Counting down: 10 senior football recruits to watch this season
Last summer, week by week, we counted down to the season opener for high school football with a series of stories celebrating one of the biggest nights on the IHSA calendar.
This summer we’re jumping the gun. Instead of starting seven weeks out, we’re kicking off the countdown 10 weeks ahead of time.
Every Friday we’ll provide insight related to the 2025 football season for teams, players and coaches throughout our coverage area. We’ll reach No. 1 on Aug. 29 — opening night.
We begin this week with 10 of the area’s top senior recruits.
Tony Balanganayi, OL-DL, Palatine
Want a sense of Balanganayi’s athleticism? Just watch him dominate a basketball game.
His future, though, is clearly in the trenches. It’s common to see Balanganayi (6-foot-4, 260 pounds) locking in on blocks 10 or 15 yards downfield. A right tackle, he’s strong enough to clear everything on his side of the center.
He’s committed to Illinois after garnering nearly 20 scholarship offers.
Owen Fors, OL, Barrington
The 6-4, 290-pound guard is a mauler on the inside. He’s a play-to-the-whistle lineman who loves to finish with a pancake block.
Fors verbally committed to Northwestern earlier this month after attracting 15 offers, mostly from Power 4 schools.
Gabriel Hill, DL, Naperville North
Indiana University nabbed Hill (6-2, 295) despite his 18 other offers from the likes of LSU and Notre Dame.
The tackle, who notched 26 tackles for loss and 9 sacks as a junior, is mighty quick at the snap and has a laser focus to the quarterback.
Owen Jakubczak, OL, Fremd
Jakubczak (6-4, 270), who recently committed to Northwestern, mostly played right tackle as a junior. However, many recruiting analysts project him as a guard.
The Vikings weren’t afraid to leave him on an island on the right side, where he didn’t allow a sack last season while protecting the blind side of left-handed quarterback Johnny O’Brien.
Owen Lansu, QB, Downers Grove North
The Minnesota commit jumped on recruiting radars after helping the Trojans to the IHSA Class 7A title game as a sophomore.
The 6-2, 195-pound quarterback makes the deep ball look effortless, and his confidence as a multiyear starter clearly shows on the field. Lansu’s touchdown-to-interception ratio greatly improved as a junior.
Gavin Mueller, TE, South Elgin
A transfer from St. Francis, Mueller exploded onto the recruiting scene last season — his first playing football. Last month he committed to Colorado.
He attracted college attention before ever playing a down for the Spartans. An avalanche of 25 offers rolled in as he grew to 6-5 and 260 pounds.
Mueller narrowed the list to a final four that included Wisconsin, Notre Dame and LSU.
Johnny O’Brien, QB, Fremd
O’Brien (6-2, 190) committed earlier than most players on this list when he chose Northwestern a year ago.
O’Brien is a nightmare for opposing defenses with his elusiveness and ability to create big plays with his mobility. As a junior he completed 70% of his passes for 3,400 yards and 39 touchdowns.
Keaton Reinke, WR, St. Charles North
Reinke reaches 90 mph on the mound, but any questions about what sport he’d play were settled earlier this month when he committed to Northwestern for football.
Reinke (6-3, 205) snared 80 catches last season for 1,200 yards. He’s strong on routes across the middle and is an expert at using his length to beat smaller defenders.
Gene Riordan, OL, Hinsdale Central
The 6-5, 280-pound tackle played on the right side as a junior, eventually deciding on Iowa among 20 offers — including from Auburn, Penn State and Oklahoma.
Riordan more than holds his own with pass rushers. He fluidly pulls and easily gets to the next level in the run game.
Zachary Washington, WR, St. Francis
Despite 20 offers, it’s no surprise Washington chose Michigan State, the school where his former high school quarterback, Alessio Milivojevic, is a redshirt freshman.
At 6-2 and 180 pounds, Washington is a big-play threat in the passing game and with kick returns. He accounted for 16 touchdowns and more than 1,400 yards as a junior.