Spearman plans summer tour

Chicago (Ill.) Simeon linebacker Reggie Spearman has already shown his love for competition, hitting every spring camp and combine he can find. That approach will continue this summer with an ambitious camp schedule.

The 6-foot-2, 219-pound Spearman is scheduled to leave for Texas to play with Team USA on June 22. Before that, however, he expects to camp with Northwestern, Purdue, Michigan State, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky and Minnesota. A majority of those camps will be ticked off on a bus tour with other area athletes.

"We're doing a bus tour and he said we are leaving June 9," Spearman said. "We're going to do it all in four or five days."

Spearman's approach to these camps is both to show college coaches what he can do in hopes of adding to his offer list, while also getting a feel for what each school offers.

"I'm definitely looking at what defense they run, what type of coaches they have," Spearman said. "I want to get a good feel for the linebackers coach and how everything goes with position drills.

"I definitely want to show them my coverage. Coaches see I can pass rush and can get to the ball on film, but my film lacks coverage. So, I'm definitely going to be showing them I can do it."

Spearman is up to six scholarship offers, but has a number of schools showing strong interest that could be on the verge of an offer.

"I definitely think Iowa State is going to offer me next," Spearman said. "It is between Iowa State and Purdue."

The most recent offers for Spearman came in from Western Kentucky and Northern Illinois. He was on Northern Illinois' campus Memorial Day.

"I talked to the head coach and he offered me," Spearman said. "I think the campus is great and it's really close to my house. It was just a big visit going down, talking to the coaches and a few players and really being around a hometown school."

Other schools that have offered include Indiana, Ball State, Toledo and Western Michigan. He has no set timetable for a decision, but would make it before his senior season if the situation is right.

"Pretty much after the camp season I'll see what happens and take it from there," Spearman said.