 They join defensive end/linebacker Nate Palmer, who was selected in
the sixth round of the draft by Green Bay, as players who finished
their careers at ISU in 2012 and are headed to NFL camps soon. They
will join the likes of Tom Nelson (Chicago Bears) and Cody White
(Houston Texans) in the NFL and will fight for invitations to
training camp and spots on 53-man rosters in the fall.
This group of seniors helped ISU to four straight winning
campaigns for the first time in over 50 years and led the Redbirds
to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs for the third time in
school history. In 2012, the team posted just the third nine-win
season in program history and finished the year ranked in the top 10
of both national polls.
ISU head coach Brock Spack is proud of the five Redbird players
headed to NFL rookie camps and hopes each continues to work hard to
achieve their goals of playing professional football.
"I'm happy for all of our guys, and they have worked really hard
to get these opportunities with NFL teams," Spack said. "It's
humbling to know that NFL teams think highly of the players we've
helped develop over the past four years at Illinois State, and I
think that says a lot about what we do with our players in the
weight room with the help of Jim Lathrop and on the field through
coaching. The biggest credit goes to the players, though, because
ultimately they do the work, and this group of guys has been able to
turn that effort into a chance to play professional football. To be
drafted or signed as a free agent in the NFL is an honor, and we are
proud of them and hope they all do well."
Brown and Ericksen, a native of Wisconsin, will join Palmer at
the Packers' rookie minicamp, beginning on May 9.
A four-year starter for the Redbirds, Brown finished his career
as the school's all-time leader in pass attempts (1,455),
completions (927), passing yards (10,591), passing touchdowns (78),
completion percentage (63.7), passing yards per game (230.2), total
offense yards (10,952) and touchdowns responsible for (87). The
Marion, Ill., native also finished his career as the Missouri Valley
Football Conference all-time leader in five different passing
categories.
During his senior campaign in 2012, Brown set seven school
single-season records -- including passing yards (3,370), passing
touchdowns (27), completion percentage (65.0), total offense yards
(3,522) and touchdowns responsible for (34) -- on the way to being
named a First-Team All-MVFC selection and the MVFC Offensive Player
of the Year. He recorded four passing performances of 300-plus yards
and added seven games with two or more touchdown passes, while
leading the Redbirds to the FCS playoff quarterfinals and an
overtime win over nationally ranked Appalachian State.
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Ericksen was named a Third-Team All-America selection by The
Sports Network and the Associated Press in 2012 and was also picked
for the College Sporting News 2012 Fabulous Fifty FCS All-America
Team. A native of Greendale, Wis., Ericksen earned All-MVFC
First-Team plaudits, after he finished the season ranked No. 4 in
the country in interceptions per game and led the MVFC with seven
picks. He also ranked sixth on the team with 67 tackles and added
one sack and 3.5 tackles for loss in just his second season playing
free safety, after starting his career at ISU as a wide receiver.
Frierson will head to Houston for its minicamp, June 11-13, and
will be greeted by a couple of former teammates in former Redbird
offensive tackle White and former Illinois defensive lineman Whitney
Mercilus.
Frierson was stellar at outside linebacker for the Redbirds in
two seasons, after transferring from the Illini. A 2012 All-MVFC
Honorable Mention selection, Frierson ranked fourth on the team with
72 tackles and added 6.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss. The
Washington, D.C., native recorded a season-best 1.5 sacks and 2.5
tackles for loss in the second-round road victory at Appalachian
State.
In his first season at ISU in 2011, Frierson was named an
All-Missouri Valley Football Conference First-Team selection and to
the MVFC All-Newcomer Team. He led the team and was second in the
Valley with 15 tackles for loss and ranked second on the team with
66 tackles and 6.5 sacks.
Zimmer rounds out the group and will head to Jacksonville for the
Jaguars' rookie minicamp, beginning May 3. In his first season
playing middle linebacker, Zimmer was named a First-Team
All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection and led the team
with 127 tackles, including 56 solo stops. The Wheeling, Ill.,
native ranked third in the MVFC with those 127 tackles and added 4.5
sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss. He finished his Redbird career tied
for 13th all-time at Illinois State with 269 total tackles and
tallied 6.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 44 games played for the
Redbirds.
[Text from
news release received from
Illinois State University]
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