‘Edgy’ Tim O’Halloran: Local recruits hoping Week 1 video attracts colleges

Now that the 2024 IHSA football season has arrived, several Daily Herald area recruits are hoping their early season video can lead them to increased recruiting attention and eventual offers this fall. Below are several names who have already hit the recruiting radar screens and could see a boost in their recruiting stock over the next several weeks.

Palatine junior offensive lineman Tony Balanganayi (6-foot-4, 260 pounds): Tony “Showtime” Balanganayi already holds scholarship offers this summer from Illinois, Iowa State, Miami (Fla.), Nebraska, Purdue and West Virginia. Balanganayi's overall quickness, flexibility and a frame that will allow him to add much more good weight and size at the Power 4 level has coaching staffs’ attention this season.

Hinsdale Central junior offensive lineman Gene Riordan (6-foot-5, 280 pounds): Riordan, who holds 10 scholarship offers from the likes of Illinois, Boston College, Iowa, Kansas and Northwestern, set a game visit Saturday to Northwestern. He’s also set to go to Iowa for the Sept. 7 game against Iowa State, along with Oklahoma when they play Tulane on Sept. 14. Riordan has up to a dozen Power 4 schools planning to look at his first few games on video this season.

Naperville North junior defensive tackle Gabriel Hill (6-foot-2, 275 pounds): Hill, who is holding 15 scholarship offers from colleges such as Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Tennessee and Notre Dame, is coming off an impressive 2023 season. Hill, who had 3 sacks in the Huskies 42-14 win over New Trier on Friday, already has several Power 4 schools waiting to see his first few games. I fully expect Hill to draw even more looks and offers from major players outside of the Midwest.

Carmel junior wide receiver Kai Owens (6-foot-2, 170 pounds): Owens holds six scholarship offers, all from Mid-American Conference schools (Akron, Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami of Ohio and Toledo). He will no question benefit from having sophomore quarterback Trae Taylor throwing to him this season. Owens will have a much larger audience of college coaches to see his progress in September.

Batavia junior offensive lineman Ryan Myers (6-foot-5, 275 pounds): Myers added two summer scholarship offers, from Toledo and Western Michigan, after having impressive camp performances for both schools. Myers is still developing physically and has the potential to add much more good weight and size over the next year. Myers already has good length and reach. His early season video could unlock a larger pool of interested college coaches starting this month.

Barrington junior offensive lineman Owen Fors (6-foot-4, 280 pounds): Fors has somewhat quietly climbed up the college recruiting board this summer and is holding Power 4 offers from Illinois, Boston College, Indiana and Northwestern. I fully expect more interest and offers to come from Power 4 schools outside the Midwest once his early season video begins to circulate this fall.