Former Santa Clarita Christian football MVP Collin Keoshian will start Saturday for the Illinois State Redbirds in the NCAA Division 1 FCS championship.

Illinois State faces three-time defending national champion North Dakota State in the game televised live on ESPN2 beginning at 10 am PST.

The 6-foot-3, 260-pound defensive tackle is tied for the team-lead in sacks with eight. He is third on the team in tackles for loss (10), fifth in tackles (63), and has an interception and five pass breakups.

The interception came in the semi-final against top-ranked New Hampshire in the third quarter. Keoshian had one of his best games of the season with six tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and the interception, helping the Redbirds come from behind to win 21-18.

During his senior year at SCCS in the Fall of 2009, Keoshian ran for 1,709 yards and recorded 87 tackles in just 10 games. He was named the CIF 8-Man Player of the Year after leading the Cardinals to a 38-22 win over Faith Baptist in the championship game.

After first going to BYU on a football scholarship as a running back/linebacker, Keoshian came back to Santa Clarita and College of the Canyons before going to Glendale Community College and then Illinois State.

Just two weeks before the beginning of the 2014 season, Redbird coaches asked Keoshian, then a fullback, if he would move to defensive line. The move has paid dividends for both he and the Redbirds.

According to SCCS football coach Garrick Moss, Keoshian has been invited to several pro days and is being considered as a possible NFL fullback.