John Sullivan and Thomas Skokna weren’t heavily recruited out of high school.
Skokna, a wide receiver from Hinsdale Central, said he “honestly didn’t have too many offers,” while Sullivan, a defensive lineman from Lakes, had three.
But they both wound up at North Central and now the senior teammates are among the best NCAA Division III players in the country.
They’re also two big reasons the Cardinals are in the Division III title game for the sixth straight time, seeking their third title in four seasons. North Central (14-0) plays Wisconsin-River Falls (13-1) at 7 p.m. Chicago time Sunday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. The game will be televised by ESPN.
Sullivan and Skokna have the distinction of sweeping all four Division III All-American awards: Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp and D3Football.com. Sullivan also was named AP Defensive Player of the Year, while Skokna is a semifinalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, Division III’s version of the Heisman.
It’s been quite a journey.
“After I was done with high-school football, I didn’t know what I was gonna do,” Sullivan told the Sun-Times. “[Then] North Central reached out and gave me the opportunity to have a roster spot.”
It was an easy decision to say yes, even without many other options.
“One thing that really stood out to me was the culture,” Sullivan said. “Everyone seemed like a brotherhood here, not [just] putting on a face for recruits.”
He played in two games as a freshman and seven as a sophomore before taking on a bigger role as a smaller player.
After playing at 290 pounds as a sophomore, the 6-2 Sullivan dropped to 280 as a junior and 270 this season.
“I was kind of fat my freshman year,” he said. “The coaches wanted me to slim down a little bit. I took that opportunity and did it.”
The results speak for themselves. He has 69 total tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks — all career highs — with one game remaining.
Like Sullivan, Skokna heard from North Central coaches after his senior season of high-school ball. And like Sullivan, “I loved the coaching staff and the culture.”
Skokna did have a family connection to the Cardinals. His older brother John — one of his 10 siblings — played receiver and defensive back for North Central in 2013-14.
Like Sullivan, Skokna worked his way up through the ranks in the program.
“My freshman year, I barely even traveled to the games,” he said. “Sophomore year I was on the travel bus, played special teams. Junior year, I got to start.”
Now the 5-9, 170-pounder is one of the nation’s elite small-college receivers. This season, he has 81 catches for 1,226 yards and 23 touchdowns, all career bests.
“It’s surreal, going from playing JV to being an All-American,” Skokna said.
Both Sullivan and Skokna will graduate in the spring with degrees in criminology and marketing, respectively. Before they head off to careers in the real world, they have one more big game in college.
And who knows, maybe more football after that?
“I’m still trying to decide if I’m going to train for a pro day,” Skokna said.
“I’m going to try to see if there’s any more opportunities to play football anywhere,” Sullivan said.
All they need is for someone to give them a chance — like North Central did.