt, Jaeden Pratt

Transfers- Landon Moore, Bella Finnegan, Zanyra Adams

     Ryan Pedon and Kristen Gillespie have their rosters set and are primed for successful seasons. Both teams have a balance of experience and youth, bringing in 4 freshmen each and depending minimally on the portal for players. Because of the familiar faces, chemistry won’t be a concern for either squad even in the season's early months. Stability at leadership and with the roster makes it easier for fans to connect with the current teams and makes them more willing to invest time and money in improving the programs. Fans showed up when it counted regarding NIL donations and positive support of the players, contributing to the retention and attraction of stars to Normal, IL. Illinois State University is no small college. It’s a sturdy University with a Fall 2024 total enrollment of 21,546, including 19,107 undergraduates. 4,285 first-time students is an ISU record, and it was set in the fall of 2024.  Bradley University’s 2024/2025 undergraduate enrollment totaled 3,883 students and about 4,800 overall. Now that’s a small college; smaller than ICC. Bradley also doesn’t have a football team or a good mascot. Overall, you can pay less for a better experience at ISU. I digress. The point I’m making about size is that it matters! You do the math… Winning Birds Basketball + Big Enrollment and Alumni Network = Electric Factory Crowds at the Red Roof on College! 

    Thanks to the dedicated student leadership team, the student section is an asset that will serve as wind to the sails of the Men and Women representing ISU on the Hardwood. We saw this during the MBB home win over Bradley on CBSSN and during the WNIT for WBB. The students have been given multiple signs that the University and Basketball teams are serious about winning and are passionate about Illinois State University, the first public institution of higher learning in the Land of Lincoln. We have the best Arena in the Valley with a capacity of 10,200 and the best-looking court bar none. We have coaches committed to players on and off the court who care about academics! Red Alert is full of students who yearn for party-like atmospheres, full sections, and constant standing. This year will be historic if we do our part as fans and donors. Get your season tickets NOW, or you will regret it when seating is limited in November. We are on the precipice of history! RDB

Peoria City Redbirds?

"Title IX can be boiled down to just two words: Why not?" -Margaret "Digit" Murphy.

Before December 19th, 2024, many Carp and sports fans asked a similar question: why not a women’s team in Peoria? That question was answered in a town hall press release in downtown Peoria, which announced Peoria City Soccer Club would include a women’s side in the spring of 2025. Jim DeRose, the club president who made the announcement, has long been associated with soccer in the Peoria area. 

Meanwhile, in Normal, IL, the Redbirds Women's Soccer Team is led by head coach Raleigh DeRose, who will begin her second season this fall. 4 members of the 2025 Illinois State Soccer team will be playing with the WPSL expansion squad this spring/summer in Peoria, IL. The club announced on February 12^th the addition of Erika Wells, a junior winger from Indiana who played for FC Pride in the 2024 WPSL season. Peoria native and Dunlap High School Graduate Sami Cenek, named the Journal Star Player of the Year as a senior, is a Redbird junior midfielder who joined the Carp on February 16^th. Sammi is joined by fellow ISU midfielder Rylann Law (Freshman), who announced on August 3rd, 2024, that she would play her NCAA soccer in Normal, IL, for coach DeRose. The fourth and final ISU Women’s soccer player to sign with Peoria City was junior Aniya Seymore, a defender from Lincoln, Nebraska, who dons the number 8 for the Red and White. 

The Women’s Premier Soccer League is a pre-professional league that gives additional opportunities for those seeking to improve their game and/or play beyond college. The WPSL season does not interfere with the NCAA season or remove any eligibility. These Illinois State Redbirds will be playing with athletes from Heartland, IWU, and the University of Illinois. Players from schools such as Creighton, Kansas, and Valpo will also compete with the Redbird Carp. Former Illinois State midfielder Leah Crotty will return to central Illinois for the inaugural Peoria City women's soccer team; she plays NCAA soccer with Coastal Carolina. 

The Carp home games will be played at Shea Stadium in Peoria, IL. While that is the same place the Bradley Men’s Soccer team competes, they are separate entities, and for the sake of ISU fans, there is no Bradley women’s soccer team to poach ISU Carp players. The experience against other like-minded and talented college players gives the Redbirds an advantage in the 2025 season. The Redbirds playing for Peoria City this NCAA offseason will get a chance to learn from competitors and grow as teammates with those who also play for Raleigh DeRose. Also, the Peoria City SC games are an absolute blast from a fan’s perspective. Food trucks, free parking, inexpensive tickets, and you can bring noisemakers to the matches! Carp games provide an affordable, family-friendly environment that supports local businesses, women’s athletics, and Redbird Soccer players all at once. 

The first home game for the women’s Peoria City side is on May 24^th at 7:30 pm at Shea Stadium. Supporters can get tickets online or in person at the gate, with individual match tickets starting at $6. Bring your people for a historic night loaded with family-friendly fun! 

Up the Carp and Roll Birds!!!

 

NIL at Illinois State University

   NIL, which stands for Name, Image, and Likeness, allows student athletes to benefit financially through the “right of publicity”. The right of publicity gives athletes exclusive control over using their identity for profit. In 2021, the NCAA passed an interim policy allowing its athletes to participate in NIL activities as long as they followed applicable state laws. Athletes are also allowed to obtain professional providers. Examples of NIL activities include public speaking, merchandise, camps, and autographs. NIL opportunities give the individual athlete the avenue to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors.

    The advent of the NIL era did not appear overnight. Many events influenced college athletics and the opportunities for students to profit eventually from their athletic performances. In 1953, the NCAA created the label  “student athlete”  in response to legal action by an injured University of Denver football player claiming employee status and workers’ compensation for his injuries. The label of student athlete emphasized that an athlete was a student first and NOT an employee. In 1956, athletic scholarships were made available to student athletes without consideration of financial need or academic status. The introduction of athletic scholarships enabled many students to attend college. Still, those students of modest means found that the scholarships did not cover all of their financial needs. Jalen Rose described in "The Fab Five" 30 for 30 episode that members of the Fab 5 from the University of Michigan saw merchandise with their names being sold in stores. Despite the enormous profits, none of the athletes benefited directly from the sales of their name, image, or likeness. At the same time, jerseys were often sold without names on their backs to avoid the optics of selling an individual athlete’s gear. For example, in 1992, stores frequently sold #5 Michigan Wolverines Basketball jerseys without the name Rose. Johnny Manziel and Reggie Bush are examples of two student athletes who found themselves in complicated situations, where, by today’s NIL standards, as long as they comply with the NIL regulations, there would be less scrutiny of their financial arrangements.

    Fast forward to 2025, Illinois State University’s NIL collective, Empower the Nest, oversees NIL arrangements for all student athletes at ISU.  Fly With Us is the organization within Empower the Nest that directly benefits ISU Women’s Basketball’s NIL efforts. Multiple donor levels allow people to participate and support the athletes directly. Similarly, the 1998 Club supports the ISU Men’s Basketball NIL efforts.  These NIL organizations provide opportunities for fans to influence the quality of sports by enabling ISU to be competitive in attracting and retaining talented athletes in the NIL environment.

ISU Redbirds Baseball

The transition from early spring to late spring is unpredictable, with stretches of hot and cold, rainy and dry. ISU Redbirds Baseball's start of the season can be characterized like that, too. ISU began the season on a five-game losing streak and compiled a 3-10 record on the road in their first thirteen games. On the other hand, in that same stretch, the Redbirds defeated the 25th-ranked Pokes at O'Brate Stadium in Stillwater, OK, by a score of 12-6. After the three-game series at Oklahoma State, the Birds played a four-game series against Western IL, with the first two games in Macomb. ISU won the first game and lost the second game, then traveled home to Normal for the remaining two games.

The Redbirds won their home opener and ran it back the same day for a series victory. On March 18th, the Birds had a 12-5 lead going into the 6th inning but eventually lost in 11 innings 14-12 to the Cougars of SIUE. The guys regrouped after the devastating home loss and have since been red hot. In the most recent sixteen games following the loss vs SIUE, the inhabitants of Duffy Bass Field are 12-4 winning series against Murray State (2-1), @ Valpo (2-1), and vs Evansville (3-0). It's also worth noting that Illinois State went 2-1 vs. the Big 10 in that stretch with a win at home vs. Iowa and a win at home vs. Illinois in 10-run rule fashion. Scoring runs has been essential in their four game-winning streak and success over lowa and Illinois. ISU scored 14 runs vs Illinois at home and a combined 38 runs in 3 games vs Evansville at Duffy Bass Field. Full stop, the Redbirds rake!

Eight players for ISU have a .290 batting average or better, including Daniel Pacella, who is currently batting .407 and has 10 home runs with 38 RBI. Pacella currently has 155 career RBI, which sits three behind 3rd all-time at Illinois State (Seth Von Behren). Judah Morris leads the team with 11 home runs and has a .319 batting average with 36 RBI. ISU holds a 9-3 record in MVC play, including a 5-1 record at home. In these 12 conference games, the Birds have a combined .333 batting average and .442 on-base percentage compared to opponents putting up a .273 batting average and .380 on-base percentage. Eight Redbirds are hitting .315 or better in Valley play, and ISU sits just one game behind Missouri State for first place in the conference standings. With twenty games left in the regular season, twelve will be home games, including three against the first-place Bears on May 2nd at 5 pm, May 3rd at 3 pm, and May 4th at 1 pm, all on ESPN+. The top two seeds get byes in the MVC tournament, a massive advantage in the quest for a title and tournament berth.

Another advantage is hosting the MVC Tournament, which, lucky for the Red and White, is the case with all MVC Tournament games being played at Duffy Bass Field in Normal, IL, from May 20th to May 24th. It would be special if the community, students and faculty, and alums could flock together and create a home-field advantage. ISU most recently went to the Tournament in 2019, advancing to the Regional Final and finishing with a 2-2 postseason record. That team had five players drafted in the MLB First-Year Player Draft. The Redbirds were regular season co-champions, Coach Holm was MVC Coach of the Year, Joe Aeilts won MVC Player of the Year, and Brent Headrick was the Pitcher of the Year. The 1994 and most recently 2010 baseball teams have won conference tournament championships, both playing in the NCAA Tournament. ISU has made the D1 tournament four times in total (1976,1994,2010,2019). The 2013 team had a record of 39-19 with a conference-best 16-5 MVC record. ISU would later fall to Wichita State in the MVC Title Game and did not receive an invitation to the Tournament, which I will go on record saying was nonsense. ISU also hosted the 2019 MVC Tournament but ultimately came up short after losing to Dallas Baptist and eventual champion Indiana State. Overall, I think we gain more from losing than winning, so from this recent experience, we should serve the university and baseball team by bringing our friends and family to Duffy Bass Field to cheer on the Redbirds to a championship and tournament appearance. Home-field advantage is critical and makes a big difference, especially with trophies on the line. We have phenomenal fans and an equally phenomenal opportunity to be seen and heard on the national sports scene.

Making the NCAA Tournament is the epitome of success and a sure way to bring in more money and exposure for ISU. It starts by showing up, and the baseball team, coaches, and staff have been doing their part. Let's show everyone in the Valley and College Baseball that excitement, support, and championships are NORMAL for the Birds! To the players, coaches, staff, students, and fans: keep finding ways to support the team, and be selfless and passionate every day to pursue greatness! Every game matters, and so does everything in between. 

Let's be ready so we don't have to get ready; RDB!!!

Blog #1: The Ryan Pedon Era

They say that progress is like a large ship turning in the ocean, and Redbird Men's Basketball is no different. Under Coach Pedon's leadership, change has been intentional, with a clear path for sustained success. His motto, "You win with people," emphasizes that the players and staff are the top priority. Coach Pedon and his staff excel at finding basketball players who perform well on the court, fit seamlessly into the community and the locker room, and embrace the team's system. The fanbase has fully embraced this culture, largely thanks to the efforts of the coaching staff and the players they have recruited and developed. Remarkably, aside from one player entering the transfer portal, every portal-eligible student-athlete chose to play at Illinois State University (ISU) for the 2025/2026 season. This trend reflects the hard work of the many dedicated individuals behind the scenes who strive to make ISU a desirable destination in Division I basketball. Coach Pedon is talking the talk and walking the walk! The 1998 Club NIL collective and the Bird Fans 4 Ever podcast are two distinct entities that leverage their skills and connections to enhance the Redbirds' brand and support the program. I highly recommend checking out the NIL website (https://empowerthenest.com/1998-club/) and the podcast (http://www.youtube.com/@birdfans4ever335), especially their recent collaboration (https://youtu.be/HxVd-9s5Tbk) discussing the Men's Basketball NIL collective. 

Achieving a 20-win season is a significant milestone in college basketball, indicating consistent success throughout the campaign. Since the 2000/2001 season, Illinois State has finished with 20 or more wins in a season on eight occasions. Notably, each time since 2000, the Redbirds have won 20 or more games, they have qualified for the NIT. The only exception was the 2025 CBI Champion Redbirds Men's Basketball team, which finished with a record of 22-14. After ISU won three games at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, FL, it marked the first time ISU achieved 20 or more wins since the 2017 MVC Championship team, which won 28 games and advanced to the Second Round of the NIT at home. Additionally, it was the first time in program history that the men's basketball team won a Division I postseason title. 

So, why am I mentioning all of this? Because these statistics clearly show one thing: THE BIRDS ARE BACK, BABY!