Jacob Charest Enjoying the Ride.

IlliniBeat got the chance to speak with promising red-shirt freshman quarterback Jacob Charest as Camp Rantoul came to a close. Here is what he had to say.

IlliniBeat: Hey Jacob, thanks for joining us. You went to
Butler, a pretty big football school in your home state of North Carolina. How did that prepare you for the college game?

Jacob Charest: "It was definitely a good thing going to a school that took football seriously. I think some guys come into the recruiting process a little bit surprised at how seriously colleges take all of this. The coaches at Butler did a good job getting your name out and getting you prepared mentally."

IB: You ran the spread offense at Butler; very similar to the one run at Illinois. Was that a selling point for the Illini, or did you know from the start that you wanted to run the spread in college?

JC: "Yeah, the spread has always fit my type of game so I think from the start I knew I wanted to be in that sort of offense."

IB: What about your scholarship offers from non-spread schools?

JC: "I said from the start that I would give any school showing interest in me a chance, but really in the back of my mind I knew that I wanted to run the spread."

IB: Talk to me about the receivers you have this year. Are they as good as advertised?

JC: (Big Smile) "Oh yeah, they're good. It gives you a lot of confidence knowing that every guy out there can make a play for you. It also allows you to take advantage of certain things."

IB: Do you think it will lead to less double coverage on Rejus Benn?

JC: "Well it better... that or the defenses might be sorry."

IB: And what about having not just Juice as a mentor, but also fourth year Eddie McGee?

JC: "It's great. You get to watch everything they do, how they breakdown film, the way they go about leadership... Any quarterback that thinks he can come into the college game and not need some leadership is wrong."

IB: I hear from a lot of guys that your first year at Camp Rantoul is much harder than your second. Was that true for you?

JC: "For the most part, yes. It can feel like a pretty long haul here. When you come out the first time, you don't know what to expect. Just knowing what's going to happen next and what to expect makes the whole week go much faster."

IB: Do you play the college football video games at all? This year's game gives you a better spin move than Terrelle Pryor and mostly anyone else in the game... Is this something you've been hiding from us?

JC: "Oh God. (laughs) I'm more concerned with my speed in that game... It's what? Like an 80 out of 100? Come on... I'm faster than that!"