The recruiting action in the Midwest is starting to pick up now that spring has arrived, evidenced by the biggest commitments in the region since National Signing Day occurring just within the last week. Here are the five biggest commitments out of the region since the first Wednesday in February.
Initially it appeared the hiring of Trinity Catholic head coach Cory Patterson as Illinois’ tight ends coach would not have the recruiting impact expected after Rivals250 wide receiver Marcus Washington did not include his former head coach’s new school in a top 10 released earlier this month.
That narrative proved to be premature because the Illini ended up getting the biggest name on the board out of Trinity Catholic in Williams, the No. 37 ranked player in the 2019 class, when he announced a decision on March 23. A high school quarterback who looks best suited for the slot receiver position and return game in college, Williams’ commitment not only brings an explosive playmaker to Champaign, but gives them recruiting momentum in the extremely important St. Louis area heading into the spring evaluation period.
We had to wait 40 days to get our first post-Signing Day four-star commitment, and it came when James announced his pledge to Ohio State during an unofficial visit to Columbus. The running back position is deep across the country in 2019 and the top teams are currently angling to make sure they get one of their top choices.
James is the highest-ranked running back in the Midwest and has the style that fits ideally in the Buckeyes' offense. They beat out 16 other schools for this pledge, but it was evident early on that Ohio State was going to be the team to beat here and James allows other schools to spend their efforts elsewhere by making this pledge early.
It is a weak year at quarterback nationally, which makes it important for schools to lock one up early. This is actually the second quarterback commitment Iowa State has landed in this class, although an early pledge from four-star Dwan Mathis was rescinded and he has since committed to Michigan State. Dean was one of only five other quarterbacks Matt Campbell’s staff offered in this class, and they were the first school to extend the Kansas native an offer back in December. Other schools followed suit, but Dean pledged to the Cyclones the weekend after National Signing Day. Although raw, Dean has plenty of tools that cannot be taught, including a 6-foot-7 frame that provides plenty of arm strength.
Jacoby came on toward the end of his junior year, with a particularly dominant performance in the state title game last December. That effort impressed the home-state Buckeyes, which offered the Cleveland-area prospect shortly after the New Year. Eight offers followed in the subsequent seven weeks, but Jacoby ended his recruitment early with a commitment to Ohio State on the first day of March.
Ohio State’s offensive tackle recruiting has seen some hits and misses over the last few classes, but the Buckeyes certainly crave depth at the position. Jacoby not only provides that, but he also has the long, lean and athletic frame capable of manning the all-important left tackle position.
A mid-three-star whose only other offers were from Mid-American schools, Mitchell was still a big commitment for Northwestern because it was obvious he was a top target at defensive back for the Wildcats very early in this class. The Wildcats offered Mitchell at the end of his sophomore year and pursued him heavily until his March 13 commitment.
Ironically, another three-star defensive back in Farmington Hills (Mich.) Harrison’s Roderick Heard committed to Northwestern two days earlier, and the pair should make head coach Pat Fitzgerald very comfortable with the future of that position.
