Geneva football coach Rob Wicinski jokingly wondered whether some of his players would make better basketball recruits.
Six-foot-3 senior quarterback Daniel Santacaterina, who orally committed to Northern Illinois, remains the Vikings’ lone Division I football commit.
Six-2 senior receiver Pace Temple, 6-6 senior receiver Michael Landi and 6-6 junior offensive lineman Loudon Vollbrecht are all receiving attention from college football coaches.
Last season, all four also were on Geneva’s first regional championship basketball team since 1986.
Temple has offers from Wyoming and North Dakota, while Vollbrecht has an offer from Illinois. Landi is a potential Ivy League recruit, Wicinski said.
“We do have some (tall) players,” Wicinski said. “Loudon’s upside is high when he finally finds the weight room. He shoots basketball day and night. We’ve had do to a battle royal to get him in the weight room.”
Temple leads the 10-1 Vikings in receptions (56), receiving yards (918) and touchdown catches (12). His length and athleticism allow him to make eye-opening grabs in traffic.
“Colleges are missing the boat on Pace,” Wicinski said. “He reminds me of the kid at Illinois (freshman Mikey Dudek). His body control and the way he catches the ball are special. Every team we face is trying to stop him. He’s playing like a superstar for us now.”
Temple’s grades also might help sway more offers this winter. Temple, who said he has a 3.5 grade-point average and a 27 on his ACT, said he’s not frustrated with his lack of offers but hopes a long playoff run brings more attention. The Vikings play at undefeated Cary-Grove on Saturday in a Class 7A quarterfinal.
“It would be great to play at the Division I level,” he said. “I said at the beginning that this year is going to be special. I wanted to be a captain and lead our team to state and just put my recruiting on the back burner, and hopefully (colleges) will notice me if we keep on advancing.”
Landi, who has 43 catches for 647 yards and two touchdowns, can stretch defenses. Wicinski said Landi’s height makes it seem “like throwing to three-car garage.”
Wicinski said Vollbrecht has made unofficial visits to Nebraska and Purdue.
Jones adds Michigan State offer: Evanston junior defensive end Naquan Jones received an offer from Michigan State during an unofficial visit Saturday for the Ohio State game.
The 6-4, 265-pound Jones also has offers from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin.
“(Michigan State) really made me feel at home,” Jones said. “I got to see two of the best teams in the Big Ten. I enjoyed watching the game, and being on the field during warmups. I made sure to size everybody up. I watched (Michigan State’s) defense a lot. They have a four-man front. I like four-man fronts.”
Jones said he plans to attend Saturday’s Iowa at Illinois game and the Hawkeyes’ home game against Wisconsin on Nov. 22.
