Thurmans star is rising

Hillside (Ill.) Proviso West safety Jameer Thurman is starting to emerge from sleeper status after a series of impressive camp showings, and now the 6-foot-1, 190-pound prospect is on the verge of several scholarship offers.

Two weekends ago Thurman attended back-to-back camps at Michigan State and Indiana. His first stop was East Lansing, where he caught the eye of the Spartans' coaching staff.

"I got some real good feedback there," Thurman said. "I called the coach last week and they said they didn't know if this recruit committed as a corner or a safety, so they still want me to stay in contact and they are going to let me know in a couple weeks.

"After Michigan State I went to Indiana on that Sunday. The coaches said I impressed them a lot and I moved to the top of their board, but they still want to see me early in the season before they offer."

Thurman is still considering attending a camp at Cincinnati on July 20. He has already been to camps at Illinois, Northwestern and Northern Illinois in the month of June.

"Northwestern I think they might be really close to offering," Thurman said. "They've seen me twice because I went to a camp earlier and I just went to their showcase and did better than I did earlier in the month. They said to keep in contact and I should be hearing from them this week to see what is going happen."

Thurman has opened up more opportunities for himself by taking care of his business in the classroom as well. He currently carries a 3.9 GPA and has already notched a 23 on the ACT.

Central Michigan and Western Illinois have already come through with offers for Thurman. If the right offer comes along in the near term, though, Thurman is not opposed to making a summer commitment.

"For Northwestern and Michigan State I think I would [take it] because I have visited those places three or four times already and know more about them," Thurman said. "For the other schools I'm not sure yet. I'm hoping another offer comes before July, and if not I might have to take Central Michigan. But I'm still weighing my options and might want to go into the season uncommitted and go from there."

Thurman finished his junior season with 60 tackles and two interceptions despite being limited in several games due to injury.