Senior quarterback Drake Davis and senior wide receiver Nick Calcagno led an offensive juggernaut for Naperville North.
Now, the duo that helped produce 32.9 points a game in 2017 for the
Huskies
is moving about a 2 1/2-hour drive south.
Over the weekend, Davis and Calcagno committed to Lovie Smith and Illinois as preferred walk-ons.
“The coaching staff is just a bunch of great guys,” Davis said. “Going in talking to the coaching staff, they welcomed me in. They’re just great. We had a one-on-one with Lovie, and right after that, we knew it was the right place for me.
“Their academics are top notch. It’s a great school to go to.”
The 6-foot, 190-pound Davis, the Naperville Sun’s player of the year in 2017, totaled 3,409 total yards and 32 touchdowns after transferring from Bureau Valley.
The 6-3, 215-pound Calcagno was right in the middle of Davis’ success. Calcagno, who turned down preferred walk-on offers from
Iowa
and Iowa State, caught 59 passes for 742 yards and 11 TDs.
“It kind of came down to Iowa as a linebacker and Illinois as a receiver,” he said. “I’m just more comfortable on the offensive side of the ball and that mixed with the whole coaching staff at Illinois.
“I really just love what they’ve done with the program. I wanted to be part of one of the classes that’s going to be there to turn around the program.”
Illinois has nowhere to go but up, evidenced by its last winning season coming in 2011.
Davis and Calcagno are determined to help the Illini get back on track under Smith, the former Bears coach.
“They gave us an opportunity of a lifetime,” Davis said. “And I think it’s great for us to go down there and try to help out our state. I mean, I think Nick and I can go down there and make a great impact on that program.”
Davis doesn’t have prototypical size for a Big Ten quarterback.
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He declined a scholarship offer from Eastern Illinois and preferred walk-on offers from Western
Michigan
and Northern Illinois, deciding to bet on himself.
It’s a bet Calcagno believes Davis will win.
“It’s just awesome having that connection with the guy I’ve been playing with the last year,” Calcagno said. “We didn’t even really plan on it. It just kind of happened. We both decided that we were going to visit Illinois and take the preferred walk-on.
“So, we came in from different paths, but we ended at the same place. It’s awesome I get to play four more years with my (quarterback).”
Blake Baumgartner is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.