IL ’25s Rising on the Recruiting Trail Early this Offseason pt.2
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The combination of depth and top-end talent that the 2025 class in Illinois is displaying is quite impressive, to say the least, so much so that PRzIL couldn’t cover all of the stock risers and breakout recruiting names in just…
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Continue ReadingThe combination of depth and top-end talent that the 2025 class in Illinois is displaying is quite impressive, to say the least, so much so that PRzIL couldn’t cover all of the stock risers and breakout recruiting names in just one single feature! Yes, the cream of the crop has been well-known and highly sought after for years by now, with names like Nate Marshall, Jaylen Williams Jaylen Williams 6'6" | 265 lbs | DL Palatine | 2025 State IL , Chris Burgess, Iose Epenesa Iose Epenesa 6'4" | 230 lbs | DL Edwardsville | 2025 State IL , and Talyn Taylor Talyn Taylor 6'0" | 165 lbs | WR Geneva | 2025 State IL leading the pack of both Illinois-based and Midwest-bred football recruits in their graduating class. However, things have really come to fruition for the rest of the prospects in the last few weeks. The end of the winter dead period means it’s open season on Illinois 2025 and 2026ers, and PRzIL is here to give you the most comprehensive, current, and up-to-date recaps of the must-know names finding big wins and major popularity on the recruiting trail. The 2025 class is really beginning to flex its muscle, so let’s check out some more Illinois natives rising and winning on the recruiting trail early this offseason. Congrats, boys! Keep up the good work.
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Nazareth Academy with a big-time newcomer into the P5 recruiting space? No surprises there. B1G, ACC, Big12, SEC, and PAC12 (?) suitors have yet another reason to come to LaGrange Park, and his name is Garrett Reese! It’s been a steady and consistent climb with Reese’s recruiting stock, which began last May with a Ball State and has since devolved into multiple P5 opportunities, all of which have rolled in since December 8th. After the aforementioned Ball State offer, Akron offered up during the season in September, setting up his early December blow up. Starting with Cal-Berkeley on the 8th, Cincinnati, Miami (OH), Grambling State, Bowling Green State, Toledo, Eastern Michigan, and most recently Indiana all joined the fray. Now, the 6’2.5″, 175 lb. DB has a more than healthy offer sheet going into spring and junior day visits, and with the Hoosiers recently offering, I think some more regional P5 competitors are bound to get involved.
The 2x 5A state champ does some good things on both sides of the ball, but I like him more as a defensive back, where he’s a big-bodied cornerback with a balanced skillset out on the perimeter. As a CB, Reese is a ballhawk when playing off-man coverage, and is patient in his read steps, shows good burst out of his breaks with noticeable pace, and he does a good job of working front-to-back in zone and can make plays on the ball as the underneath defender. Plus, he shows no qualms when coming up and laying a strong tackle in run support. Also productive on the offensive side of the ball as a WR, I like his concentration and big catch radius that can reel in tough and inaccurate receptions away from his body, and he’s a smooth and silky route runner who does a good job of disguising where he is planning on ending up. Additionally, he’s quick after the catch and a willing and effective blocker out in space. Reese is a good athlete at his size who can do some damage and impact the pass game as both a WR and CB. No wonder some high-powered suitors are getting involved.
Highlights
Ryan Fitzgerald
Ryan Fitzgerald
The 2025 QB class in Illinois is pretty dang impressive, and after attempting to sort through and rank the top-end names of the now-junior gunslingers last spring for PRzIL, it’s relieving to see college programs sort things out themselves and start getting in the mix for the Land of Lincoln’s next superstar quarterback(s). A name that came from under the radar and arose into the D1 ranks of recruiting is Loyola Academy’s Ryan Fitzgerald, who is now one of the most popular QB prospects in all of Illinois after receiving offers from Illinois State, Akron, Bowling Green State, Northern Illinois, Toledo, and Kent State, all since December 13th. If you’ve been reading my stuff both lately and historically, you’ll know that I’m a believer that grabbing FCS and FBS offers (in Illinois’ case, MAC offers) this early is generally indicative of higher-level potential and can signal P5 offers in the near to late future, so I really want to reiterate to our readers that not having a P5 offer at this point in these boys’ junior offseason is far from the end-all, be-all.
When I’m scouting prep QBs, two big factors I’m always on the lookout for are accuracy, ability to win, and ball security, and along with Fitzgerald’s promising 6’3, 205 lb. build, he’s checking all the boxes I think make for a great college signal-caller. In addition to leading the Ramblers to a 14-0 undefeated season and their second straight big school, 8A state championship, Fitzgerald passed for 2,056 yards on a 64% completion percentage and 20 TDs to only 1 INT (!), plus 107 carries for 634 yards and 14 more touchdowns. Not a bad stat line at all, and on tape he demonstrates a big arm that can put deep balls on a rope, great touch, particularly on fades and corner routes, a quick release, and accuracy to all three levels of the field. Fitzgerald is patient, doesn’t force the ball into risky scenarios and situations, takes what the defense gives him, and will use his legs to keep his offense churning when the opportunity arises, and when he tucks and runs he’s visibly athletic when he takes off and runs and possesses a good contact balance/vision/quickness combination. Additionally, he’s consistent in his mechanics, and his arm, hips, and legs are always in sync, and if he takes off and buys time around the pocket he does a good job of re-setting his feet and delivering a strike with accuracy. In regards to the accuracy, the 205 lber. leads receivers open and displays noticeable ball placement where only his wideout can get it. If I have to be nitpicky, I’d like to Fitzgerald get through his reads and not stare down his primary target, but this was his first year starting and that will come with more reps. The accuracy, innate mental fortitude, poise, confidence, size, and athleticism are more than enough to present a promising package as a collegiate QB prospect and more offers are undoubtedly on the way.
Need a FBS-worthy quarterback? Chicago Mount Carmel is a great place to start, and the Caravan has been on a heckuva run of QB talent since the 2010s rolled around. Continuing the trend of big-time gunslingers the past couple of seasons and through next fall is the quickly-rising 6′, 205 lber. Jack Elliott, has seen his offer sheet and recruiting popularity erupt since the new year got underway. His in-season heroics were so impressive that he earned his first and second offers in late October, from Akron and Kent State, respectively, and since January 19th the likes of Western Michigan, Northern Illinois, Bowling Green State, Yale, Ball State, and Cornell University have added their names to the list. I also want to add that Elliott started for the CCL heavyweight Caravan as a sophomore, an accomplishment that generally indicates big-game ability and talent and is quite hard of a feat to pull off at Mount Carmel.
Now, in his second year as the full-time starter, Elliott is really flashing his arm talent, and his junior shows a back-to-back 7A state champion QB with that winning ability, mentality, and expectation who is a very confident athlete at the position capable of explosive gains with his arm and his legs. That added wrinkle of mobility and dual-threat skill has done wonders for him as a prep and future college QB, as he’s smooth, impressive, and fun to watch scramble, improvise, make pass rushers miss, and navigate the pocket to buy time before he generates a big play. Plus, he displays tons of juice as a ball carrier and can hurt defenses when he tucks and takes off while showing tons of confidence, good vision, big-play speed, and shake at the tackle point that made some would-be tacklers look silly in 2023. Speaking of Elliott’s arm talent, the 205 lber. demonstrates good velocity on his first and second-level throws, good touch and timing, and a strong arm (like his rep of a 10ish-yard hitch on the money from the far hash to play side numbers) that fit the ball into some impressively tight windows in 2023. Additionally, the Caravan junior’s accuracy allows his receivers as much room and space as possible to find work after the catch, he can throw well on the run, and I love his toughness, as he will hang in the pocket and finish throws through giant incoming hits. Innately, his big play mental fortitude, and confidence can be counted on in the biggest games and moments of the season, and it’s easy to see that he’s got an overflowing skillset and the athleticism on top of the arm talent to tear up the college level and electrify his future crowd.
Highlights
Achilles Anderson
Achilles Anderson
The ratio of breakout recruits coming out of traditional CCL heavyweights to the rest of the state seems far from equal, but the fact of the matter is that schools like Marist – who we will be talking about for this next prospect’s eval – can offer a lot more to a prospective college football player than most high school football programs, and the volume and depth of talent some of these schools possess fosters a level of dedication and competition that manifests in very polished and athletic college prospects at positions all around the gridiron. Out of all the big named CCL programs, I am personally very partial to Marist for a variety of reasons and always keep a close eye on their up-and-comers and potential breakout stars, so I’m excited to say this isn’t my first time hearing about 6’4, 230 lb. DE Achilles Anderson. In addition to his All-Name Team worthy title, Anderson possesses noticeable length (almost 7’1″ wingspan), a well-built frame for a high school junior, and a ton of upside as a collegiate prospect. So far, Anderson has reeled in offers from Northern Illinois (in-season), Akron, Ball State, and Yale, with the latter three of which have come since January 17th. I think we’re still at the genesis of his recruitment and offer sheet, as we’ve seen Marist kids with a similar size/profile combo find big success as recruits and at the collegiate level.
A traditional 5T who does good work with his hand in the ground, Anderson possesses an advanced pass rushing repertoire that includes bend, power rushes, counters, and a lethal spin move he’ll throw out when the time is right. Plus, he’s got reps of him simply zooming by OTs and would-be blockers, whether that’s from intimidation, his first step, or a combination of a few things. The other two big things I like is how comfortable Anderson is in space and his overall speed. At 6’4, 230 lbs. with long arms, the 2025 DE changes direction well and can adjust to shifty QBs trying to scramble and make him miss in space, and he can finish sacks once he gets hands on and is able to complete tackles going full-speed with last second adjustments at odd angles. He finishes plays when given the opportunity and seizes the moment and was productive in the sack department in 2023. Additionally, his play speed and closing speed both show up on tape, as Anderson can impressively run down ball carriers from the backside of a play and closes those all-important last few steps in a blink. The RedHawks have one of the biggest and baddest DLs in the state going into the fall.
Glenbard West is going to be nonstop busy with college coaches this offseason and offer a fun, high-potential crop of junior prospects who will have college suitors looking like kids in a candy store. Cornerback Mason Ellens saw himself debut highly in last spring’s 2025 ranking update as the #38 overall and #6 DB prospect and has been receiving a steady stream of college offers since word began to proliferate about Ellens‘ talent. Akron offered during the season and Illinois State and Kent State have joined in since mid-January, and he’s got the chance to keep that momentum churning as the offseason progresses.
Brings a good multi-sport track background to the table thanks to his 22.25 200M speed and an All-Conference Low and High Hurdler ability, the 6′, 175 lber. is going to get a lot bigger of a special teams shoutout than I’m used to handing out. Ellens‘ game-breaking speed shows up particularly well on special teams, where he’s an explosive kick & punt returner who processes and finds holes in kick coverage quickly and can get up to top speed in the blink of an eye. With three kick returns and a punt return housed for six in 2023, Ellens averaged a staggering 50+ yards per return can cut at top speed, and uses his excellent balance to stay upright through contact if a defender is lucky enough to attempt a lick on him. He makes returning look very easy and is undoubtedly the best I’ve seen while scouting talent so far this cycle. As a receiver and offensive threat, Ellens is a tough kid who will complete catches through contact and sports a shifty running style that finds and creates space well and does a good job of setting up defenders for big cuts in the open field.
Defensively, the 175 lber. can play CB or safety with equal impact, is patient yet decisive in coverage who shows off ball skills and smoothness out of his breaks, and can disrupt and compete on short, intermediate, and deep routes alike. Additionally, Ellens is a physical presence on the perimeter who will attack blocks and lay the wood in run support. He’s very comfortable as a tackler and is all over the field as a ready-made three-phase contributor.
Park Ridge is in the house for this next Illinois 2025 Rising on the Recruiting Trail Early this Offseason! A sleeper in the emerging and evolving 2025 IL DL race, Maine South’2 6’3, 265 lb. DT Tyler Fortis Tyler Fortis 6’3″ | 265 lbs | DL Maine South | 2025 IL is coming off an All-Conference junior season and is fresh off his first offer from the Akron Zips, who reached out on January 23rd.
Still a lot of runway left in this recruitment, and it looks like Fortis is primed for some more recruiting attention, as his film shows off a big kid with athleticism, physicality, and a motor for days. I absolutely love how fired up and enthusiastic his play style and on-field energy are, and it shows up on tape, as he’s a celebration machine after his big tackles in his junior film that I would love to play defense with. The 265 lber. is a traditional 3-4 5T who can also bump inside when called upon, possesses one of my favorite attributes in a lineman, and is a successful and talented wrestler in the upper weights of his high school’s lineup. Fortis opens his tape with a bone-crunching and massive suplex on a helpless RB like the Undertaker taking on a no-named regional opponent as a warmup, and he’s a crushing tackler who gets the most out of every hit and even hits a Bob Sapp-esque clothesline reminiscent of the new Longest Yard movie. Fortis displays pop at the point of attack, sheds blocks seamlessly, and plays opponents’ hands effectively, and he does a good job of consistently working half a man and not allowing OTs and OGs to get hands-on, much less inside and on his chest plate. I also like his arm over, how he closes in space, is instinctive enough to get his hands up into passing lanes when he can’t reach the QB in time, and is laterally quick when working a blocker’s inside shoulder. Fortis is an overall aggressive, active, physical, high-motor kid who leaves it all on the field snap to snap and through four quarters. At a premier position in football and the recruiting world, I’d expect a boatload of more offers to cruise in soon. Good luck with the rest of this wrestling season, Tyler!
Highlights
Coming out of Lemont High School in the Chicagoland suburbs, which is coincidentally home to our National Scouting Director and General Manager Jake Lemming, 6’5, 270 lb. lineman Jake Sulzberger had himself a nice start to the new year and has earned offers from Toledo, Akron, Western Michigan, and Miami (OH) since January 11th. A well-known name in the loaded 2025 IL OL crop of talent, Sulzberger also earned offers from Ball State last May and Eastern Michigan during the season, so I’m interested to see who ascends from their primarily MAC recruit status into a P5 prospect, but we have a lot of time left and you can bet your butt that Sulzberger will be in the mix.
A three-sport athlete (wrestling and baseball) who is following in the footsteps of some decorated Lemont prospects to come before him, Sulzberger has a devastating combo of strength and mobility at 6’5, 270 lbs. Able to play both RT and LT, the junior is a strong kid with tons of power at the contact point who will run you into the ground once he gets engaged or send you flying when he locks out his arms and plays with a nasty demeanor that is hard to disengage from for an opponent. Comfortable in a zone scheme in both run and pass blocking, Sulzberger was asked to do a lot of different things as an OT and his overall mobility helps him easily and effectively work to the second level, combo, pull, and set the edge when lead blocking. Specifically, he’s a very impressive puller who flattens helpless edge defenders and comes in full-steam ahead through contact, and his good balance helps him display a great base in pass pro and a good looking vertical drop as well. Mobile, mean, athletic, technically sound, well coached, and equally comfortable in run and pass blocking, OTs like Sulzberger don’t grow on trees and his recruitment should reflect that fact once he’s all done and signed.
Jacob Wilk
Jacob Wilk
It seems like Lake Zurich always has a certified or potential P5 prospect on their roster, and as a big fan of Lake County football, you can bet your butt I’ll be giving your the rundown of their up-and-comers. 6’6, 290 lb. OT Jacob Wilk provides an interesting resume as a collegiate prospect, as he missed weeks 4-11 of the 2023 season with an injury but sports a massive frame and upside and is coming from a program that really develops, gets the most out of, and prepares its players for the next level of football. FBS programs have taken notice as well, as Toledo became offer #1 in mid-January and Western Michigan has followed suit and offered a scholarship two days ago. Wilk is no doubt a sleeper in the loaded 2025 IL OL class and has the chance to really see his recruitment surge with a big offseason/summer camp circuit/early senior film.
Primarily working as a LT, Wilk is a massive prep OT who bowls over and dominates smaller opponents in the trenches like you’d expect from a lineman of his stature and bullies second level defenders when working to the second level. Coordinated and controlled when working in space, Wilk demonstrates good change of direction ability and balance, the ability to gain depth in his pass set for a big OT, and he’s comfortable working laterally to handle speed rushes and quicker opponents. I also like his good base, noticeable pop, consistently active feet, and flashes of physical dominance, particularly in the run game. Despite a smaller sample size of film than some of his peers, it’s clear that Wilk is mobile, agile, and a good athlete at an already mammoth stature for a prep OT. Lots of upside in his game and frame, and as mentioned, I could see him gain some serious steam in the summer camp circuit. Big name to watch for our recruiting fanatics and superfans.
Donovan Robinson
Donovan Robinson
Back to Wilmette and big school powerhouse Loyola Academy, we go! There is a LOT to be excited about regarding 6’3, 210 lb. ATH Donovan Robinson, whose recruiting stock has exploded so significantly that he’s knocking at the door of being one of the top stock-risers in the entire Midwest this cycle. I love XL defensive backs who are athletic & dynamic, and Robinson’s film gives me those excited butterflies that made me feel like his junior film was a visual representation of Christmas Eve. The kid has the chance to be a great one.
Apparently, I’m not the only one to feel like this either, as the FS/LB/WR has earned seven FBS/FCS offers since early December and is fresh off two P5 offers in the last three days from Virginia and Iowa State. A long, athletic, balanced playmaker, Robinson’s big-play speed helps him contribute in the return game, where he shows off contact balance, top-end speed and acceleration, and good vision, and on the flip side, that same acceleration and playmaking ability helped him block some kicks in 2023 as well. What really gets me fired up is Robinson’s coverage ability, which is fluid, disruptive, and very impressive at 6’3, 210. He can make plays as the single high safety, cover from the slot, or find work around the box, and he’s instinctive in coverage and process route combinations quickly while reading the QBs eyes to make plays on the ball. Thanks to his great ball skills and loose hips, Robinson picked off and broke up passes on an impressive variety of different routes and passing attempts last fall, and he does a great job of mirroring, not over-committing or reaching, and smoothly getting into the hip pocket or a WR, allowing him to undercut routes and break up passes at the catch point. Plus, he possesses great makeup speed that he used to get back into position on trick plays or double moves, and Robinson is a strong tackler in space as well. I really like watching patrol the MOF and smoothly disrupt passes all over the field, and the range and natural instincts in pass coverage are huge pluses in his recruiting resume.
What’s nice about kids like Robinson is he could project to a number of different positions in college, and that flexibility, versatility, and comfortability in pass defense really get me excited for him as a college defender. Someone is going to get a BALLER.
You don’t need to be an expert scout to understand that a 6’4, 185 lb. WR/S with a D1 hoops background don’t grow on trees and can blow up at the college level, and speaking of blowing up, West Aurora High School’s Terrence Smith has exploded into the P5 recruiting scene. Smith has been steadily pulling in offers since the start of last year, but the P5 offers haven’t been rolling in since the recent dead period was lifted. Four MAC offers from last January to last May, two D1 basketball offers and two more MAC offers during the fall set up his exciting junior offseason, which has seen him reel in offers from Minnesota, Iowa State, and Iowa, all since January 31st. Additionally, Smith has already visited Iowa City and the Hawkeyes, so the B1G heavyweight seems to be in the driver’s seat at this early point in his budding recruitment.
The hoops background absolutely shows up in his gridiron exploits, and Smith opens his tape with a beautiful one-handed snag up in the air and between three different DBs for a reception that few prospects could even dream of pulling off. Smith is a deadly WR and a matchup nightmare both before, during, and after the catch, mostly due to his lateral ability and unreal ball skills. He’s got the contested catch ability that you’d hope from a D1 hooper, and boy does this kid have bounce, as his 50/50 ball skills and ability to high-point the rock are off the charts and arguably the best in the Land of Lincoln. Plus, Smith has good concentration and a long gait helps him cover a ton of ground with each step, great balance and can slip out of and run through tackle attempts after the catch, and good speed that can take the top off the defense. The 6’4, 180 lber. is hard to bring down thanks to his sheer length and strength, displays effective cuts in the open field and lateral ability can make defenders miss in a variety of ways after the catch, and is an aggressive blocker out on the perimeter. You don’t find 6’4 wideouts with his combo of speed, physicality, and ball skills very often, and Smith seems built to succeed at the P5 level.
Josh Veldman
Josh Veldman
Perhaps the biggest early winner from Illinois’ 2025 class of prospects goes to Lincoln Way West’s 6’2, 205 lb. LB Josh Veldman. Bursting into the FBS and P5 recruiting basically completely under the radar, Veldman posted 110 tackles in 12 games and added 12 TFLs, 6 PBUs, 4 FFs, 2 sacks, and an INT he returned for a TD, and he was named SWSC Red DPOY and First Team All-Conference for his efforts in 2023. Programs have absolutely taken notice, and since the winter dead period was lifted, Veldman has heard from Akron, T0ledo, Ball State, Iowa State, Kent State, Cincinnati, Northern Illinois, and Bowling Green State, all in the span of two weeks! What a junior year it’s been for Veldman so far.
Off the jump, Veldman’s sideline-to-sideline range is very impressive and arguably the best in the state, and his pursuit speed and great use of pursuit angles help him play and display himself as an all-over-the-field tackle machine who will you down wherever you may try to escape to. I don’t use the sideline-to-sideline eval often, but man does Veldman fit the description and was a big part of his eye-popping production in 2023. With the ability to play both ILB and OLB, Veldman is strong enough to go man-on-man in the hole between the tackles with XL RBs, but his speed allows him to not get engaged and tied up with blockers around the LOS, although he does have the strength, technique, and physicality to shed blocks if he does go pad-to-pad with a lineman. In run support, the 205 lber. demonstrates great speed and is a good tackler in the open field, he’s a hammer at the contact point as a tackler that jars the ball loose simply due to how hard he’ll smack you. He can also put would-be blockers on their butts like he accidentally ran into a middle schooler on the playground, and he owns some of the more impressive tackles on kickoff coverage that I’ve seen watching tape on Midwest prospects. Veldman can also impact the passing game and does a good job of working under second-level routes and can impact the opponent’s passing attack in the flats and hook/curl. Production, speed, solid size that can blow up in a collegiate S&C program, physicality, he’s got some very high upside as a LB recruit and I’d expect that offer sheet to get a lot bigger before it’s all said and done. Love this dudes tape and playstyle. Get at him!
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