While there are still some impact players at the second and third level, there’s not much doubt where the bulk of the area’s elite defensive talent is this fall: up front.
Here’s a look at 10 players who will be making an impact, in alphabetical order:
Jacob Alexander, Lincoln-Way East, Edge
The 6-4, 240-pounder said he was “a basketball kid” until Lincoln-Way East coach Rob Zvonar asked him to give football a try. He did and the rest is history. The senior Illinois commit is the heart and soul of a Griffins’ defense that allowed just over 10 points a game last season.
McHale Blade, Simeon, DL
Blade has been waiting a while to make his Simeon debut. The senior tore an ACL while playing at Hillcrest in 2023 and missed all of last season. But that didn’t cool off the 6-5, 245-pounder’s recruiting. He has more than 20 Power Four offers and committed to Michigan earlier this summer.
Ian Campbell, Joliet Catholic, DE
The 6-3, 240-pounder, who’s also a returning starter at tight end, spent plenty of time in opposing backfields last season, finishing with nine tackles for loss, eight sacks and 37 tackles. He’s committed to Navy.
Tavares Harrington, Mount Carmel, CB
The 6-2, 175-pound junior is a consensus top-100 player nationally in his class. He broke up 11 passes last season and had a pick-six against rival St. Rita. He has almost 30 Power Four offers, including Ohio State, Alabama, Notre Dame and Illinois.
Gabriel Hill, Naperville North, DL
Already Naperville North’s career leader in sacks and tackles for loss, Hill is another dominant linemen in an exceptional year for them. The 6-2, 275-pound senior is a four-star prospect committed to Indiana.
Braeden Jones, Mount Carmel, DL
The athletic 6-4, 250-pounder also played baseball for the White Sox ACE (Amateur City Elite) program and was part of a national championship team. He’s a four-star prospect committed to USC who had 48 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks for the Class 7A champs.
King Liggins, Brother Rice, DL
The Crusaders are thinking big this season and Liggins is one reason why. The 6-4, 280-pounder has more than a dozen Power Four offers and picked Illinois.
Carmelow Reed, Morgan Park, DL
Reed has transferred from Rich to Morgan Park for his senior year. The 6-7, 250-pounder’s offers included three from SEC schools and he picked one of them: Mississippi.
Vincent Smith, Sandburg, CB
The West Virginia commit has settled in with the Eagles after starting his high-school career in Florida and spending a year at Lemont. A 6-2, 200-pounder, he is a three-star prospect rated 12th among Illinois seniors in the 247Sports composite rankings.
Caleb Tucker, Mount Carmel, DL
Not many freshmen are ready to contribute on the varsity for the Caravan, especially at a position where they face players three or four years older. But they don’t call Tucker “Bonecrusher” for nothing. The 6-4, 360-pounder is one of the most disruptive linemen in the state, and contributed 27 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack last year. He’s the consensus No. 3 sophomore in the state, is ranked 60th nationally and has almost 20 Power Four offers.