Just a quick overview and breakdown of several top uncommitted Class of 2026 Wide Receivers in the State of Illinois. Again this evaluation is always ongoing and if you feel I'm missing someone make sure to email me edgytim@edgytim.com with any questions/corrections to spellings etc.

Top 5 Uncommitted Class of 2026 Wide Receivers


1. WR Nasir Rankin Chicago Morgan Park 6-foot-1, 170 pounds 2026- Major Power 4 name in high demand. Possesses outstanding speed twitch and ball skills. Multi-sport athlete with incredible upside.

2. WR Zachary Washington St Francis 6-foot-2, 180 pounds 2026 An impressive collection of speed, hands and ball skill,s plus very good field vision. Several Power 4 offers already and more could follow.

3. WR Kortez Rupert East St. Louis 6-foot-2, 170 pounds 2026- Yet another top level Flyers athlete who has excellent speed and burst and impressive length. Has room to add more weight and strength at the high college level.

4. WR Blaise LaVista LW East 6-foot-3, 185 pounds 2026- Big, strong and athletic receiver who can and will outrun or outmuscle opposing defenders. Has sneaky deep speed.

5. WR Trenton Walker Nazareth Academy 6-foot-3, 185 pounds 2026 Great size length and reach along with more room to grow and improve. Made several big time catches for the Road Runners over the past few seasons.

The Next 5 Top Uncommitted Wide Receivers

WR Keaton Reinke St Charles North 6-foot-3, 190 pounds 2026 - Has multiple Big 10 offers. Great combination of sixe, strength and athletic abilities here.

WR Kai Owens Carmel 6-foot-2, 160 pounds 2026 - Highly productive receiver who is also still a work in progress physically, Has big time physical upside in my opinion.

WR Deyvon Hill Lomax Edwardsville 6-foot-4, 180 pounds 2026 Fluid route runner and another downstate player with impressive hands and ball skills.

WR Jamari Brown Mount Carmel 5-foot-11, 165 pounds 2026 - Speedy, high level athlete with sprinters speed and impressive ball skills and instincts. Started his high school career in Southern Indiana and is in line for a big 2025 season for the Caravan.

WR Walter Jones St Rita 5-foot-9, 160 pounds 2026 Multi year starter and impact receiver for the Mustangs. Jones is dangerous in the slot, is also a fearless route runner with speed and wiggle.


Top Uncommitted Wide Receiver Names to Watch


WR/ATH Xavier Coleman Providence Catholic 6-foot-1, 185 pounds 2026
WR Adrian Jones Washington 6-foot-1, 180 pounds 2026
WR Liam Martin Bradley 6-foot-3, 190 pounds 2026
WR Jovan Green Jr. Brother Rice 6-foot-1, 195 pounds 2026
WR Jack Lesniewicz Hinsdale Central 6-foot-1, 170 pounds 2026
WR Jalen Carter Aurora Christian 6-foot-1, 165 pounds 2026
WR/DB Tanner Glock St. Francis 6-foot-0, 180 pounds 2026
WR Camren Reed Mascoutah 6-foot-2, 170 pounds 2026
WR/DB Edward McClain Nazareth Academy 5-foot-6, 170 pounds 2026
WR/S Hunter Niklos Yorkville 6-foot-1, 170 pounds 2026
WR Oliver Thulin Downers Grove North 5-foot-10, 155 pounds 2026
WR Damareon Cawthon Carbondale 6-foot-0, 160 pounds 2026
WR Liam Martin Bradley 6-foot-4, 200 pounds 2026
WR Chase Markowicz Lincoln Way West 6-foot-2, 160 pounds 2026
WR/S Johnny Nelson OPRF 6-foot-1, 175 pounds 2026
WR Nathan Cichy Prospect 6-foot-1, 185 pounds 2026 (Harvard)
WR Jordan Bostick Palatine 5-foot-10, 170 pounds 2026
WR/TE Jack Webb Mount Carmel 6-foot-4, 225 pounds 2026
WR Matthew Osterman DePaul Prep 6-foot-0, 175 pounds 2026
WR Raymond Liggins III Simeon 5-foot-10, 165 pounds 2026
WR Marquan Brewster Fremd 6-foot-1, 170 pounds 2-026
WR Dario Milivojevic St Francis 5-foot-11, 170 pounds 2026
WR Lincoln Ijams Oswego East 6-foot-1, 180 pounds 2026
WR Blake Lehnen Glenwood 5-foot-9, 165 pounds 2026
WR Myles Ellis Homewood Flossmoor 5-foot-8, 150 pounds 2026
WR Jake Cestone Nazareth Academy 6-foot-1, 185 pounds 2026
WR Dario Milivojevic St Francis 5-foot-11, 170 pounds 2026
WR Dorian Patterson Crete-Monee 6-foot-3, 185 pounds 2026
WR Stephen Brown Marist 6-foot-7, 175 pounds 2026
WR/DB Luke Doyle Benet Academy 5-foot-11, 170 pounds 2026
WR Jacob Harvey Mt. Zion 6-foot-2, 185 pounds 2026

Name: Daniel Howard

Position: DT/DE

High School: Chicago Lane Tech

Graduation Year: 2026

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 270 pounds

Recruiting Status: Committed to Iowa State. Howard was able to draw a considerable amount of recruiting offers and traffic from the likes of Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas State along with multiple MAC and FCS schools. Howard was a priority name for the Cyclones from very early on in the process. Howard wound up making multiple visit to Iowa State and in my eyes seemed like the leader for Howard then closed the deal on April 8th.

HUDL:

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My impressions of Daniel Howard:

I was able to see Daniel Howard in action last season in a 57-7 blowout loss to Morgan Park in the Chicago Public League Red conference action. Howard, who played both on the Lane Tech Champions offensive and defensive line last season was certainly an easy player to spot and watch, easily being one of the few Lane Tech players with college level size and potential despite playing in this blowout loss. Howard no question went hard on every play and never stopped grinding in this game, and his leadership abilities was on hand no question.

Evaluation of Daniel Howard:

As mentioned above the eyeball passing physical tools for Daniel Howard (listed at 6-foot-3, 270 pounds) was pretty evident and Howard also has a pretty high level of athletic skills and ability. Howard moves well for a bigger kid, has some quickness and a very good and consistent first few steps. Howard also showed to have good overall ahand usage, was able to beat double teams and was able to be a consistent source of pressure up front on the Lane Tech defensive line. Howard also is pretty college ready physically in my opinion....Howard has filled out his frame pretty well but I can see where he can still get to say 285-290 pounds for the high college level while still maintaining his overall quick feet and speed.

Room for improvement? Daniel Howard has the look and the tools to develop into a potential sleeper here for Iowa State and I get the attraction on several levels. Howard will have a chance to take several large steps forward in his development and Iowa State generally has a pretty solid track record of player development under head coach Matt Campbell. Yet my big concern here is that Howard is going to need to make a tremendous leap in competition level from playing in the Chicago Public League to the Big 12 conference. Howard will need to get stronger, quicker and greatly improve his overall fundamentals and technique on the Cyclones defensive line. Howard I feel will be a developmental guy who will need a few years of work and growth...but again the gamble here for Iowa State is no question worth it....especially if Howard can come into Iowa State ready to work and can shorten that developmental time frame.

Projected level: Rivals has ranked Daniel Howard as a low 3 star ranked player and the 19th best player in the State of Illinois Class of 2026.

EDGYTIM Recommended Initial Rankings: Daniel Howard is going to be a fun name to follow over the next few years at Iowa State, a program that has had some success recruiting the State of Illinois under Matt Campbell. Howard is a raw yet athletic big man who again has a ton of work ahead of him from a growth and development standpoint. Yet if things go well... Howard could also become a major sleeper for the Cyclones in the Class of 2026. I agree with Rivals ranking on Daniel Howard for now which has him ranked as a low to mid 3 star name and a Top 20 ranked player in the State of Illinois recruit rankings.

WOW!


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All.... Instead of putting general information on the old CS8 2024 thread I figured start a new one for those that follow CS8 football on this board. A couple on non con updates. Jacksonville will host Highland week 1 Friday 8-29. A nice pickup for the Crimsons.

Rochester will not be playing Cardinal Ritter again in their week two game. The Rockets have filled that date and will be on the road at Mt. Zion Friday September 5th. Rochester will play at home week 1 against Gibson Southern out of Indiana on Saturday August 30 at 2pm. Rockets will be 2-0 as they enter the following week into CS8 East play. Ratsy

Holding my breath on that one, I'm good with Fields but Jones from Bama would have been another bust like Trubisky.

I still don't like continuing to trade away draft picks.

I would have been most happy picking offensive linemen.with the first 4 picks.

Literally no idea who it will be stay tuned

Who on your favorite team do you wish had a 5th year of eligibility? Has to be the year after the player graduated, you can't put the 1993 QB on the 2008 team and it can only be one player, no taking the entire OL from 2004 and put them on the 2005 team.

Would that player have made the difference between where they ended up and a title? Would he have made the team the year after he graduated even more dominant? Would he have been a better fit on the team the year after he graduated?

Just a quick overview and breakdown of several top uncommitted Class of 2026 Tight Ends in the State of Illinois. Again this evaluation is always ongoing and if you feel I'm missing someone make sure to email me edgytim@edgytim.com with any questions/corrections to spellings etc.

Committed Class of 2026 Tight Ends

None- Look for a handful of the top tier nationally ranked tight ends here to make a decision over the next few months.

Top Uncommitted Class of 2026 Tight Ends


1. TE Mack Sutter Dunlap 6-foot-5, 220 pounds 2026- One of the top ranked tight end in the nation in the Class of 2026. Has offers from literally every Power 4 program in the nation. His athletic tools, skills and ability to play either as a West Coast or a more traditional hand on the ground tight end gives Sutter the slight advantage here in rankings.

2. TE JC Anderson Mt. Zion 6-foot-7, 240 pounds 2026- Talented all around multi sport athlete here who is also top ranked nationally. Anderson has more growth and development ahead of him at the college level in my opinion. Anderson has an incredible reach and length along with very good ball skills and hands. Anderson also is holding offers from nearly every Power 4 program in the nation.

3. TE Gavin Mueller South Elgin 6-foot-6. 240 pounds 2026- Mueller remains an impressive story having never played varsity football until last fall. Mueller is also a nationally sought after name who has all the physical skills and God given ability to develop into a top notch name at the Power 4 level. As mentioned Mueller still has a ways to go from an overall football experience standpoint and the more reps Mueller can get the better. Mueller is also nationally sought after and holds multiple offers from Power 4 schools.

4. TE/DE Will Vala Downers Grove South 6-foot-4, 220 pounds 2026- Vala is a talented and athletic two way player (TE/DE) who has also seen his recruiting stock rise considerably over the past nonth or so including adding a handful of recent offers from Illinois, Indiana and Purdue. Vala has the physical sixe and tools to play as more of a traditional tight end at the Power 4 level and his game is highly physical while possessing better overall speed and ball skills than you'd might expect here.

5. TE Hunter Stepanich York 6-foot-7, 230 pounds 2026 - Big, strong kid here and Stepanich is another multiple sport athlete who's on the hoof/eyeball passing size and frame is impressive. Stepanich, who could also draw recruiting looks and interest as say an OT at the higher level is a ready made traditional tight end who is an effective blocker while also possessing solid overall hands and speed. I feel Stepanich has the frame and length to add much more size and strength down the line and he is already holding multiple offers from high level academic schools this spring.


Others To Watch (in no order)


TE Zach Becker Stevenson 6-foot-4, 205 pounds 2026- Another name on the rise in recruiting circles. Nice mix of sixe, strength and ball skills.

TE Brady Hasquin Edwardsville 6-foot-7, 230 pounds 2026- Another big kid physically with length and ball skills who is another eyeball passing name to watch.

TE Jackson Miranda Minooka 6-foot-4, 235 pounds 2026 More of a traditional tight end type whos a plus blocker as well as a solid receiver.

TE Finn Bretag Naperville North 6-foot-3, 220 pounds 2026 Bretag continues to draw more looks and attention this spring. Look for college coaches to look at Finn in one day camps and showcase events this spring and early summer.

TE/WR Richie Darr Bishop McNamara 6-foot-5, 180 pounds 2026- Taller lanky kid who has very good receiver skills and hands and physically looks to be a bit of a tweener positionally between tight end and receiver.

TE Kirby Christensen Wheaton South 6-foot-2, 215 pounds 2026- Another very solid player here who also has the overall physical tools and ability to play on Saturday's down the line.

Up Next: 2026 Top Uncommitted Wide Receivers

Mine is called Shoresy on Hulu. It’s been out for a few years and I highly recommend it. Absolutely hilarious!! It’s a hockey show that is absolutely ridiculous! Give it a try but I would suggest not watching it with the Mrs. Not their kind of humor!

Anyone else got a good sports show to watch?

I've had the pleasure of seeing watching Carmelow a few times in person at various camps and showcase events so thought I'd share a bit. Reed is raw as heck, still has a lot of work to do just on his overall technique and fundamentals and he's been operating for the most part on his pure instincts and God given physical tools up until now to be honest. Reed however physically has so much upside and potential over the next handful of years...he's a legit 6-foot-7, 250 pounds and has the frame and length to add more strength and power over the next year or two. Reed has very good speed and quickness and he's also a converted basketball kid who's Hoops tools and skills/instincts have followed him over to football.

Several college coaches talked to me about how Reed just wowed them on the all important eyeball test seeing him in person and multiple schools offered him despite being so raw on film. Reed in my eyes had low to mid 4 star athletic physical tools, speed and strength along with that untapped potential. Yes....he has a lot of work to do and also needs to shore up his game on several levels.....however.....Reed has the look and frame to play someday on Sundays. Sure...that's one hell of a reach I admit on my part but you seldom see kids like Carmelow Reed at the high school level with already so much God given tools and potential. Just off his sheer physical tools and look alone....Reed has a chance to develop into a truly special player if obviously several things go right for him down the line.

Need a comp? Reed in physically and on the hoof reminds me of former Morgan Park Michigan State and NFL DE Demetrius Cooper coming out of high school....

My Ranking on Carmelow Reed? Start him as a low to mid 4 star with a serious chance of raising that ranking this fall.

Interesting - I think he is he first to be early enrollee from Althoff. Word at the bar, is that young Mr. Hill will be learning to play DB. They like his speed, hops, size and ball skills for their prototype Dback.

Alright football board is going to be slow. Official start of IHSA season begins tomorrow. What's everyone's thoughts on the year? Teams you want to highlight?

From what I've read in off-season, teams that look to be loaded again in no particular order:

Mt. Carmel
Provi
Edwardsville
Rice
Naz
JCA

Interested in McHenry, Huntley. Fox Valley in general could be strong this year.

LWE has the Bauer train going this year, they could be better. Minooka has studs. LWW with Essenburg and other D1 arms will probably be good. Lockport looked young last year and could be very tough.

Love baseball season!

@pjjp @rocketnation @USD24 @crusader_of_90 @playboymixx @Kevin JCHS 81 @SiuCubFan8

Random question from my son, who is looking to do a photography project.

I figured if anyone knew it would be this group. Do any Chicago area schools have bleachers/outdoor stadiums which are covered or partially covered?

Thanks,

Massey has JCA as 6 point favorites.

The NFHS has a Rule Book and a Case Book, together they explain all the rules.

As it pertains to a False Start, below are the relevant rules and case book plays. Note: "A" or "K" is always offense, and "B" or "R" is always defense in the NFHS books.

Rule 7.1.7
After the ball is ready for play and before the snap begins, no false start shall be made by any A player. It is a false start if:
a. A shift or feigned charge simulates action at the snap.
b. Any act is clearly intended to cause B to encroach.
c. Any A player on his line between the snapper and the player on the end of his line, after having placed a hand(s) on or near the ground, moves his hand(s) or makes any quick movement.

Case Book 7.1.7 Situation B
On fourth and four from A's 35-yard line, K comes to the line in a scrimmage formation. After calling a few signals, A1 says "shift." All 11 players then make a movement. Some players move to a new position for a scrimmage-kick formation, while four interior linemen remain in place and move from a hands-on-thighs position to an upright position and finally to a three-point stance. RULING: This could be ruled a false start if the covering official(s) determine that it was designed to cause B to encroach. In judging the offensive team's intent, the game officials should consider whether players move to a new position, the speed and abruptness of movement, down and distance and if any player pretends to have the ball or otherwise simulate action at the snap with the start of a play.


My OPINION: To me this is quite simple. All these plays that cause so much conflict are clearly intended to cause the defense to encroach. Per the Rule, they should be called a false start. Not that difficult to enforce.

I've always struggled to understand why IHSA steps in and provides interpretation on something that doesn't need interpretation. All they've done is cause confusion and conflict.

IHSA puts the burden on the defense to not be fooled by this clear intent by the offense, which by rule should be illegal. This could so easily be put to bed if we just called it per the rule.

Thoughts?

Feels like a fun offseason topic. I have two favorites.

Larry Fitzgerald had more tackles than dropped passes in his career.

Ty Cobb would need to be resurrected and go 0 for 2,530 in order for his career batting average to drop below .300.

All.... This is interesting. Belleville Althoff showing a decent enrollment jump. 332.00 with the 1.65 Catholic Tax (M) the Crusaders come in at 547.80. It is very early to determine many schools class especially those on the bubble. What one sees at the beginning of the year when all schools are eligible for the postseason changes dramatically as schools are eliminated. Usually by week 8 or 9 a better picture is available.

It appears Althoff will be one of those bubble schools in between classes. For 2024 the largest class 3A qualifying team had an enrollment of 542.50 and the smallest in class 4A was 553.00. Note though this was with the two year enrollment average. So when the 256 qualifiers are announced at the end of the season there could be many surprises. Stay tuned.... Ratsy

Episode 5: Boring Conference Game
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Episode 4: Airplane Game
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Episode 3: Hitting Drills
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Episode 2.
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Episode 1.
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All.... Just popped up. Ratsy