Marist LB Meehan drawing more interest
The start of the season brings the rise of seniors who were on the cusp of the recruiting process as juniors. One such player is Marist linebacker Danny Meehan.
In Week 1, Meehan was all over the field in a win over rival Brother Rice, making a number of big plays in the backfield. It was a special game for a senior whose class had not beaten Brother Rice.
“It was awesome,” Meehan said. “The intensity in school all day was super high and coming out, it’s our rivals, we haven’t beaten them before, so we just got the win,” Meehan said.
Schools are starting to take notice of Meehan, an all- around athlete measuring in at 6- 2, 215- pounds.
“I have been talking to Dayton, Drake and Holy Cross,” Meehan said. “Obviously the goal is to go as high as I can, but whatever school is going to give me the chance to play, I’ll be happy.”
Marist’s defense is loaded with talent, including Elijah Teague ( committed to Minnesota) and Gavin McCabe ( Indiana), along with several young prospects.
“Our ceiling is super high, we have a lot of young guys out here and our seniors can even get better,” Meehan said. “We can only go up from here. I’m really excited about where we are at.”
Sophomore emerging
Speedy Lincoln- Way East sophomore AJ Henning put on a show against defending Class 8A champions Maine South on Friday. And as talented as he is, the nerves got to him— just a little— before kickoff.
“There were definitely a lot of people here, the nerves were going at first but when I got in the game, I was ready to go,” Henning said.
Henning, who has one offer so far, is starting to pick up steam on the recruiting trail.
“I’ve had a lot of follows on Twitter, I actually received my first offer from the University of Illinois this past summer so hopefully more to come,” Henning said.
As for the Illini, Henning likes what he has seen.
“I like the coaching staff, they are very family- oriented and they have a nice facility and a nice team and I love watching them,” Henning said.
Henning ran 10.67 seconds in the 100 meters and that track speed is helping to set him apart on the recruiting trail.
“My track background helps me with breakaway speed, getting away from defenders, running into my routes, running out of the backfield, overall it helps a lot,” Henning said.
He showed that off Friday, most notably on a 92- yard reception where he beat nearly all 11 defensive players on the field.
“When the ball got in the air I knew it was gone,” Henning said. “The line blocked well and it was a great ball that I just went under and caught it and showed that speed.”