In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, college football recruiting has been on fire over the past few weeks.
So far this weekend, four ranked names in Chicagoland’s Class of 2021 gave verbal commitments.
University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh added another local name to the Wolverines’ upcoming ‘21 recruiting class. Bolingbrook’s three-star ranked OLB, Tyler McLaurin (6-foot-3, 215 pounds), gave the Wolverines his verbal commitment on Saturday. McLaurin, who narrowed down his final list of schools to Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa State, Texas Tech and Nebraska, pointed to Michigan’s strong academics in his field of study (computer sciences), along with playing for a consistent Top 25 nationally-ranked football program. McLaurin is the 13th known verbal commitment for Michigan in the Class of 2021 and joins Nazareth Academy's four-star ranked QB, J.J. McCarthy, in heading to Ann Arbor from the State of Illinois. According to Rivals.com's Team Recruiting Rankings, Michigan currently has the sixth best recruiting class in the nation.
On Saturday afternoon, Hillcrest's three-star ranked running back, Markiese Irving (5-foot-11, 175 pounds), gave Minnesota his verbal commitment. Irving, a multi-sport athlete for the Hawks, kept his recruiting process close to the vest but selected the Gophers after landing several offers from the likes of Illinois, Iowa and Michigan State. Irving is the 16th verbal commitment in the Gophers' Class of 2021, which is currently ranked by Rivals.com as the seventh best recruiting class in the nation. Irving is one of several Illinois natives already committed to head coach PJ Fleck. He joins Antioch QB Athan Kaliakmanis, his brother WR Dino Kaliakmanis, Providence Catholic TE Jameson Geers and Naperville Central's Sam Jackson as Gopher recruits from the Land of Lincoln.
On Sunday, Chicago Mount Carmel's three-star ranked safety, Ben Perry (6-foot-3, 190 pounds), gave Louisville his verbal commitment in a live announcement on Instagram. Perry, whose list of top schools included Cincinnati, Illinois, Iowa State, Louisville, Michigan State, Minnesota and Northwestern, reportedly narrowed down his list to either Louisville or Minnesota.
Also on Sunday, Brother Rice's three-star ranked running back, Willie Shaw III (5-foot-11, 186 pounds), gave the University of Toledo his verbal commitment. Shaw III’s decision came down to three schools: the Rockets, Illinois and Nebraska. Shaw cited a strong bond and connection with Toledo staff as the main factor in his selection.