Loyola’s Robinson a versatile star
Donovan Robinson has come a long way from the days when his dad would zip passes to him in the backyard.
Now he’s a junior at Loyola and one of the more intriguing prospects in the class of 2025.
A two-sport standout who also plays basketball for the Ramblers, Robinson is a 6-3, 210-pounder classified as an athlete by the major recruiting services. He showed off his playmaking abilities as a starting safety and kick returner last fall for the unbeaten Class 8A champs.
Now he has more than a dozen Division I offers, including Power Five schools Virginia, Arizona and Iowa State. National recruiting analyst Clint Cosgrove expects that number to rise soon.
“Spring evaluation period starts April 15,” Cosgrove said. “That’s likely when he blows up.
“He can do so many different things . . . . A big-time upside player.”
Robinson played all over the field growing up: wide receiver, running back, defense.
Now, he says “some coaches see me as a linebacker, some as a safety. I really don’t care where I play.”
Robinson had two long punt returns, including a 45-yarder, to help set the tone in Loyola’s 41-24 victory against Brother Rice last fall.
His other sport complements his work on the gridiron, Robinson said.
“I just think basketball helps football with the footwork,” he said.
Robinson is a three-star prospect and the state’s No. 23 junior, according to 247Sports.com. He’s targeting late summer as a time to finalize his college decision, just before the Ramblers begin their quest for a third consecutive Class 8A state title.
For now, he’s in prep mode: running, lifting weights and something less tangible but equally important.
“I’m a captain,” he said. “I want to be more of a vocal leader.”
Offers pouring in for Williams
Just months removed from the end of his sophomore season, Lincoln-Way East quarterback Jonas Williams already has more than three dozen offers. Ten of them are from the Big Ten, including Illinois, Northwestern, defending national champ Michigan and Ohio State. Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee have offered from the SEC.
None of this surprises Cosgrove, who was on hand when he debuted as a freshman starting on the varsity for Bolingbrook. Williams, who transferred to the returning 8A runner-up Griffins this offseason, threw a 52-yard strike to Wisconsin recruit Kyan Berry Johnson on the first pass of his prep career.
“I put four stars on him the first time I saw him,” Cosgrove said.
Williams has been putting up video-game numbers ever since. The 6-3, 205-pounder accounted for 2,950 total yards and 31 touchdowns in nine games last season. He’s ranked 245th nationally in the Rivals 250 for the class of 2026.
“He’s a phenomenal player,” Cosgrove said. “He has all the intangibles. He is surgical. He sees the field, knows where to go with the ball and take calculated chances.
“He can put touch on it; he can put it in tight windows.”
All the interest in a player with two years of high school remaining is no surprise.
“With quarterback recruiting, the timeline starts early,” Cosgrove said.