Recruiting Storylines of the Week in Illinois, Missouri

<p>Come for the offers, stay for Eddie Kasper, enjoy the post of the week. Spring practices, junior days, personalized unofficial visits, all of those things are taking place as April approaches. Top prospects are out and about, and top programs are showing the love. Business continues to pick up, and recruiting stays hot as Spring Evaluation Period approaches fast and furiously.</p>   <p><em>| Use code <strong>StopPRZ30</strong> to get 30% off your Prep Redzone subscription |</em></p>   <p></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Maize and Blue Mattison</h2>   <p>Morgan Park's 2027 DS prospect, [player_tooltip player_id='2104954' first='Darrell' last='Mattison'], dropped his pin Ann Arbor on Tuesday. Mattison is long, explosive, athletically gifted, and chose the Whittingham Wolverines to continue his growth into a position that he will likely play for a long time to come. Mattison was approaching 30 entries on his offer list that included programs from every power conference east coast to west. His recruitment took off like a rocketship after a breakout season in 2025.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/DMatt13_/status/2036577238259294592 </div></figure>   <p></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Wednesday, March 25</h2>   <p>Turns out, if you were a prospect receiving a phone call from a college program on Wednesday, there's a good chance good news was on the other end. This day was particularly good to nearly half of the collective prospects offered this week across Illinois and Missouri.</p>   <p>2027 QB [player_tooltip player_id='1187171' first='Nigel' last='Gooden'] - Cahokia (IL) - Army<br>2027 DB [player_tooltip player_id='1334152' first='Donald' last='Collier'] - Cahokia (IL) - Northern Iowa<br>2027 LS [player_tooltip player_id='1323486' first='Collin' last='Swingle'] - Eureka (MO) - Missouri Baptist<br>2027 QB [player_tooltip player_id='1265525' first='Carter' last='Temple'] - Kearney (MO) - Southern Illinois, North Dakota State<br>2028 WR [player_tooltip player_id='2140165' first='Grant' last='Bowen'] - Immaculate Conception (IL) - Southern Methodist<br>2027 CB [player_tooltip player_id='1346060' first='Damari' last='Thigpen'] - Brother Rice (IL) - Northern Iowa <em>*first offer alert*</em><br>2028 CB [player_tooltip player_id='1335357' first='Raheem' last='Floyd'] - East St. Louis (IL) - Texas <em>*now over 30 offers*</em><br>2027 CB [player_tooltip player_id='2078670' first='Jayden' last='Evans'] - Palatine (IL) - Northern Iowa<br>2028 WR [player_tooltip player_id='1659180' first='Marshaun' last='Thornton'] - Mount Carmel (IL) - Auburn<br>2027 WR [player_tooltip player_id='2114140' first='Lawrence' last='Carr'] - Kenwood (IL) - South Florida<br>2027 DB Cole Harris - Lyons Township (IL) - Denison <em>*first offer alert*</em></p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/DamariThigpen27/status/2036916227189187011 </div></figure>   <p></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Speed, Speed, Speed</h2>   <p>Oak Park (MO) WR [player_tooltip player_id='1590182' first='Deng' last='Tong'], fresh off his recent commitment to Kansas, attended the Under Armour Next Camp Series in St. Louis over the weekend, and set the track on fire to the tune of 4.33 in 40 yard combine testing. He was one of five that ran sub 4.40 and earned himself an invite to Orlando for the big show this winter. That's not all he earned. A phone call from Mississippi State meant good news from the SEC country.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/DengTong27/status/2036958513864298879 </div></figure>   <p>Cardinal Ritter (MO) WR [player_tooltip player_id='1598550' first='Ryan' last='Richmond-McDavis'] continued his meteoric rise in 2026 this week. Last weekend at the Under Armour Next Camp Series in St. Louis, RRM blazed a 4.37 trail down the 40 lane, and jumped 123.3 in broad, 34.7 in the vertical. Yesterday, the Lions of Mount Nittany came calling.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/RyanDMcDavis/status/2037263365068775470 </div></figure>   <p></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hat Tricks</h2>   <p>A pair of prospects brought in a trifecta of Division I offers over the week.</p>   <p>St. Mary's (MO) 2027 RB [player_tooltip player_id='1452148' first='Kingston' last='Miles'] stock boosted this week, doubling his 2026 offer total with some big ones from Alabama, Southern California and Kentucky.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/kingstonnnnn3x/status/2036590759768383989 </div></figure>   <p>Nazareth Academy (IL) 2027 DB [player_tooltip player_id='2105075' first='Cashmere' last='Coleman'] cashed in this week after hearing from Bryant, Southeast Missouri and Northern Illinois. This rising prospect was impressive live in the combine setting in January, and now sits double digits in offer count.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Cash___coleman1/status/2037170390603010462 </div></figure>   <p></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Division I Distribution</h2>   <p>Several Division I prospects added to their options this week, and Division I graded prospects heard from top Division II, Division III programs.</p>   <p>2027 EDGE [player_tooltip player_id='1590167' first='Antonio' last='Pinkston'] - Festus (MO) - Western Illinois<br>2027 DE [player_tooltip player_id='2142843' first='Jackson' last='Wooden'] - Hallsville (MO) - McPherson<br>2027 oLB [player_tooltip player_id='1188263' first='Ty' last='Lige'] - SLUH (MO) - Northern Iowa<br>2027 DS [player_tooltip player_id='1324009' first='Keiran' last='Govan'] - Republic (MO) - Michigan State<br>2027 OL [player_tooltip player_id='1906647' first='Jack' last='Barnett'] - Lees Summit West (MO) - Augustana <em>*first offer alert*</em><br>2028 OL [player_tooltip player_id='1361835' first='Joseph' last='Frierdich'] - Carbondale (IL) - Arizona<br>2028 OL [player_tooltip player_id='2140295' first='Liam' last='Barrett'] - St. Charles East (IL) - Iowa State <em>*first offer alert*</em><br>2027 DL [player_tooltip player_id='801717' first='Markius' last='Woods'] - Lawrenceville (IL) - Missouri, Miami (FL)<br>2027 LB [player_tooltip player_id='409208' first='Sean' last='Rice'] - St. Laurence (IL) - New Mexico<br>2027 QB [player_tooltip player_id='1940899' first='Ben' last='Peterson'] - Geneva (IL) - South Dakota<br>2027 LB [player_tooltip player_id='607399' first='Matthew' last='Brady'] - Bloomington Central Catholic (IL) - Army, Western Michigan<br>2027 TE [player_tooltip player_id='1866226' first='Owen' last='Matela'] - Lyons Township (IL) - New Mexico<br>2027 DL [player_tooltip player_id='2120971' first='Cornell' last='Bass'] - Lockport Township (IL) - Wisconsin-Whitewater<br>2027 DS [player_tooltip player_id='1335208' first='Isaac' last='Saldana'] - Mt. Carmel (IL) - Memphis</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Liam_barrett78/status/2037326970363449832 </div></figure>   <p></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Trust Yourself</h2>   <p>Illinois State WR graduate transfer Eddie Kasper is on his way to play for the Fighting Illini of Illinois. Kasper, once an aspiring downhill skier, only had one good year of production at the high school level for Wheaton Academy. He moved around, he was home schooled, he bounced between Wisconsin and Illinois. He trained with his uncle in Arizona who was a standout at Iowa and spent time in The League. He earned the interest of Illinois State.</p>   <p>During the offseason five years ago, Kasper showed up to a local combine in the Greater Chicagoland Area and displayed the type of quickness and hands that Division I programs look for. On the hoof, he was a different player, his effort and work ethic stood out, but no one knew who he was. He was a top performer. I gave him a Division I grade. </p>   <p>His senior year resulted in over 800 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns. He walked on at Illinois State and became a three-year starter for the team that blessed Redbird Nation and football fans alike with that postseason run in 2025. It was important to him to earn a degree.</p>   <p>He did. Now he's on his way to test his ability at the power conference level. He appeared to have that type of potential as the sun set in the west Chicago suburbs that one night in May 2021.</p>   <p>Godspeed.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/eddiekasper13/status/2034746224994119770 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/eddiekasper13/status/2035091859718946998 </div></figure>   <p></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Post of the Week</h2>   <p>Presenting "Things We Love" via Carmel Catholic (IL) WR [player_tooltip player_id='974884' first='Gregory' last='Bess-Henning II']...</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/GBessHenningII/status/2036550217135182330?s=20 </div></figure>   <p>That is what it's all about.</p>   <p></p>   <p><em>Onward to the weekend. Use code <strong>StopPRZ30</strong> for 30% off your subscription to the best high school scouting analysis and superlatives that exists on the planet!</em></p>

Come for the offers, stay for Eddie Kasper, enjoy the post of the week. Spring practices, junior days, personalized unofficial visits, all of those things are taking place as April approaches. Top prospects are out and about, and top programs are showing the love. Business continues to pick up, and recruiting stays hot as Spring Evaluation Period approaches fast and furiously.