Phillips Academy’s three star-ranked senior defensive tackle recruit Demerick Morris (6-foot-3, 284 pounds) decided to give Temple University and head coach Rod Carey his verbal commitment.
"I just felt that it was time to make my decision," Morris said. "I looked at some other schools and considered a few others, but in the end the coaches at Temple just really always made me feel wanted and a part of the plan. I've known them for a long time now and I want to be a part of the Temple program, so I committed."
Morris, who had been on the Temple staff's recruiting radar screen since they were at NIU, selected the Owls over scholarship offers from a dozen schools this summer.
Miami (OH) head coach Chuck Martin and his staff have been working hard on ramping up their Chicagoland recruiting efforts for the Redhawks‘ 2020 recruiting class. And they received two new commitments this past week from Montini Catholic: senior tight end Nate Muersch (6-foot-5, 210 pounds) and Benet Academy senior defensive linemen Jacob Snell (6-foot-3, 240 pounds).
"Some of the bigger schools that had been recruiting me really started to drag its feet and keep dragging things along with me," Muersch said. "It was a combination of me just tired of playing the recruiting game along with everything that Miami has to offer. The coaches at Miami, including tight ends coach Pat Welsh and head coach Chuck Martin, just really recruited me hard and they really got to know me better on and off the field. When I visited Miami they sat me down and showed me just how much they use the tight end in its offense. They showed me that they have a plan for me and that they really wanted me to be a part of the team. I also was really impressed with the facilities at Miami of Ohio and I was especially impressed with the overall academic strength of the school. Miami of Ohio definitely has a plan for me and I'm very, very excited about my decision."
With the addition of Nate Muersch and Jacob Snell, the Redhawks now have five verbal commitments from Illinois including Lincoln-Way East kicker Dominic Dzioban, Crystal Lake South offensive lineman Dominic Collado, and Granite City quarterback Freddy Edwards.
Barrington’s senior three star-ranked defensive end Lukas VanNess (6-foot-5, 240 pounds) has seen his recruiting stock skyrocket this summer after taking part in a handful of college satellite camps over the past few weeks. He is now holding an impressive 29 scholarship offers including recent offers from Minnesota, Kansas State and Illinois. VanNess will be camping this week at Iowa and is expected to begin focusing on his college options.
Yorkville senior safety Cale Reeder (6-foot-1, 170 pounds) gave South Dakota State his verbal commitment on Wednesday night.
"I have visited South Dakota State twice now and both times I really loved it there," according to Reeder. "SDSU really recruited me from very early on and they stayed with me and remained interested in me. I have a great relationship with the coaches at SDSU and they have just recruited me hard and made me feel like they have a plan for me. They are just really good people out at SDSU and they believe in me. SDSU offered and recruited me as a safety and they feel I'll be a great fit in the defense."