McGuire tops strong crop of O-linemen
Two Big Ten recruits and five players from the Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic superconference highlight the list of the top offensive linemen in the area.
1. Deuce McGuire, Marist. The 6-5, 270-pounder teamed with current Notre Dame freshman Pat Coogan last spring to form the premier offensive-line tandem in the state. McGuire, a three-star prospect, is the consensus No. 7 player in the Class of 2022 in Illinois and is No. 53 nationally among senior offensive tackles. He’s committed to Northwestern.
2. Valen Erickson, St. Rita. A relative latecomer to football, Erickson originally figured his future was in basketball and didn’t hit the gridiron till seventh grade. This will be only his second full season with the Mustangs, whom he joined after moving from Ocala, Florida, before his sophomore year. He’s a top-20 player in the senior class in Illinois and is committed to Nebraska.
3. Luke Dalton, Marian Central. The 6-5, 300-pounder is rated 20th among Illinois seniors in 247Sports. com’s composite rankings. He’s one of the most recent prospects to come off the recruiting board, committing to Cincinnati last week.
4. Yaser Al-Awadi, Maine East. Few prospects have come as far as fast as the 6-8, 300-pound senior, who didn’t start playing football till late in his freshman year. But now he’s on everyone’s radar, and Michigan State, Purdue, West Virginia and Kansas are among his nine scholarship offers.
5. Jimmy Liston, Fenwick: The Friars have three offensive skill players already committed to Division I schools, and Liston will be joining that list at some point. Ranked 27th among Illinois seniors, the 6-4, 310-pounder has nine scholarship offers, including from schools such as Arizona State, Mississippi, Penn State and Texas Tech.
6. Mack Indestad, Lemont. The 6-7, 265-pounder is back to open more running lanes for senior Albert Kunickis and the Indians’ runfocused attack. Indestad is ranked 32nd among seniors in Illinois and is committed to Eastern Michigan.
7. Austin Barrett, St. Charles East. The 6-6, 275-pounder is among the top offensive tackles in the country in the Class of 2023. He has scholarship offers from Illinois, Iowa State and Syracuse and can expect that list to grow as college coaches see more of his junior film.
8. Paolo Gennarelli, St. Charles North. An exceptional athlete, Gennarelli also was a state-qualifying shot-putter this spring. The 6-3, 275-pounder is committed to Army.
9. Gabe Rosen, Evanston. A 6-7, 340-pounder with a 6-11 wingspan, Rosen was an anchor of the Wildkits’ offensive line as a sophomore last spring. Expect him to be the next hot prospect for a program that is sending linebacker Sebastian Cheeks to North Carolina next season.
10. Carter McAlilly, Brother Rice. Not many sophomores start for the Crusaders, especially on the offensive line. McAlilly is part of that select group, and the 6-1, 290-pounder is back for a third season to protect quarterback Jack Lausch and open holes for speedy Aaron Vaughn.