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On Thursday and Saturday afternoon respectively, coach Rod Carey announced that defensive back Damarius Brinson Jr. and wide receiver Jauan Wesley have joined the program.
Excited to announce the addition of @Damariusjr to the @NIU_Football family! #theHardWay pic.twitter.com/Ko4e4Td3zP
— Rod Carey (@niucoachcarey) June 2, 2016
Super excited to announce the newest addition to the @NIU_Football family! Welcome to #HuskieNation Jauan! pic.twitter.com/ntlxY6ceSf
— Rod Carey (@niucoachcarey) June 4, 2016
Brinson enrolled at Youngstown State out of high school over reported offers from Colorado State and Texas State. After spending one season at Youngstown State. Brinson transferred into Contra Costa Community College.
Brinson talked about his journey in a recent interview with Hustle Belt.
"It was really all a blessing the reason I say that is because it really matured me it changed me for the better. I see things a lot clearer now I see the bigger picture in things. You have to go through something to get somewhere. And Juco plus life matured me very fast there's up and downs throughout Juco it's not easy. I've had lots of offers then had them taken away from me, I went through a lot at one point and I just thank god for this cause I was on the verge of being done I was just gonna Enroll and school and start boxing again. But just me having faith man I kept at it and it turned out good for me and I'm so grateful."
Brinson will be eligible to play immediately and has two years of eligibility remaining.
During our conversation with Brinson, he emphatically stated that he will "give my all to this team."
He stands at 6-foot-1 and weighs 193 pounds and says he is hopeful to earn playing time early in his time as a Huskie.
Get a sense of what Brinson will bring to DeKalb courtesy of Hudl:
Brinson was not the only player that the Huskies were able to sign over the past few days as they also landed Iowa State transfer, wide receiver Jauan Wesley.
Wesley, an Illinois native, was rated a 3-star recruit coming out of Thornton high school. He reported offers from Ball State, Illinois, Michigan State, Toledo, and Western Michigan.
Wesley was clearly a highly touted recruit coming out of high school, however he comes to DeKalb with some baggage. As reported by the Des Moines Register, Wesley was charged with a operating while intoxicated (OWI) after his freshman season.
With that said, Wesley remained on the team and was a starter as a sophomore after seeing playing time his freshman year.
However, it appears that first year coach Matt Campbell and Wesley decided to go their separate ways recently.
In a statement that was released by the athletic department and reported by the Des Moines Register, coach Campbell had the following to say about the situation.
"Jauan and I talked, and we made the mutual decision it would be best for Jauan to continue his football career at another school."
This brief statement is all the public knows regarding the reasoning for Wesley's transfer.
Getting back to his on-field talents, Wesley caught 10 passes for 107 yards as a freshman. As a sophomore, he started nine games with 30 receptions for 301 yard and hauled in two touchdowns.
It is unclear if Wesley will be eligible immediately, however it would certainly be a surprise. Barring some sort of petition being passed by the NCAA, Wesley will most likely sit out this season and have two years of eligibility remaining thereafter.*
Rod Carey is taking a bit of a risk in bringing Wesley on board here, but the potential reward certainly outweighs that risk. Wesley is a young man who made a mistake, as many college students do, and luckily for him he will be presented a second chance. If Wesley can develop during his presumed off year and stay the course, it looks like NIU could have landed a diamond in the rough here.
Check out Wesley's high school highlights courtesy of Hudl:
*Hustle Belt is working to confirm Wesley's eligibility status.