The Class of 2012 has answered several questions, at least when it comes to many top-ranked prospects.
Glenbard West’s
Tommy Schutt
, a 6-foot-3, 301-pound tackle who has orally committed to Penn State, is the state’s No. 1 player going into the season. Schutt isn’t the only one who has made a college decision.
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Only seven of the state’s top 20 prospects haven’t committed.
But that’s far from just an Illinois thing.
“Making an early verbal commitment is really happening more and more everywhere with the exception of the Southeast and the West Coast,” Rivals.com national recruiting analyst
Mike Farrell
said. “To me, kids committing seems to be more of a cultural thing.
“Kids in the Midwest and in the Northeast just don’t seem to get as caught up as much with recruiting as they do in the Southeast and on the West Coast. Kids in the Midwest, and especially in a state like Illinois, just seem to want to get it done before the start of the season.”
Lake Forest Academy defensive tackle
Faith Ekakitie
and Simeon offensive tackle
Jordan Diamond
are two highly ranked but uncommitted players.
From early indications, both could stay on the recruiting market for a while.
Ekakitie, who has more than 20 offers, is talking about taking some official visits after the season.
Diamond, who has 22 offers, said he, too, will make official visits before making a decision.
Back to backs:
Two standout running backs will square off when Bremen travels to Oak Forest on Sept. 16. Both also are still searching for a college.
Bremen’s
David Smith
and Oak Forest’s
Tevin Coleman
each have multiple offers. Smith has been leaning toward Indiana but has been looking at several schools. Coleman is still sorting out his list of early favorites.
Position of strength:
Look no further than the offensive and defensive lines. Schutt, Providence offensive tackle
Ryan Ward
, Ekakitie, Montini defensive tackle
Jaleel Johnson
, Barrington offensive guard
Dan Voltz
and
Diamond
make up the top six. Next in line is Florida recruit
Antonio Morrison
, a Bolingbrook linebacker.
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Wes Lunt
, an Oklahoma State recruit, is recovering from a broken foot and is expected to miss several weeks this fall.
Other top-ranked players from outside the Chicago area include Northwestern recruit and defensive lineman
Dean Lowry
of Rockford Boylan, Edwardsville defensive tackle
Vincent Valentine
, Dunlap linebacker
Nick Mangieri
and O’Fallon linebacker
Mike Cotton
. Mangieri and Cotton are Indiana recruits.
Sleepers:
Neuqua Valley defensive end
Michael Ippolito
has drawn late summer interest, along with Bolingbrook offensive guard
Robbie Bain
. Both players have a chance to boost their recruiting stock with strong early season performances.
Top underclassmen:
Lemont junior
Ethan Pocic
and St. Francis junior offensive tackle
Kyle Bosch
have multiple offers, as do Bolingbrook junior quarterback
Aaron Bailey
, Joliet Catholic junior running back
Ty Isaac
and Maine South junior quarterback
Matt Alviti
.