IL Power 5 Recruits That Stayed In-State

<strong>IL Power 5 Recruits that stayed in state</strong> When you think B1G football you don’t always think about the state of Illinois. With 2 visits to the championship game in the last 3 years for Northwestern and the hiring of Brett Bielema – a proven Midwest recruiter and Big Ten winner - for Illinois, the two IL representatives are doing all they can to change that. The more consistently the two programs can compete for titles, the better their chances will be to land the top in-state talent. As is it stands for the class of 2021 Bielema and Fitzgerald have secured 5 of the top IL high school recruits. &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20199" first="Mac" last="Uihlein"], Lake Forest: ILB</strong> – As the third-highest rated player in the state of IL Uihlein is the highest-ranked recruit of the 2021 class to choose to stay home. The Northwestern commit chose Northwestern over other B1G powers like Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin. At 6’1 215, Uihlein has the frame to grow into a traditional Northwestern run-stopping LB  - think Blake Gallagher from the current NU linebacking corp. - but he also shows the speed to play sideline to sideline and drop back in coverage. The more players like Uihlein Fitzgerald and his staff can convince to stay home, the more likely their second trip to the B1G title game in 2020 won’t be their last. &nbsp; <strong><img class="size-full wp-image-44557 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/05/cars.jpg" alt="" width="289" height="190" />[player_tooltip player_id="20216" first="Jackson" last="Carsello"], Glenbrook North: OT</strong> – Joining Uihlein as the lone in-state representatives in the Northwestern 2021 class is Carsello. The 6’4 270 3 star out of Glenbrook North shows the ability to be a starter at the B1G level before he leaves campus in Evanston. Carsello shows good feet for a kid his size and excellent power and drive in the run game. With a more consistent hand placement, he should be able to compete with edge rushers at the next level. Northwestern was able to convince Carsello to stay home despite offers from other power 5 suitors including Duke, Indiana, Illinois, and Syracuse. &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20288" first="Josh" last="Kreutz"], Loyola: OC</strong> – Despite firing its coaching staff and finishing with the lowest-rated recruiting class in the B1G, Illinois was able to keep three prospects in the state, and Kreutz is the highest-rated of the trio. Typically a center, Kreutz spent most of his junior year playing guard because of a hand injury early in the season. Regardless of where he lined up, the 6’2 275 lb prospect played with a mean streak throughout his whole high school career. While Kreutz doesn’t have all the athletic abilities you might come to expect from a power 5 OL recruit, he does come off the ball well in the run game and plays with a nastiness that is required in the trenches at the next level. He has the ability to get to the next level in the run game, and a solid punch in his pass pro. If he’s able to play with the same intensity in Champaign as he did in Wilmette then Kreutz just may find his way onto the field sooner than later. &nbsp; <strong><img class="size-medium wp-image-44614 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/05/barlev-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />Zachary Barlev, Plainfield East: OG</strong> – Like all of Illinois’ 2021 in-state class, Barlev plays on the offensive line. Despite Illinois being his only power 5 offer, the Plainfield East product deservedly saw a lot of love on the recruiting trail over the last two years – particularly from the MAC. At 6’4 Barlev uses his length well, making getting around him as an interior pass rusher extremely difficult. Recruited as gaur Barlev showed the reach and athleticism to play at OT throughout his career at Plainfield East as well. He has the ability to seek out DBs on screen plays, pull from the interior on Power plays, set an edge on drop back plays, and come off the ball in the run game. His versatility across the line is likely one of the things that caught the eye of the Illinois staff and will hopefully help him to get on the field there. &nbsp; <strong><img class="size-medium wp-image-44622 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/05/gh-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />[player_tooltip player_id="20295" first="Josh" last="Gesky"], Manteno: OT</strong> – With offers from the MAC, the Ivey, and even the ACC and Big Twelve, Illinois did well to keep their third in-state OL home. At 6’5 270 the two-time all-conference tackle has the frame that explains the power 5 offers and then some. Gesky will certainly put on some weight when he arrives in Champaign, and if he can keep and improve his athletic feet then the Illinois’ offensive line could see a major boost from the class of 2021. With a 5.2 GPA Gesky brings with him the IQ you want out of your offensive line, and once he learns leverage and hand-strike he has the physical tools to match.