By ISU Sports Information
NORMAL – Looking to add some more depth to his secondary, Illinois State football head coach Brock Spack announced the addition of Texas Tech transfer defensive back La’Darius Newbold Tuesday to the team’s roster.
Newbold signed a financial aid agreement with the Redbirds and will be begin classes this summer. The Lancaster, Texas, native will be eligible to play immediately due to FCS transfer rules and will have two years of eligibility remaining at Illinois State.
“We are always trying to find depth in our secondary and were especially looking for some help at the safety position,” Spack said. “We like big players who can run at that position, and La’Darius fits that mold. He is a player who has the physicality we like as well and gives us some time to work with him and get him in the system. He’s a lot like Dontae (McCoy) was and had a lot of the same physical abilities, so we think he will have the range at safety that we need.”
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound defensive back played in four games over the past two seasons for Texas Tech. He saw action in one game in 2014, recording a tackle at No. 10 TCU, and played in three games as a redshirt-freshman in 2013, with one tackle in his career debut against Texas State.
During his prep career at Lancaster High School, Newbold was a consensus three-star prospect by Rivals, Scout and ESPN.com and was ranked as the No. 28 cornerback in the country according to Rivals. He was a second-team all-district selection following his senior season in 2011 and chose Texas Tech over schools such as Baylor, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State and Missouri among others.
