Geneva wideout Bennett Konkey, who saw his recruiting profile skyrocket after winning two state titles on the track, announced his commitment to the University of Illinois on Tuesday.

The Watseka football program will be fielding only a junior varsity team in 2026, with coach Anthony Swanson and the rest of the athletic department looking to build up dwindling participation numbers and continue a football tradition to goes back well over a century.

St. Rita's Ohimai Ozolua, Mount Carmel's Darin Graham and Chase Clark, Loyola's Charlie Fowler, Brother Rice's Jonathan Harris and St. Patrick's Dylan Mota have all announced commitments to Power 4 schools in recent weeks. Plus transfer news in this CCL/ESCC football notebook.

Princeton Tiger football fans wanting to see their favorite team early this fall will have to get their road maps out. Five of the Tigers’ first seven games will be on the road, including the Aug. 21 opener at Port Byron Riverdale.

Owen Roberts hails from a family of football coaches, but until recently he believed his future to be in lacrosse. That all changed after Roberts' sophomore year at York, and Roberts – a football edge who will be a senior this fall – made his commitment in the last week to York.

First camp done. Players impressed. Rob Stover's debut as Sycamore football coach shows continuity with Joe Ryan's winning culture. Running back Vasilios Arhos: "I love the program he's got going."

Oswego rising senior Dontrell Young, a seven-time state medalist in track, made his verbal commitment to Iowa State for football this week. Young, a defensive back going into his third varsity football season, chose Iowa State from nine scholarship offers.

Led by a handful of returning first team stars, including a trio of Coal City seniors, more than two dozen Kankakee area talents are back on the gridiron after earning first team, second team or honorable mention All-Area recognition last fall.

Marian Central graduate Dirk Stanger has returned to coach at hias alma mater, where he replaces fellow Marian grad Liam Kirwan. Stanger served as Marian's offensive coordinator more than 10 years ago before becoming a coach at Crystal Lake Central.

Montini three-star offensive lineman Gavin Ericson-Staton, who has helped the Broncos to IHSA state championships in each of his last two varsity seasons, announced his commitment to Illinois on Sunday. He was previously committed to Iowa State.

Nazareth three-star defensive lineman Chris Kasky, an All-CCL/ESCC selection who had 70 tackles, 25 tackles for loss and 14 sacks while helping the Roadrunners to the IHSA Class 6A state semifinals during his junior season, has committed to Missouri.

Nazareth defensive back Henry Sakalas, a three-star prospect who had 33 tackles and 3 interceptions while helping the Roadrunners to the Class 6A state semifinals during his junior season, announced his commitment to Michigan State.

Nazareth's Luke Injaychock, a three-star prospect and one of the top offensive line recruits in the state’s 2027 class, has committed to Missouri. Injaychock was an All-CCL/ESCC Honorable Mention as a junior, playing over 750 snaps without allowing a sack.

Twenty years after hosting his inaugural camp, former Indianapolis Colts linebacker and Bishop McNamara graduate Tyjuan Hagler continues to marvel at the impact and support as his foundation hosted its 18th football and cheerleading camp at his alma mater last Saturday.

Manteno alum and former Illinois football right guard Josh Gesky is trying to make the most of his new life as an NFL player after signing an undrafted free agent deal with the Green Bay Packers a little under a month ago.

Mount Carmel four-star defensive back Tavares Harrington, who posted 50 tackles, 9 PBUs, 6 TFLs and 3 interceptions while helping the Caravan win the IHSA 8A state championship in 2025, announced his commitment to Michigan on Friday.

Both Sandwich and Seneca high schools chose this week to leave their current conference homes, the Kishwaukee River and Tri-County, respectively, to become the 9th and 10th members of the Illinois Central Eight Conference.

St. Patrick four-star defensive lineman David Folorunsho, who led the Shamrocks to the CCL/ESCC Purple Division title and the second round of the IHSA Class 5A playoffs in 2025, announced his commitment to Notre Dame on Friday.

St. Laurence three-star linebacker Sean Rice, who compiled 123 tackles and led the Vikings to the IHSA Class 6A state semifinals during his junior season, announced his commitment to Illinois on Friday.

Mount Carmel four-star wide receiver Quentin Burrell, who caught 67 passes for 1,139 yards and 16 touchdowns while helping the Caravan win a fourth straight IHSA state championship during his junior season, announced his commitment to Michigan on Wednesday.

Marmion's Henry Miller ran for 355 yards and 5 touchdowns before suffering a season-ending groin injury in 2025. Miller will return to the Cadets this fall and he'll be joined by wide receiver Colin McEniry, the CCL/ESCC's Offensive Player of the Year in the Red Division.

Lincoln-Way East offensive lineman Mason Halliman, a member of the Griffins' Class of 2027, committed over the weekend to continue his career at the University of Illinois.

A 2006 Ottawa High School graduate and two-year starting quarterback, Jared Mundt is the Pirates new varsity football coach.

Two-time All-Interstate 8 Conference quarterback Marion Persich, who is receiving plenty of college recruiting interest, is transferring to Morris from La Salle-Peru for his junior season.

Oswego's Ammar Banire was an unknown before last season, but opened eyes with breakout performances in a crosstown win and the state semifinal. Now the sophomore has seen his recruitment take off with Division I offers from Western Michigan and Miami of Ohio.

Early this year Alabama voted overwhelmingly to separate public and private schools into different championship competitions. Could Illinois follow Alabama's lead?

Who are the winningest active head football coaches in the IHSA? As the 2026 season approaches, Friday Night Drive has listed the state's winningest active coaches.

Despite missing the IHSA playoffs in each of the last two seasons, St. Ignatius has brought home consecutive Prep Bowl titles. Connor Hites and Connor Wanzung, who each hold Division I offers, are ready to lead the Wolfpack back to the playoffs in 2026.

Prior to being recognized at the Kankakee City Hall meeting Monday night, 2019 Kankakee graduate Keagen Trost was celebrated at his alma mater as the school's first NFL draft pick in almost 50 years.

Football players from La Salle-Peru and Ottawa had the opportunity to gain recruiting exposure by participating in IHSA combines, which are new this spring.

Local football players showed up in jerseys and helmets Monday morning for Johnsburg's Northern Burbs Showcase. About 165 athletes and 60 college coaches attended the inaugural event.

Area football players show off their skills at the Northern Burbs Football Showcase on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Johnsburg High School. Over 165 players from 15 teams demonstrated their football skills to over 60 college coaches.

The IHSA has approved combine events around the state this spring to help provide high school players with a high interest in playing at the college level with better opportunities to show their abilities. Nine Princeton players attended the event at Moline on Thursday.

Alex Wollschlaeger did not play football his junior year of high school at Oswego East because of a broken collarbone. He had just one college scholarship offer. And now? He will be heading for New Orleans next week, an NFL contract from the Saints in hand.

He grew up in Nigeria and started playing football when he was 11 years old. Now, St. Patrick junior defensive lineman David Folorunsho, who led the Shamrocks to the CCL/ESCC Purple title in 2025, is a five-star recruit and one of the top-ranked prospects in the country.

Behind a dominant defensive line and a powerful running game, Brother Rice won its first state football championship since 1981. Returning juniors Brayden Parks and Ethan Posey, both Division I prospects, will continue anchoring the trenches as the Crusaders prepare for 2026.

Teegan Davis played football until his body wouldn’t allow him to play any more. The former Princeton High School all-stater made the decision to medically retire from the game after talking to Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz upon returning to campus after the Christmas break

Josh Kreutz (Loyola), Kenenna Odeluga (Mount Carmel), Jameson Geers (Providence) and Tyler Duzansky (St. Francis) are former CCL/ESCC football players who signed undrafted free agent contracts or received rookie minicamp invitations after the 2026 NFL Draft.

Carmel sophomores Jameer Miles and Wyatt VanBoening, already four-star Power 4 prospects, are ready to take on bigger roles as the Corsairs build for the 2026 season, one that will be played without star quarterback Trae Taylor.

Former Marist offensive lineman Pat Coogan, who guided both Notre Dame and Indiana to College Football Playoff National Championship Game appearances, was selected in the sixth round by the Tennessee Titans with the 194th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Josh Gesky, a 2021 Manteno graduate and three-year starting guard at the University of Illinois, signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent Saturday.

Former Willowbrook offensive lineman Enrique Cruz Jr., who played for five collegiate seasons at Syracuse and Kansas, was selected on Saturday by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round of the NFL Draft with the 179th overall pick.

Former Nazareth wide receiver Tanner Koziol, who played tight end at Ball State and Houston, was selected in the fifth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 164th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Koziol caught 237 passes for 2,234 yards and 24 touchdowns in college.

East St. Louis running back Myson Johnson-Cook, one of the top-rated junior players in the state, announced his commitment to Auburn on Saturday afternoon. Johnson-Cook rushed for 1,341 yards and 20 touchdowns while leading the Flyers to the IHSA Class 6A state finals in 2025.

Former Marist linebacker Jimmy Rolder, who recorded 118 total tackles and played in 43 games over his collegiate career at Michigan, was selected by the Detroit Lions with the 118th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Saturday.

Keagen Trost, a 2019 Kankakee graduate, was the 93rd overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2026 NFL Draft on Friday.

Former Marist wide receiver Carnell Tate, who went on to star at IMG Academy and Ohio State, was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the fourth overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday evening.

Friday Night Drive has had its eye on some of the expected top returning players for the 2026 football season. The focus shifts to the secondary this week with 10 defensive backs to keep an eye on this coming fall.

Michigan linebacker Jimmy Rolder seemed destined for baseball for most of his time at Marist. But a three-week span switch Rolder's trajectory to likely being selected in the NFL draft this weekend in Pittsburgh.

In a statement published Tuesday afternoon, Loyola announced the return of John Holecek as head football coach. Holecek went 185-36 and won three state titles from 2006-22. Beau Desherow, Loyola's head coach since 2023, will serve as general manager and assistant head coach.