All I Want For Christmas

(This article originally appeared on www.orangeandbluenews.com.)

A California JC back who has been around the football block is looking forward to making Illinois his final collegiate destination.

Daniel Dufrene , a 5-foot-10, 192-pound back from College of the Sequoias (Visalia, Ca.) committed to play for Ron Zook's Illini on December 12, after taking a visit to Champaign December 8.

Coming out of high school, Dufrene had committed to Minnesota before changing course and going to Vanderbilt. He then left Vanderbilt to play at College of the Sequoias last summer. Through it all, the Florida native has always had the Big Ten squarely in his sights.

"The Big 10 is just a highly competitive conference," Dufrene said. "And its been proven over time that if you do well there, you have a chance to take your game to the next level."

Dufrene will transfer and move to Champaign in January, giving him the upcoming semester to acclimate himself to the new climate in practice and in the classroom.

This season, Dufrene carried 75 times for 592 yards and 6 TDs. He also caught five passes for one score and amassed a quarterback rating of 556.0, according to the College of Sequoias team website, throwing for a TD on his only pass attempt of the year. Dufrene will have three years of eligibility at Illinois.

On his December visit, Dufrene was convinced by both Ron Zook's coaching staff and Illini player host Antonio Steele that success in junior college can be a big ingredient to succeeding at Illinois.

While the all purpose back is a little hesitant about the Midwest weather, he does have one big Christmas wish. "All I want for Christmas is just to get to Illinois, and get off to a good start," Dufrene said. "I can't wait to get started."