Here's a preseason look at the players to watch in the greater Chicago area:
| [POSITION] NAME | SCHOOL | HT/WT | YEAR |
| [QB] Jon Budmayr | Marian Central | 6-0/200 | Senior |
| [QB] Darren Jones | Thornton | 6-3/195 | Senior |
| QB] Evan Watkins | Glenbard North | 6-6/230 | Senior |
| [RB] Dominique Bell | Morgan Park | 6-1/190 | Senior |
| [RB] Mike Trumpy | Wheaton North | 6-0/200 | Senior |
| [WR] Jamal Gray | Thornton | 6-3/190 | Senior |
| [TE] Jack Baucus | Carmel Catholic | 6-6/233 | Senior |
| [OL] Leon Hill | Leo Catholic | 6-4/320 | Senior |
| [OL] Mike Schofield | Sandburg | 6-7/275 | Senior |
| [OL] Patrick Ward | Providence Catholic | 6-7/285 | Senior |
| [OL] Chris Watt | Glenbard West | 6-3/280 | Senior |
| POSITION/NAME | SCHOOL | HT/WT | YEAR |
| [DL] Mike Buchanan | Homewood-Flossmoor | 6-6/225 | Senior |
| [DL] Lendell Buckner | Leo Catholic | 6-3/340 | Senior |
| [DL] Craig Drummond | Morgan Park | 6-5/265 | Senior |
| [DL] Anthony Wells | North Chicago | 6-2/229 | Senior |
| [LB] Dimitrius Carr | Mount Carmel | 6-1/200 | Senior |
| [LB] Jake Juriga | St. Charles North | 6-3/205 | Senior |
| [LB] Darius Moffett | Hubbard | 6-3/225 | Senior |
| [LB] Alex Smith | Barrington | 6-3/225 | Senior |
| [DB] Corey Cooper | Proviso East | 6-2/195 | Junior |
| [DB] Alex McNulty | Bolingbrook | 5-10/175 | Senior |
| [DB] Nick Ratajczak | Joliet Catholic | 5-9/165 | Senior |
| NAME | SCHOOL | POSITION | YEAR |
| Mike Adams | Aurora Central | QB | Sr. |
| Jacob Arnold | Plainfield | RB | Sr. |
| Austin Baker | Driscoll | WR | Sr. |
| Anthony Blackburn | Proviso East | DL | Sr. |
| John Brewer | Lake Zurich | DE | Sr. |
| Sean Cascarano | Glenbrook South | OL | Sr. |
| Scott Covert | Lake Forest | DL | Sr. |
| Pat Dansdill | W.W. South | LB | Sr. |
| Greg Fuller | Thornton | RB | Sr. |
| Charlie Goro | Maine South | QB | Sr. |
| Gus Handler | Barrington | OL | Sr. |
| Marty Hopkins | St. Rita | LBR | Sr. |
| Tyler Hudetz | Joliet Catholic | RB | Sr. |
| Jordan Lynch | Mount Carmel | QB | Sr. |
| Josh Mander | Joliet Catholic | LB | Sr. |
| Sam Ojuri | Barrington | RB | Sr. |
| Cody O'Neill | Marian Central | OL | Sr. |
| Shaun Pratl | Richards | TE | Sr. |
| Jordan Roberts | Aurora Christian | QB | Sr. |
| Darwin Rogers | Leo Catholic | QB | Sr. |
| Matt Rossi | Palatine | QB | Sr. |
| Corby Ryan | Maine South | LB | Sr. |
| Triviyon Seay | Hubbard | WR | Sr. |
| Rahil Shermohamed | W.W. South | DL | Sr. |
| Jake Stockman | Joliet Catholic | LB | Jr. |
| Kyle Zelinsky | Bartlett | LB | Sr. |
| Mark Zielinski | New Trier | OL | Sr. |
| Dan Zotto | Andrew | DL | Sr. |
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS
EVAN WATKINS
The Northwestern-bound Watkins led the Panthers
to the 4A title game last year by throwing for 1,820
yards and 20 touchdowns. He also ran for 305 yards
and nine TDs.
MIKE TRUMPY
Another Northwestern commit, Trumpy is a classic
north-south runner who gets to the next level
quickly. As a junior last year, he ran for 1,664 yards
and 19 touchdowns.
ANTHONY WELLS
Wells has the speed and quickness to explode
around tackles and collapse the pocket. As a junior,
he collected eight sacks. Expect him to reach
double digits this season.
COREY COOPER
With prototypical size and legitimate 4.4 speed,
Cooper is a true shutdown corner. He also plays
receiver and caught four touchdowns last year.
Cooper has verballed to Illinois.
COACH'S TAKE
AN AREA COACH ON JON BUDMAYR:
"He's the kind of kid that can beat you in the last
minutes of the game because he can move the
team with his arm. He's a pure passer. I think getting
pressure is the only way to defend him. If you
give him time, he'll pick you apart."
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