TORONTO – Northern Illinois wasn't Jordan Delegal's first choice of college – or his second. In fact, it's the third college he's attended after initially signing with North Carolina State and never attending the school, going to Marshall and then playing his first college football at Joliet Junior College.
Since joining NIU, however, the sophomore linebacker has been praising the brand of football the Huskies (7-5) play to his family and friends back home. They haven't listened.
But at 11 a.m. on Saturday, he'll have a chance to prove something when he plays in the International Bowl against South Florida (7-5).
"They told me 'You always say stuff about Florida football, now you have your chance to prove yourself,' " Delegal said.
The game will take on added importance for NIU in the recruiting hotbed of Florida, where the Huskies continue to try to recruit. Plenty of TVs in the Sunshine State will be tuned to ESPN2 and NIU will have a chance to make a name for themselves for future recruits.
"I think it's important for us to have a good performance against South Florida because, when you're down there, you look at the Florida schools – you've got Florida and Florida State and South Florida – then you've got Northern Illinois trying to pull you away from those schools and they need a reason why," NIU recruiting coordinator P.J. Fleck said. "We've talked about it as a staff that this is a very important game for us recruiting not only in Florida but for our whole entire country."
Delegal said that the obvious tough sell for a Florida player to come to NIU would be the weather and distance from home. The Huskies lost 2008 recruit Maurice Coon, from Lakeland, Fla., when he transferred away to Central Methodist (Mo.).
Delegal said he's helped Florida freshmen like Devon Butler, Sean Evans and Antione Kirkland get acclimated this year.
They are the three true freshman from Florida on the team while the Huskies have eight Florida players on their roster.
"I hang out with them all the time and I tell them that it's better for you to get out of Florida and understand that there are other places out there," Delegal said. "There's other places that will help you stay focused on what you have to do."
While Fleck said that the result of one game rarely is the sole reason a recruit will choose a school, a good showing against South Florida could be huge for recruiting across the country.
"We want to have a good showing no matter who we play because we're recruiting kids all over the country now and we want kids to know about Huskie Nation," Fleck said. "We want to be a TCU, we want to be a Boise (St.) and for us to get there we have to win games like this."
Fleck said that when the Huskies lose a game, they can tell a potential recruit that that's why they are needed on campus, to win games like the one just played.
But nothing helps recruiting as much as winning and playing with fight.
"We want to come out and have a great showing and win the football game," Fleck said. "But, more importantly, we're trying to build a program. And when you're building a program, you want your kids to play so hard. Some things you can't control of the field, but if you have the fight and determination and your kids play well."
