Illinois football news keeps coming, even after the season

By Paul Bowker Dec 15, 2010, 2:23pm

Lacosse switches commitment; Daniels will play in Under Armour game.

Matt Lacosse, a quarterback who led Naperville North to an 8-4 season, verbaled his commitment to the University of Illinois earlier this week. He had previously verbaled to Minnesota, but changed his mind after former Gophers head coach Tim Brewster was fired.

LaCosse, 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, was recruited as a tight end at Illinois, the same position that Brewster had wanted him to play at Minnesota. However, playing closer to home was one of the major reasons LaCosse switched.

"I love the home-state atmosphere. I like the coaches. They play my style of football," LaCosse told the Chicago Tribune.

* Adam Pittser, a quarterback from Richmond, verbaled to Wyoming following an on-campus visit the weekend of Dec. 4. He also had scholarship offers from Western Michigan, Illinois State and Ball State.



* Notre Dame recruit Davaris Daniels of Vernon Hills was invited to play in the Under Armour All-American Game on Jan. 5 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. A wide receiver and son of Washington Redskins defensive lineman Phillip Daniels, he scored 19 touchdowns this season for the Cougars, who finished 10-2. In the meantime, Daniels is playing basketball for Vernon Hills; he scored 24 points for the Cougars in their eighth straight win, 63-59 over Grant.

* Due to the huge snowstorm that blew through the Midwest earlier this week, Maine South (Park Ridge) High School's hearing in front of the Illinois High School Association Board of Governors was postponed from Monday until the IHSA's next regularly scheduled meeting on Jan. 10. Maine South, three-time Class 8A football champion, faces possible sanctions from this year‘s state championship game. The IHSA says it has evidence of Maine South creating and distributing fraudulent sideline passes; South was instructed by the IHSA to conduct an internal investigation.

Paul Bowker, an online and newspaper sports journalist for 25 years and the author of two Major League Baseball books, covers the Chicago area for MaxPreps. He may be reached at bowkerpaul1@aol.com.