After a 4-5 season and a first-round playoff exit, Loyola will look to bounce back in 2026. The Ramblers will return a core group of players including junior linebacker Will Mettee and sophomore wide receiver Jordan McKinley, both Power 4 prospects.

Friday Night Drive is highlighting some of the top returning players at each position for the 2026 IHSA football season. Here are 10 of the top defensive linemen to watch as the 2026 season approaches.

Junior running back Brandon Johnson Jr. and sophomore linebacker Jack Schapendonk were each instrumental in St. Rita's run to the IHSA Class 7A state finals in the fall. The two will be key players to watch as the Mustangs prepare for 2026.

Montini four-star junior quarterback Israel Abrams announced his commitment to Miami (FL) during a broadcast of The Pat McAfee Show Friday afternoon. Abrams threw for 4,072 yards and 40 touchdowns in 2025, leading Montini to the IHSA Class 4A state title.

Friday Night Drive is highlighting some of the top returning players at each position for the 2026 IHSA football season. Here are 10 of the top returning offensive linemen to watch as the season approaches.

Fenwick junior Jake Thies announced his commitment to Iowa on Saturday. An All-CCL/ESCC selection in 2025, Thies rushed for over 1,100 yards, recorded nearly 60 tackles and helped lead the Friars to an IHSA 6A state title.

A standout wrestler, Montini junior lineman Gavin Ericson-Staton has emerged as a three-star prospect and will be a top player for the Broncos in 2026. Blake Pohlman, a MaxPreps Freshman All-American, is a player to watch on defense.

Junior linebacker Derrick Pomatto became a two-way threat for Joliet Catholic in 2025, rushing for three touchdowns after taking on the role halfway through the season. Pomatto will be a player to watch as the Hilltoppers look to bounce back from a rare losing season.

After helping St. Laurence reach the 6A semifinals, Sean Rice holds a dozen offers from Division I programs. The junior linebacker/tight end will be a key returning player for the Vikings, who have several seniors planning to play collegiately.

All-State running back Broden Mackert and Division I defensive line prospect Lamar Winfield are two Providence players who turned in strong junior seasons. The Celtics, who made the 5A state finals, will have 10 seniors playing collegiately.

Multiple Fenwick football players, including All-CCL/ESCC QB and CCL/ESCC White Offensive Player of the Year Jamen Williams, signed with collegiate programs during the National Signing Day period in early February.

Former Kankakee and University of Missouri standout Keagen Trost, two weeks after appearing at the NFL Scouting Combine, is getting ready for his Missouri pro day and the final steps of preparation for the NFL Draft.

It was a long and winding journey to get Rob Szudarski to his first varsity head football coaching position, but the veteran assistant is confident he can point Plainfield South in the right direction.

Several St. Francis football players, including All-CCL/ESCC and IHSFCA All-State wide receiver Dario Milivojevic, signed to continue on with collegiate programs during the National Signing Day period in early February.

This spring, we at Friday Night Drive will start looking ahead to the fall with players we are keeping our eye on. Who are some of the top players to watch in 2026? We will start with the quarterbacks.

A three-time Big Ten champion at Wisconsin and a three-time Super Bowl winner with the New England Patriots, former NFL veteran James White is ready to embark on his next chapter as Benet's next head football coach.

Nazareth juniors Chris Kasky and Luke Injaychock have picked up several offers from Power 4 schools since the conclusion of the 2025 season. Trenton Walker, a senior and three-star prospect, has signed to play at Murray State.

Byron's Caden Considine, a two-time state champion and All-State player, as well as the son of former NFL defensive back Sean Considine, has earned a full-ride scholarship to continue his football career at Illinois.

Fenwick's Jake Thies, a two-way standout whose massive postseason helped the Friars knock off East St. Louis in the IHSA 6A state championship, has planted himself on the map as a Power 4 prospect.

IC Catholic Prep sophomore Grant Bowen, son of former NFL player Matt Bowen, has picked up over a dozen Power 4 offers since the season ended. A standout linebacker and receiver, Bowen was named an All-State and All-CCL/ESCC player in 2025.

St. Francis junior James McGrath, an All-CCL/ESCC player who helped the Spartans win the Class 5A state championship, recently received a Division I offer from Oklahoma. A two-sport standout, McGrath is preparing for a bigger role as a senior.

Rochelle senior Roman Villalobos, an IHSFCA All-State running back with over 2,800 career rushing yards, has committed to play football at North Central College. "I've wanted to go to North Central since I was a little kid."

Carmel junior quarterback and Nebraska recruit Trae Taylor announced that he will transfer to Millard South High School in Omaha for his senior football season. Taylor threw for 3,571 yards and 38 touchdowns with 12 rushing touchdowns in 2025.

Several CCL/ESCC athletes, including FND Defensive Player of the Year Kameron McGee and FND Offensive Player of the Year Israel Abrams, were selected to the 2025 MaxPreps All-American Teams.

Rochelle's Dylan Manning, who collapsed on the sideline after suffering a severe head injury during the team's varsity football game at Morris on Oct. 3, recently underwent a successful cranioplasty and is home from Loyola Medical Center.

Richmond-Burton junior Blake Livdahl, an all-state linebacker who helped lead the Rockets to the Class 3A semifinals, has had his wrestling season come to an end after tearing his right ACL. He was a state runner-up wrester as a sophomore.

Benet senior wide receiver Luke Doyle, a two-time All-CCL/ESCC player and the 2025 CCL/ESCC Purple Offensive Player of the Year, has committed to play football at Division I FCS Lafayette College.

After a recent passed proposal to expand the football playoffs and extend the season by a week changed the preseason calendar, the IHSA has called a special board meeting to consider moving the start of preseason practice back to accommodate for more time to prepare.

With the 2025-26 Early Signing Period over, we’re taking a brief look at some of the top 2028 prospects in the Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Conference. Here are some notable prospects to watch for as the 2025-26 offseason progresses.

Crystal Lake-based Community High School District 155 is planning to break ground on the multi-million football stadium renovations for Prairie Ridge High School early next year.

Brother Rice sophomore defensive lineman Kameron McGee, a five-star prospect who recorded 21 TFLs and 10.5 sacks while guiding the Crusaders to an IHSA 7A state championship this season, is the 2025 Friday Night Drive Defensive Player of the Year.

Here is the 2025 Friday Night Drive Team of the Year.

With the 2025 Early Signing Period over, we take a look at some of the top Class of 2027 prospects the CCL/ESCC has to offer. Carmel's Trae Taylor, Montini's Israel Abrams and Mount Carmel's Quentin Burrell are among the league's top junior players.

Brother Rice defensive lineman King Liggins, a two-time All-CCL/ESCC player who helped the Crusaders finish 13-1 and win the IHSA 7A state championship this season, has signed to continue his football career at Illinois. "I feel like I can motivate the guys around me..."

The IHSA announced Tuesday that the state football playoffs will be expanding from 256 to 384 teams starting in 2026. The Northwest Herald reached out to several local coaches, and here are their reactions.

Two-win teams in the playoffs? Join hosts Steve Soucie and Matt Rodewald as they review the IHSA expansion of the high school football playoffs and what it means for the sport going forward.

IHSA Proposal 19 was passed by a majority of member schools in an IHSA schoolwide vote. Its implementation will increase the number of playoff qualifiers from 256 teams to 384 teams.

A Day 1 varsity starter as a running back his freshman year, Prairie Ridge senior Luke Vanderwiel developed into an all-state quarterback. He is the 2025 Northwest Herald Football Player of the Year after leading the Wolves to an undefeated regular season.

Richmond-Burton's Mike Noll won his 300th game and led the Rockets to within one win of a state championship game berth. Noll is the 2025 Northwest Herald Football Coach of the Year.

Meet the 2025 Northwest Herald All-Area football team.

Take a look at the players selected for the 2025 Daily Journal All-Area Football Team.

Here is Friday Night Drive's 2025 All-CCL/ESCC football team, with players from all 24 member programs.

Pat New, a Benet alum who won 92 games and made 10 IHSA playoff appearances as the school's head football coach, is retiring after 16 seasons. "It was difficult at first... but I knew that I made the right decision.”

Proposal 19 is on the ballot with a submission that proposes that the playoff field be expanded by 16 teams in each classification with a total of 384 teams qualifying for the postseason. Steve Soucie's uses 2025 data to project what the format could look like.

The CCL/ESCC announced its new alignment for the 2026 and 2027 seasons with many of the league's 24 teams finding themselves in different division than before.

Mount Carmel finished the same place it started the season in the No. 1 spot of the Friday Night Drive Power Rankings. Check out the final rankings here.

St. Francis senior Zach Washington, an All-CCL/ESCC honoree who helped the Spartans win their first IHSA state football championship since 2008, has signed to continue his career at Michigan State. "I think I can grab any 50-50 ball that I get my hands on."

Join hosts Matt Rodewald and Steve Soucie as they recap the Illinois high school football state championship games for Class 8A-5A

Wednesday marked the beginning of the 2025 Early Signing Day Period for NCAA Division I football. Here is a list of CCL/ESCC players who will be playing Division I FBS and FCS football next year.

The Oswego football team played Mount Carmel Saturday to decide the IHSA Class 8A state championship in Huskie Stadium at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.