University of Illinois football coach Ron Turner gained more up-front help this week with the announcement that College of DuPage standout Matt Carlton (6-foot-5, 340 pounds) will sign with Illinois on Wednesday. Carlton is No. 16 on Turner's list of prospective signees.

"Matt is a level-headed young man with some tremendous athletic gifts," said 21-year DuPage coach Bob MacDougall, who provided the UI with one of its top receivers, Mike Bellamy, in the late-1980s.

"Matt is a tremendous competitor and unusually agile for a guy his size," said MacDougall.

Carlton hails from Brighton, Mich., and played on a 12-0 DuPage team as a freshman. The team was 7-5 last season. MacDougall said Carlton will attend summer classes DuPage in order to graduate and gain eligibility for the fall.

Craig Virgin injured in auto accident

Former University of Illinois cross-country and track All-American Craig Virgin suffered multiple injuries in a two-car accident Wednesday night near St. Louis

Virgin was driving on Interstate 64 when a car headed in the wrong direction hit his auto. The NCAA cross-country champion is being treated at Memorial Hospital in Belleville.

Among Virgin's injuries are a bruised chest, a broken nose and finger, facial lacerations and soft tissue damage in his legs, ankles and feet.