One of the top defenders in the Midwest is Joliet (Ill.) Catholic Academy linebacker Chris Jeske (6-1, 230).
The anchor of the Hilltoppers defense, Jeske has gotten them off to a 3-0 start.
“We’re doing well out of the gate. We’ve got a lot of talent on this team,” said Jeske, who was the top defender a year ago on the State Champions for 5A.
While Jeske is putting in the effort on the field, he is fielding several calls from schools, and has 8 offers to date.
“I’ve got offers from Northern Illinois, Wisconsin, Wyoming, UCLA, Northwestern, Indiana, Kansas and Arizona. I’m pretty wide open right now, I don’t really have a top five,” said Jeske. “I’ve also heard from Louisville, but they haven’t offered me yet.”
Jeske is being recruited to UCLA by linebacker coach Brian Schneider.
So with a strong pull from the Midwest, would Jeske seriously consider coming out West to play college ball? “I’m serious about the schools that have offered me. If I went out to Arizona or UCLA and really liked it out there, I could go there. But I’m really in no hurry to make a decision,” said Jeske.
Heading into his senior year, Jeske had nearly 300 tackles from his linebacker position. This year he has around 35 tackles for Joliet.
Jeske has a 4.2 GPA and achieved a 24 on his ACT, easily qualifying him for college.