Palatine's Williams turning heads of college coaches
Palatine's Jaylen Williams has made the jump like he is on light speed.
Williams, who is a 6-foot-6 sophomore defensive end from Palatine, went from never playing football before his freshman year to five D-1 offers just six games in his first year as a varsity athlete.
That jump has not caught Palatine Coach Corey Olsen by surprise.
"He is a big, athletic kid," Olsen said. "And he is still learning about football. He is a hard worker. He is a big, long raw athlete and he has great quickness."
Williams picked up his first power five offer before he had played one down of varsity high school football. Minnesota offered Williams right after the Lindenwood Camp back in early June.
Since that time, Central Michigan, Kent State and Missouri have offered Williams, who also picked up an offer from Iowa last Saturday. Williams did take a visit to Illinois in mid-September and Notre Dame has also inquired about him according to Olsen.
"The phone is starting to ring a lot," Olsen said. "I think he is power five player. He has elite speed, and he can do things that many others can't. They are all projecting on what he can become."
Tim O'Halloran, who operates the top high school football website "Edgy Tim," said Williams came to his showcase last winter and immediately drew a lot of attention.
"He was phenomenal," O'Halloran said. "Physically, he looked like a college player. He was raw fundamentally at the time, but physically he was off the charts. I have watched his tape this year and he has made progress on his technique. He will be one of he top kids in the Midwest and in the nation for his graduation class."
Hersey's Farrell also drawing interest:
Logan Farrell is another area sophomore that the D-1 schools are taking an interest in.
Farrell, who is 6-3 and 240 pounds, plays tight end for Hersey and has taken advantage of the Huskies' wide open offensive scheme. Farrell has 20 catches for 214 yards and five touchdowns for the 6-0 Huskies. He is also a fierce edge blocker.
"His strengths are his ball skills," Hersey coach Tom Nelson said. "He has strong hands and a large catch radius. Is a very quarterback-friendly target. He moves incredibly well for 240 pounds and has great athletic qualities."
Farrell does not have an official offer yet. But Illinois, Kansas State, Iowa, Purdue, Minnesota and many MAC schools have shown interest.
"I feel he is a true Y Tight End which is hard to find at our level someone of that size with great athletic qualities and ball skills," Nelson said. "Usually, you may have a physical kid who is great in the run game but not a great athlete on the perimeter. Or you get an athlete that has great ball skills and you end up making him a wide receiver because he lacks the physicality or size in the run game.
"I am not sure if he has any official offers but that will change soon enough."
Chicago Bears honor Vierniesel, Osei:
The Chicago Bears recently honored Prospect quarterback Brad Vierniesel and Elk Grove head coach Miles Osei as their High School Player and Coach of the week.
Vierniesel was selected after his week 4 performance when he led the Knights to a stunning 42-41 victory of Maine South. In that game, Vierniesel threw for 441 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for the winning two-point conversion with 44.5 seconds left.
Osei was selected after Elk Grove beat Buffalo Grove 28-14 in Week 5. The win enabled the Grenadiers to go 5-0 for the first time since 2002 and made them playoff-eligible for the first time since 2013.
Vierniesel earned a $500 donation from the Bears to the youth football program of his choice. His team also received a team dinner sponsored by Buffalo Wild Wings. Osei was given a $2,000 donation from the Bears to the Elk Grove football program.
Both will be honored in a ceremony on the field at a Bears game later this season.