WMU's in the offing for Hoffing

Jon Hoffing still smacks people on turf, just not with a lacrosse stick anymore.

The Libertyville senior offensive lineman played lacrosse his first two years in high school before giving up the sport to focus on football.

The position he played in lacrosse?

"Defense," Hoffing, a wide body, said with a wide smile.

Only slighter smaller than his current 6 feet 4 and roughly 290 pounds, Hoffing towered over speedy, pesky forwards. He was the biggest lacrosse player around.

"Yeah, by a lot," he said. "It was fun."

He might be having more fun now, especially after giving a verbal commitment to Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, where he will play Division-I football for the Broncos.

"They gave me a deadline of Aug. 1 to make my decision and said if I didn't make it by then they would start going after other people," said Hoffing, who committed July 31. "The offer would still be there, but there was a good chance of me losing it and I didn't want to lose an offer to a great school."

Hoffing said Western Michigan was the first school to offer him a scholarship. He was recruited by former Northern Illinois assistant coach Mike Sabock.

"I really liked the coaches," Hoffing said. "I think I'll have a shot to play early. Nice facilities, and it's not too far from home."

Hoffing started every game for Libertyville at offensive tackle last year but said he probably will play guard in college.

Libertyville coach Randy Kuceyeski likes Hoffing's combination of athleticism and size.

"He came into his own last year," Kuceyeski said. "He trained six days a week in the off-season with a personal trainer, plus with us. He's developed his feet."

Hoffing considers pass-blocking probably his strength.

"I got pretty quick feet," he said. "I probably need to work on more strength definitely before I go into college."

Hoffing said he continues to receive mail from several colleges, including some major D-I programs. Before accepting Western Michigan's offer, he contacted some other schools to gauge their interest him, but no one was ready to commit.

Hoffing helped Libertyville open its season with a win over Barrington on Friday night.

"I had a bunch of schools that were talking to me," Hoffing said. "Honestly, I'm comfortable with (committing to Western Michigan). I'm happy about it."