Welcome to the bull’s-eye of college football
Congratulations, sports fans … we’re officially living in the bull’s eye of college football.
The Midwest is where it’s at right now. And as our pal-slash-Rivals.com recruiting analyst “Edgy” Tim O’Halloran pointed out in his Daily Herald column earlier this week, Illinois prep players are reaping the benefits.
The January open recruiting period was pretty wild in our area, with boatloads of Power 4 scholarship offers handed out to players from the classes of 2026 and 2027. Despite the chaos with the transfer portal, Chicagoland remains a hot spot for college recruiters.
I see a few things at play here, the first being the emergence of top talent. Libertyville’s Brock Williams is a prime example.
The sophomore tight end saw his stock rise throughout his season with the Wildcats, and he blew up in January to the point where Rivals now ranks him 28th player in the nation for the class of 2027.
His January offers included virtually the entire Big Ten — highlighted by Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State — in addition to Missouri, Oklahoma, Auburn, Kansas, Michigan State and others.
Another sophomore, Barrington receiver Austin Coles, enjoyed a similar burst of college attention. Coles picked up offers from Miami, Ole Miss and others.
Carmel sophomore quarterback Trae Taylor, already a known recruit who’s ranked 14th nationally in his class, added Oregon, UCLA, Texas A&M and Georgia offers to his already crowded plate.
Maine South sophomore quarterback Jameson Purcell, another known recruit, received offers from Wisconsin, Oregon, Georgia, Arkansas and others.
The class of 2026 also fared extremely well last month.
Palatine lineman Tony Balanganayi, South Elgin tight end Gavin Mueller, Hinsdale Central lineman Gene Riordan, St. Francis receiver Zachary Washington and St. Charles North receiver Keaton Reinke all picked up several new Power 4 offers.
Which brings me to my second point about the increased college attention in Illinois: the incredible success colleges from the Midwest enjoyed this season.
Ohio State, of course, won the FBS national championship. But North Dakota State won the FCS title, Michigan’s Ferris State won at Division II, North Central College won Division III, Iowa’s Grand View won at the NAIA level, and College of DuPage and Hutchinson, Kansas, won NJCAA titles.
It’s the Midwest’s time to shine, and colleges throughout the nation are taking notice by looking closer at our prep players. That leads to my third point, which is the Big Ten expansion.
The four newcomers — Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington — are all becoming more active in Illinois and the Midwest now that they’re part of the Big Ten. They’ve always dipped their recruiting toes in the area, but during this cycle they’re making a concerted effort to establish a foothold here.
At a time when recruiting is getting tougher and tougher for athletes, the added attention can only mean good news.
Time will tell if the Midwest can stay on top.