IL FCS Recruits That Stayed In-State

In our last look at in-state commits, we will take a closer look at the FCS 2021 recruits that chose to stay home. With four FCS options in the state, FCS level IL talent doesn’t have to look far for competitive options to continue their football career. As always, these FCS-level recruiting classes are filled with guys that dominated at the high school level, show potential to fill out a frame and develop athletically, or simply were clearly good enough to continue their career but for one reason or another didn’t get the FBS attention. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="65437" first="Ryan" last="Gudaitis"], John Hersey: OG</strong> – The 6’4 255 lb guard from Arlington Heights turned down an offer from Southern Illinois to continue his career a little closer to home at Illinois State. Gudaitis – a top 100 player in the state of IL has excellent range for an interior lineman. His length and ability to set in pass pro are the kinds of versatile features that give him the potential to learn to play any position on the line, which will go a long way in improving his chances at getting on the field at ISU. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20293" first="Bodie" last="Turner"], St. Rita: OG</strong> – In Turner and Gudaitis ISU locked up two interior offensive linemen that will have the chance to compete for playing time once they develop. Turner chose ISU of Eastern Illinois and like his classmate Gudaitis, he shows the ability to play multiple positions along the line. Turner shows good athleticism when climbing to the next level and capable feet in his pass sets. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20236" first="Sean" last="Allen"], Homewood-Flossmoor: RB</strong> – Allen might be my favorite player in the Illinois State 2021 recruiting class. Despite having multiple FBS offers the 5’10, 190lb RB chose to play his college ball at ISU. With a frame that he will undoubtedly fill out to over 200 lbs once he gets on campus and enough open-field speed to be a legitimate big-play threat, Allen has the rare ability to contribute to the Redbird offense the minute he steps on campus. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20272" first="Scott" last="Presson"], East St. Louis: TE</strong> – As a two-way starter Illinois State will be getting a versatile player in the 6’2 230lb Presson. Presson turned down an offer from Toledo to commit to ISU and is set to make a potential impact no matter where he lines up. In high school, he was able to use his frame to make some big plays and develop into a scary red zone threat. With his future likely on the offensive side of the ball, Presson’s best bet for getting on the field early will be to develop as a blocker and bring a mean streak to the Redbird running game. <strong><img class="size-medium wp-image-41660 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/08/IMG_2806-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />Ian Wagner, O’Fallon: K</strong> – Despite an offer from Iowa Ian Wagner remains committed to ISU today. The kicker out of O’Fallon, IL showed enough accuracy and a big enough leg to gain interest from schools across the Big Ten. Wagner has great velocity on his kicks and the trajectory off his foot avoids the blockable kick that plagues so many high school kickers. With only one missed field goal and one missed extra point during his junior year he has the accuracy a special teams coordinator can depend on and with 24 touchbacks and a 40-yard field goal on his resume he has the leg to play at the next level as well. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20258" first="Perry" last="Slater"], Rock Island: S</strong> – With ISU securing five in-state commits they have the early jump on Illinois in-state FCS talent, but Eastern Illinois could do a lot worse than Slater for their single IL representative for their 2021 class. The two-way starter out of Rock Island shows fluid hips and the instincts necessary to play safety at the next level. He has enough speed to avoid getting beat deep and isn’t afraid to be physical in run support. He has a natural ability to break on the ball that will hopefully lead to multiple turnovers during his career at Eastern. <strong><img class="size-medium wp-image-44278 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/05/reedg-e1597678432356-263x300.jpg" alt="" width="263" height="300" />[player_tooltip player_id="20248" first="Jaylen" last="Reed"], East St. Louis: WR</strong> – The undersized WR made the most of his limited touches at East St. Louis. What Reed lacks in size and production he makes up in big-play potential. He shows enough open-field speed to be a big-play threat. If he can improve his ability to come out of cuts and establish himself as a precise route runner he will have a chance to get on the field at Western Illinois. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20340" first="Jalen" last="Bates"], Oak Park-River Forest: CB</strong> – Bates, to me, is the most exciting FCS prospect in IL for the 2021 class. Despite multiple D1 offers, Bates remains committed to Southern Illinois. The 3-star prospect has exceptional length and range for a high school corner. His ability to turn his hips and run with a receiver as well as his ability to break on intermediate routes makes throwing against him a nightmare for opposing QBs. He’s also very physical for a corner which will frustrate route runners and be valuable against the run when needed.