St. Charles East senior Nick Garlisch will stop being a football jack-of-all-trades to become a Jackrabbit.
The 6-foot, 195-pound Garlisch has committed to South Dakota State, a Football Championship Subdivision school in Division I.
“This year I’ll be playing four different positions again,” Garlisch said. “It’s fun to kind of have variety, but to kind of focus on one position will be awfully nice, too.”
At South Dakota State, Garlisch will be a defensive back, although it hasn’t been specified yet if he’ll be at safety or cornerback.
“I visited there in May and loved the school and coaches, everything about the program — and they offered in my major (engineering),” Garlisch said. “So I was really impressed.”
North Dakota State, Western Illinois and Southern Illinois also made scholarship offers to Garlisch.
For the Saints, Garlisch will again play multiple positions. He’ll be at cornerback and safety, and also lines up in some schemes at outside linebacker. On offense, he’ll play running back.
As a youth player and earlier in high school, Garlisch played about every position imaginable, including on the line. Last year, he played a key role as the defense allowed only 10.4 points a game during the program’s first unbeaten regular season in 18 years.
“We’re going to have a strong defense again, especially in the secondary,” Garlisch said.
It’s an experienced secondary. Safeties Clayton Isbell and Yalon Rogers are the other returning starters, and senior Josh Luedtke is competing for the other starting cornerback spot.
Isbell has received scholarship offers from seven schools as a 6-3, 195-pound safety. This season, Isbell will also fill the role of option quarterback, played last year by Zach Mitchell.
“With six or seven defensive starters back, we’ll be solid, but we’re focusing on offensive line improvement now because we’re very young there,” Garlisch said.
Long reach: Even though he’s only a junior, St. Charles North cornerback Tyler Nubin has drawn college interest.
Nubin already has offers from Illinois State and Central Michigan, but it’s not a big surprise. At 6-2 and with 4.6-second speed in the 40, he has two qualities many scouts want in a defensive back.
“They’re looking for that long, rangy corner, someone who can go up and get it,” Nubin said. “I’m working on my feet, trying to get faster, too.”
Nubin ran a 4.6 in the 40 after his sophomore year. He has been to camps this summer at Michigan State and Michigan.
“I’m faster now than last year, and more experienced, and the game will slow down for me,” Nubin said.
Nubin and the secondary produced several key interceptions last Friday when the North Stars won the 7-on-7 title at the Red Grange Classic.
DB double: Huntley cornerback Ron Noll has shown improvement this summer, and it had to help in spring when he “doubled up” his training.
During track practice, Noll found a unique way to benefit in two sports. He lined up at the end of the long jump runway with his back to the pit and would backpedal like a cornerback.
A receiver would run next to him full speed on the side of the runway, and Noll would reach out and chuck the receiver with his hand for 5 yards. Then Noll would turn and run full speed down the runway and perform the long jump.
Coach Matt Zimolzak sent out a video via Twitter of Noll covering Antonio Passarelli before turning to do the long jump.
“He was getting in cornerback reps and also working the long jump,” Zimolzak said. “I love the multisport athletes, and if you can get a guy who can work two drills in one I’m always a fan of that.”
Twitter @genechamberlai2
