(Sports) Editor's Note

Recruiting wrap

Posted by: Jim Rossow

Sunday, August 17, 2008 2:21 PM

As a 5-foot-9, 188-pound offensive guard at Peotone High, Jeremy Werner didn’t crack any Top 100 recruiting lists.
“But I tried really hard,” Werner said. “I just used my speed and intelligence to get those 6-4, 240-pound guys.”
Werner’s playing days ended after high school. But his interest in football — and sports in general — never has waned. That’s why he was an easy pick to coordinate one of our more ambitious projects at IlliniHQ.com, our 3-week-old all-Illinois Web site.
Starting Monday, Werner will write about recruiting. His “Recruiting Wrap” blog will be fresh at 7 a.m. each weekday.
And, yes, it will be free — unlike most recruiting services.
“People want to read about recruiting,” Werner said, “but this also should help the kids I talk to, especially the area kids. (College) coaches look at this stuff. Anything I can do to get the word out on someone might help.”
Werner could have used the help. He was a four-year regular at Peotone who got nibbles from the likes of Knox College. Instead, he enrolled at Illinois, where today he is a 21-year-old senior with a career in journalism around the bend.
“I’ve always been a sports fanatic,” he said. “Even when I was little, I carried around a notebook and make predictions in it.”
To make Werner’s electronic notebook, e-mail him at jwerner56@gmail.com.
— Werner’s blog is only a part of our recruiting coverage on IlliniHQ.com. Starting Friday, we’ll have video and stories of five basketball stars who have either committed to Illinois or have shown serious interest. The series runs through September.

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