NIU's class includes six from Florida, 2 high-profile WRs from Texas

Northern Illinois didn't win the Independence Bowl, but it extracted a lesson equally as valuable.

"You look at the bowl game, Louisiana Tech had two more playmakers than we did," said Huskies recruiting coordinator P.J. Fleck. "And they ended up winning. So athletes were the key to this recruiting class."

Jerry Kill and his staff, in their first full opportunity to recruit a Football Bowl Subdivision class, went south time and again to find athletes.

Of the 22 scholarship signees unveiled on Wednesday morning, six hail from Florida. That group includes Boca Raton's Antione Kirkland, the class' lone running back, junior-college cornerback Chris Smith and Miami wideout Daniel Rodriguez.

NIU, which needed to replace five graduating receivers, also snagged a high-profile pass-catcher from Ohio (Perez Ashford) and the "Dynamic Duo" from Warren High School in San Antonio: Anthony Johnson and Martel Moore.

The Huskies pulled those guys from the Lone Star State thanks to a longstanding connection with Warren's offensive coordinator, Josh Littrell.

Kill coached Littrell at Emporia State years ago, then Littrell lived with NIU defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys for a period of time after college.

"He called us," Kill said. "That was the only reason we had a chance. He trusts us, knows how we handle kids.

"It's hard to pull kids out of Texas. Again, sometimes it's about who you know, not what you know."

All Fleck knows is that he's giddy to get to coach a quartet that combined for 217 catches, 3,716 yards and 46 touchdowns in their senior years.

"The word for wide receivers was 'game-changers,' " Fleck said. "We needed guys that can break a game wide open. We needed guys that, if the throw wasn't perfect, or if it was a 2-yard throw, could turn it into an 80-yard touchdown.

"We wanted guys on the outside that make (quarterback) Chandler (Harnish) look good. Chandler's good, but it's our job to make him look good all the time."

Kill's staff also pounded Chicago and brought six preps and two junior-college players from the metro area.

Defensive end Kyle Jenkins counts on two levels: The former Driscoll standout piled up 191/2 sacks for Harper Junior College last fall and reversed a one-day commitment to Western Michigan in order to try to replace Larry English for NIU.

Jenkins, along with Smith and Phoenix punter Josh Wilber, already have enrolled and started the Warrior Elite workouts with the rest of the team.

"Basically the most fun part of my day is just to rest," Jenkins said with a smile. "I've been running and lifting and going to class and study tables."

After bringing in just one quarterback last year, Kill attracted a pair of dual-threat signalcallers in Mt. Carmel's Jordan Lynch and DuQuoin's A.J. Hill.

The latter is the younger brother of former Southern Illinois standout Nick Hill. Lynch, meanwhile, threw just 2 interceptions in 13 games last year for the Caravan.

"Hill and Jordan Lynch are just what I want," Kill said.