Five college football players from the suburbs to watch this season

This may take a while.

With so many local football players represented on college rosters across the country, it’s difficult to highlight just a handful. So consider this just the beginning.

This week’s High Five looks at key college football players from the area ready to take a big step forward in the fall.

Don’t worry … we’ll do another list of players in the very near future, with a similar mix of offense, defense and special teams.

5. David Olano, K, Illinois

An experienced Illini team with big expectations includes Olano, a junior with a full year of booting under his belt.

Olano, an all-Big Ten honorable mention selection as a sophomore, played all 12 games last season while knocking through 17 of 20 field-goal attempts including a 50-yarder against Kansas.

The Naperville North graduate accounted for 89 points last season.

4. Talyn Taylor, WR, Georgia

The most-intriguing name on the list, the true freshman weighed more than two dozen Power 4 offers before committing.

Georgia is in need of a jolt in its wide receiver room and Taylor, a Geneva grad who last season had 84 receptions for 1,617 yards and 24 touchdowns, could provide it right away.

A redshirt season is always a possibility, but Taylor is a special talent who could work his way into instant playing time. Georgia coaches already have been raving about him.

3. Micah Sahakian, OL, Duke

The Blue Devils loved what they saw from the Prospect graduate after two seasons starting at tackle for Cornell — earning All-Ivy League honors both seasons — and they grabbed him in the transfer portal.

Sahakian, a graduate student, has started 21 games in college. Capable of playing guard or tackle, the 6-foot-5, 320-pounder will be battling for a starting spot this fall.

2. Carmine Bastone, DL, Northwestern

The walk-on from St. Charles North is a great story for the Wildcats.

The redshirt junior worked his way into earning a scholarship, and last season he overcame an injury to make an immediate impact with a sack and forced fumble in his first game back against Maryland.

Bastone is returning as a team captain after making six starts last season. He’ll be one of the more experienced players on the Wildcats’ defense, after starting nine games as a redshirt sophomore and playing in six games the year before.

1. Mark Gronowski, QB, Iowa

All eyes are on the senior transfer out of Neuqua Valley after he posted a 49-6 record at South Dakota State and led the program to two national championships.

In four seasons with the Jackrabbits, Gronowski threw for more than 10,000 yards and 90 touchdowns. He also rushed for nearly 1,800 yards.

Iowa’s offense has struggled in recent seasons, but Gronowski could turn things around while making the jump from the FCS level to the Big Ten.