As we approach the halfway point of the IHSA football regular season this weekend, several underclassmen names are starting to emerge and separate themselves both on video as well as in live game action this fall.
Here are five juniors within the Daily Herald coverage area to watch the remainder of the regular season. Each is rising up college coaches’ recruiting boards.
Palatine OL Tony Balanganayi (6-foot-4, 260 pounds): Balanganayi has seen his list of scholarship offers rise this fall. Look for his overall stock to continue to climb. On video this season, Balanganayi has shown his impressive combination of size, strength and power along with his much improved hand usage. One of Balanganayi’s biggest strengths might be his overall bend, flexibility, quick feet and explosiveness. You will seldom see a junior in high school with his size move as fluidly and have as much pure speed on the offensive line. He currently holds 10 scholarship offers from schools such as Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Miami, Nebraska, Purdue and West Virginia. I fully expect several more offers to roll in later this fall.
Kaneland OL/DL Jake Buckley (6-foot-4, 255 pounds): Buckley has been on my radar since taking part in my Winter Showcase event. Buckley is again starting on both sides of the football for the Knights, making an impact at defensive tackle and offensive guard. Buckley has good size and improved strength. He plays with a high motor at all times and his overall speed and quickness, along with his ability to just play very fast and very physical while causing havoc on the defensive line, stands out. Positionally I see Buckley as a bit of a tweener. But the more I see, the more I feel his future is on the defensive line. Buckley made a recent game day visit to Northern Illinois and I expect more MAC/FBS level programs to get involved.
Libertyville WR Blaise LaVista (6-foot-2, 190 pounds): Impressive kid in the off-season and on his early season video for the undefeated Wildcats (4-0). LaVista has impressive size and strength, good length and runs well. He also runs impressive routes while having the ability to run over or run past opposing defenders. LaVista has drawn early scholarship offers from Toledo and Akron and made a recent game day visit to Minnesota. LaVista is also planning to make game day visits to Wisconsin, Illinois, Northwestern and Ole Miss.
Barrington OL Owen Fors (6-foot-4, 290 pounds): Fors is playing tackle this season but has the ideal size, athletic ability and physical tools to play pretty much anywhere on the offensive line at a high college level. Fors has been dominant at times and his ability to get to the second and third level of blocks has become pretty commonplace. Fors has excellent overall hand usage and also a great punch while also possessing good speed and quickness. He has a good and quick first step and is always on the attack. He’s easily one of the best finishers I’ve watched this season. Fors, who added his latest offer from Kansas and also made a recent game day visit to Illinois, is drawing recruiting attention from Notre Dame and multiple Big Ten schools.
Batavia OL Ryan Myers (6-foot-5, 275 pounds): Myers, who holds offers from Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan, has continued to improve his overall game this season and it shows on video. Myers, who plays offensive tackle for the Bulldogs, added good weight and strength this summer. He improved his overall pass pro technique and fundamentals. Myers is also a much more aggressive player down in and down out. Look for Myers to make several upcoming college game day visits.