Inside Look: Undervalued Prospects From Around Illinois

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The following prospects featured in this piece have yet to receive their first scholarship offer. However, all they did this past fall was put together some impressive film against quality opponents. It's my opinion, that they should be getting more attention in the coming months. The level of those colleges varies from prospect to prospect. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As always, If you have someone you think I need to see, please DM them to me on Twitter at @hsfbscout!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>DE: Eduardo Antunez, 6'3" 230, Evergreen Park, 2024</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eduardo has aggressive hands at the point of attack, will retrace when he's too far upfield as a rusher and can sit back &amp; anchor down against opposing double teams. He shows a clean get-off and can work as a stand-up or as a true hand-in-the-dirt five-technique. He accelerates through his second step and is quite slithery when taking on 1 on 1 blocks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>OL: Jarve Bey Jr., 6'3" 270, Homewood Flossmoor, 2025</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A ton of muscle and some serious torque behind his punch. Bey strikes on a rise, has adequate body control for blocks in space, and consistently stunned defenders on contact. He can eat up bullrushes, knows how to catch defenders lunging, and is always looking for work beyond the line of scrimmage. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>WR: [player_tooltip player_id='271883' first='Dedric' last='Macon'] 6'1" 175, Freeport, 2024</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Macon has superior playmaking ability after the catch and his change of direction is natural with little to no altering of speed. He's a well-oiled route runner, with good speed, the ability to create late separation, and has strong hands through contact. I'd be shocked if his recruitment doesn't take a big step forward this spring, there's so much to like about this kid on tape. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>DT: Robert Grant, 6'2" 270, Larkin, 2025</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A younger prospect with a great first step, a violent bull rush, and can disengage at a moment's notice. Grant is a high-effort player with good technique and consistent pad level. He can generate knockback off the snap and create almost instant penetration. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>OL: [player_tooltip player_id='271324' first='Jace' last='Pankey'] 6'4" 280, Iroquois West, 2024</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pankey has good size, keeps his feet churning after initial contact, and plays with an attitude. He fires off the football low with nasty intentions, his grip strength allows for him to lock onto defenders on the breastplate and he plays with a wide base. To me, he projects as a guard at the next level and could be a swing guy if in a pickle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->