PrepRedzoneIL 2025 Rankings Update: Top Unoffered Standouts
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Here we go! After more than a week of research, collection, grinding the tape, and categorization, the PrepRedzoneIL 2025 rankings update is live and published. I apologize for the slight delay, my fiance and I, along with our many pets,…
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Continue ReadingHere we go! After more than a week of research, collection, grinding the tape, and categorization, the PrepRedzoneIL 2025 rankings update is live and published. I apologize for the slight delay, my fiance and I, along with our many pets, moved across the country from Florida to Minnesota, which took longer than expected. Now that I’m home and settled, I’ll be digging into the rankings coverage for the next week+, and to kick things off we’re starting with something different and highlighting the top 2025 Illinois prospects currently without an offer. If you didn’t already know, the rising junior class in the Land of Lincoln is an especially deep & talented group with a ton of athletes already high on major college programs recruiting boards and holding expansive lists of offers. I’m talking Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Alabama, Ohio State, USC, and many more college football heavyweight contenders and bluebloods that have already reached out to Illinois 2025ers, but despite the established popularity and talent of the rising juniors, there are still a TON of athletes who are waiting on that elusive first college offer. PRzIL has highlighted the top unoffered 2025s for you today. Keep grinding, fellas!
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We’re launching this 2025 PRzIL rankings feature rocket off out of one of my favorite high school programs in the East St. Louis Flyers and their stud DE Ke’Andre McClendon Ke’Andre McClendon 6’2″ | 245 lbs | DL East St. Louis | 2025 State IL . I’m as high on the 6’2, 245 lb. as anyone, and McClendon explodes into our Top-20 as the #19 overall ranked 2025er and the #8 defensive lineman. On a roster stacked to the brim with P5 and FBS talent, McClendon still holds his own and opens his sophomore tape with an explosive rep where he fires off the ball and past the waiting OT’s inside shoulder before they can get out of their stance, after which he absolutely destroys the waiting RB and into the QB before hitting the QB himself and knocking the ball loose where one of his teammates scoops & scores for a defensive tuddy. It’s good stuff, and he keeps it coming for the rest of the tape, displaying the perfect pass-rushing repertoire of power, bend, twitch, a great get-off, and active hands that helps him beat blocking attempts in a variety of ways and get into the backfield so quickly you’d think he came untouched. Most DEs I come across have one or two of the strengths McClendon possesses, but not the full combination I see on tape, so I’m very excited about the DEs future. He generally operates out of the 4i, 4, or 5T spots, but no gaps are off-limits for McClendon when he works around the LOS. That ESL roster is one of the best in the Midwest and they have a beast in the rising junior McClendon. That first offer can’t be far away.
One of an exciting chunk of electric RBs with a diverse skillset and playstyle in the Land of Lincoln 2025 class, Marian Catholic 6′, 210 lber. Tyler Lofton Tyler Lofton 6’0″ | 210 lbs | RB Marian Catholic | 2025 State IL checks in as the #23 overall and #2 ranked RB amongst his peers and is still waiting for that elusive first college football offer, though I don’t think he’ll have to wait long. His sophomore season saw him post 146 carries for 1,319 yards and 17 TDs (9.0 YPC average) for some solid production as an underclassman ball carrier and earned ESCC Purple Offensive POY honors for his efforts. Lofton can move for a 210+ lber., and can run by or run through tacklers with ease. His sophomore tape displays top-end speed, vision, burst through the first & second levels of the defense & a final gear to burn DB pursuit angles, contact balance, and some powerful and effective cuts to leave defenders grasping at air or to set up & take advantage of holes in the defense. If he can continue to work on finishing some of his big runs and adding to his speed game, which is already far from lacking, he’ll be swimming in offers in no time. It’s an especially fun crop of 2025 RBs in Illinois and Lofton is an exciting one, to say the least.
No one is a bigger fan of Mt. Zion’s rising junior WR Brayden Trimble Brayden Trimble 6’0″ | 160 lbs | WR Mt. Zion | 2025 State IL than yours truly. I thought he was a potential superstar as a young freshman two seasons ago and the wideout did nothing but improve as a sophomore, constructing an ultra-productive season that finished with 76 receptions for 1,134 yards and 14 TDs and doing so in style. Mt. Zion has one of, if not thee, youngest & most talented pass-catching group in Illinois, and Trimble is heading the pack as a 6′, 160 lber. who has already earned All-Conference honors on both sides of the ball as well as an All-State nod. Three-way contributor who is lights out as a returner to boot, Trimble is extremely athletic and possesses outstanding body control that helps him reel in high-flying, highlight-reel catches, explosive hurdles, and dazzling cuts in the open field that leave defenders’ heads spinning. Trimble can high-point the football as well as anyone in the class, is elusive in the open field, and can take the top off the defense while looking like he’s at no more than a jog. I also like how he accelerates out of his cuts, sets up DBs and creates separation as a route runner, and sees the field with the ball in his hands. Trimble most likely has my favorite highlight tape of the entire Illinois 2025 class and is a splash play waiting to happen. I’ll continue to eagerly follow his recruitment and devour his tape and highlights as they come. Keep your eyes out for the Braves in 2023.
If you’ve been following PRZ’s National Scouting Director and General Manager Jake Lemming and his content from this offseason (you should be), you’re already up-to-date on the 2025 OL crop of talent from the Land of Lincoln and some of the potential big-time blockers within their ranks. Most of the ranked maulers already have an offer or two, or three, under their belt, but Carbondale’s Owen Lee Owen Lee 6’5″ | 295 lbs | OL Carbondale | 2025 State IL is still waiting on offer #1. Our #29 overall ranked rising junior and #4 ranked offensive lineman, Lee measures in at 6’4, 285 lbs. and knows how to use it, showing off strength, pop, and heavy hands at the point of attack, as well as good leg drive when he’s engaged, comfortability finding work at the second & third level of the defense, and a good base and lateral agility in pass protection. I especially enjoy watching him when he locks out and extends his arms to send opponents flying like a GTA NPC after a hit and run, and Lee has a mentality and want to finish defenders on every play. There’s still some work to do in his pass pro game, but it’s still solid at this point and his run-blocking expertise is physical and commanding as an upperclassman. I can’t wait to see Lee as a junior.
Highlights
Wide receiver is one of the deepest & most talented position groups in the Illinois 2025 class and near the head of the pack is 6’2, 180 lb. Lyons Township All-Conference pass-catcher Travis Stamm Travis Stamm 6’2″ | 180 lbs | WR Lyons Township | 2025 State IL . Size, speed, and playmaking ability are all more than present in the rising junior, and his sophomore tape is a fun one that is filled with splash plays downfield that see him eat up 10+ yard cushions in the blink of an eye. Stamm is also a natural at stacking CBs once he blows by them, is quick & deceptive at the top of the route, and tracks & plays the ball well in the air. The off-man killer is also an asset as a blocker out on the perimeter and enjoys helping his teammates create big plays and find success just as much as does doing it himself. Stamm is only getting better too, which should scare the mess out of opposing DBs on the Lions 2023 schedule.
Highlights
The more I dig into the Carmel Catholic roster going into the fall the more excited I get. With playmakers all over the board, their OL is looking brawny as well, led by their rising junior behemoth Tommy Lamberti Tommy Lamberti 6’8″ | 330 lbs | OL Carmel Catholic | 2025 State IL . With eye-popping, P5-worthy size at 6’8, 330 lbs., Lamberti is going into his third year as a varsity starter and has stayed busy this offseason, hitting unofficial visits to the likes of Northwestern (twice) and Notre Dame, not to mention Miami (OH) in the fall. The RT earned an ESCC Purple All-Conference nod from this past fall after displaying prowess as a zone blocker in both the run and pass game, and PRzIL likes his strength and finishing ability at the point of attack. Lamberti is an earth mover who does a good job of staying engaged and running his feet once he’s engaged and overwhelms opponents with his combination of size and strength. Good balance, can gain depth in his pass set for a big set, and is capable of picking up stunts and twists from opposing defensive linemen. He’s got solid mobility for a prospect of his size and age is only beginning to scratch the surface of his potential. If he keeps working hard on and off the field and can shed some pounds while continuing to add strength, he’s going to be a can’t-miss lineman out of the Midwest’s 2025 class.
One of many Morgan Park top-tier football prospects, 6’2, 170 lb. Jahmare Washington Jahmare Washington 6’2″ | 170 lbs | DB Morgan Park | 2025 State IL is a big part of the deep & talented 2025 Illinois WR rankings and also excels on all three sides of the ball while moonlighting as a DB and kick returner. Washington has visited Purdue and Tennessee on unofficial visits this offseason but is still waiting on that paramount first offer, and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if it came in the important summer camp circuit. Long, top-end speed, and a little bit of shiftiness at the top of the route helped him pop off some big plays for the Mustangs passing game last fall and I’m looking forward to seeing how he’s developed and strengthened his game as a soon-to-be junior.
I’ve been fortunate enough to see Palatine play a couple of times over my years as a scout for PrepRedzone, so I’m always making sure to follow and track their roster and Hudl account year-to-year to see who their next budding star is on the gridiron. Going into 2023 they are absolutely loaded, and in addition to their 4-star 2025 DE Jaylen Williams Jaylen Williams 6’6″ | 265 lbs | DL Palatine | 2025 State IL , the Pirates have a promising prospect on the offensive side of the ball in 6’3.5″, 275 lb. OG Parker Brault Parker Brault 6’4″ | 275 lbs | OL Palatine | 2025 State IL . Also a standout wrestler and thrower for Palatine’s track team, Brault is a hammer of a puller and laid some massive and bone-crunching hits from his OG spot last fall. Quick out of his stance and off the ball, noticeable pop at initial contact, and comfortable and controlled in pass pro, Brault seeks out and revels in contact and the physical aspect of the world’s greatest game, embodying a ton of the qualities of top-tier guards and interior OL that college programs are looking for. I really like his overall balance, body control, and finishing ability, and Brault is also confident and assertive in a zone blocking scheme, so it’s safe to say he’s got some good things going for him. He’s got an impressive and diverse group of college suitors inviting him to summer prospect camps, so I’m interested & intrigued to see how/when things take off. Keep up the good work, young buck!
Our final top unoffered Illinois 2025 comes out of the always-loaded deep Southern Illinois/St. Louis metro area of the state in O’Fallon Township 6’2, 205 lb. linebacker Drake Mosley Drake Mosley 6’2″ | 205 lbs | LB O’Fallon Township | 2025 State IL . Our #43 overall and 3rd ranked linebacker in the 2025 class, Mosley is a strong kid who recently posted a 405 lb. squat and is also well over a 225 lb. bench press going into the summer before his junior year. As an OLB, Mosley closes quickly, is comfortable tackling in space, and does a good job of reading his keys and flowing across the LOS to find space to shoot gaps and trigger on the ball for TFLs and big plays in the backfield of opponents. He also shows off some sideline-to-sideline range and generally takes good angles to the football in pursuit. Mosley is just starting to scratch the surface of his game and I’m excited to see what another offseason in the weight has done to help him level up. I’d recruit Southern Illinois all day long if I was a college coach.