Keegan has pick of powerhouses
Crystal Lake South coach Rob Fontana met with coaches from 110 colleges in the five months after last season ended. Offensive lineman Trevor Keegan was the topic of conversation.
Keegan stands 6-6 and weighs 300 pounds. He’s tremendously strong and agile for his size, which is why he’s the top prospect in the state and has received scholarship offers from nearly every major-college football program.
‘‘I never thought I’d play Division I football,’’ Keegan said. ‘‘Once I got my offer from Alabama, that’s when it hit me.’’
Keegan received his offer from Alabama in March. Everyone knew about it except for him. Crimson Tide offensive line coach Brent Key called Fontana on March 13 and delivered the news.
It was the middle of a school day, and Fontana didn’t want to distract Keegan. So he told only Keegan’s mother.
During seventh period, Keegan received a text from Key that said, ‘‘Call me.’’
‘‘I called him, and he said, ‘We want you to play for us,’ ’’ Keegan said. “I just thought, ‘Wow, this is the real deal.’ As soon as we hung up, I texted my mom and asked her if she heard what happened. She said, ‘I knew the whole time.’ ’’
It’s hard to believe it took Keegan until the end of his junior year to believe he was capable of playing major-college football, but that humble approach is what his coaches say has made him a success.
‘‘He’s never satisfied,’’ Fontana said. ‘‘After he received his first offer from Northwestern as a freshman, he could have thought he didn’t need to work anymore. He kept working and became the No. 1 recruit in the state.’’
The Fox Valley area has been a hotbed for offensive linemen in the last several years, producing Bryan Bulaga (Iowa), Jake Bernstein (Vanderbilt) and Fahn Cooper (Ole Miss) among others.
‘‘If I knew what it was, I’d put it in everyone’s water,’’ Fontana said. ‘‘We need more kids like this.’’
Keegan has modeled himself after players such as Bulaga, Bernstein and Cooper. Bernstein has become a coach, mentor and guide in this last year of Keegan’s recruiting process.
The relationship began in 2017, when Bernstein moved back to the area after a short stint in the NFL. He started helping out the Crystal Lake South football program and became a sounding board for Keegan.
‘‘I saw a lot of myself in him,’’ Bernstein said. ‘‘The things that I didn’t do well, I wanted to let him know about and tell him there’s a better way to do it.’’
Keegan recently narrowed his list of schools to six: Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. He plans to announce his commitment during the early signing period after the season.
‘‘I was the most comfortable [with those schools],’’ Keegan said. ‘‘It really felt like they could make me into the football player I’ve always wanted to be.’’
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