Schaumburg's Little picks Eastern Illinois

Eastern Illinois was committed since the spring to making Schaumburg senior running back Shepard Little a part of its football program.

On Wednesday, Little returned the favor by making a verbal commitment to accept a scholarship offer with Eastern. The two-time Daily Herald All-Area pick took an official visit to Charleston this weekend.

“I came home, sat down and thought about it a little more and called them,” Little said of his only Division I scholarship offer. “I said, ‘I want to be a Panther.'

“I felt comfortable around the players and the coaches and campus isn't too big but it isn't too small. The players treated me as if I was already on the team.”

The 5-foot-10, 173-pound Little rushed for 1,912 yards and 24 touchdowns and caught 28 passes for 302 yards this fall as Schaumburg won a share of the Mid-Suburban West title. He also had 2 kickoff return touchdowns in a 55-50 Class 7A second-round playoff loss to Simeon.

Little rushed for 1,610 yards and 16 touchdowns as a sophomore when the Saxons made the 8A quarterfinals. He did not play as a junior for disciplinary reasons.

“(Eastern) showed a lot of faith in him and he's excited about it,” said Schaumburg coach Mark Stilling. “I couldn't be prouder of a kid. He's having the best semester of his life academically and he's put in a ton of work to do things right.”

Eastern is coming off an uncharacteristic 2-9 finish after winning five Ohio Valley Conference titles and making seven Football Championship Subdivision playoff appearances in the previous 10 years. Head coach Bob Spoo has announced next season will be his 25th and last in charge of the program.

Little hopes he could see time alongside former Rolling Meadows star Jimmy Garoppolo, who threw for 1,639 yards and 14 touchdowns in eight games as a true freshman.

“We talked about that and more than likely I'll get a chance to play early,” Little said. “They like what I can do offensively and on special teams as well.”