NSD Pt III: Southern Cookin'

One thing Joe Novak didn't do was recruit nationally. It often seemed like there was a forcefield around the Midwest. That is not the case with Coach Kill in charge. And the fact that we have to look hard all over this year because most of the recruits around here have committed already. Without further ado, here are the rest of the current verbal commits for NIU:


6. Maurice Coon, ATH
6'1" 238 lbs
Lakeland (FL) George Jenkins

40 Time: 4.51 secs
Vertical Jump: 32.6"

Rivals Profile
Scout Profile
ESPN Profile

Myspace Profile

3rd Team All-State

Maurice really looks like he can do it all being so mobile, while still weighing around 240. Looks like a Michael Turner or a Brandon Jacobs type-runner. Jacobs got his Super Bowl ring with the Giants on Sunday, and that just shows how good of a college Coach Jerry Kill is. He's a guy that was lost in the mix, because he was hurt his Junior year and transferred to Lakeland his senior year. Not too many coaches had film on him and Kill scooped him up from the state of Florida.

Coon called up Jerry Kill the night before Signing Day and told him he was going to sign with USF just as a joke. WOW. I would be pissed if I were Kill, but oh well...hahaha

Recruited by: RBs Coach Rob Reeves

Was also considering: Southern Illinois, Oregon, South Florida, Ball State, Middle Tenn St.






7. Logan Pegram, OG
6'3" 298 lbs
Silver Lake (KS) Silver Lake

40 Time: 5.2 secs
Vertical: 29"
GPA: 2.6
ACT: 21

Rivals.com Rating: 2-Stars, 5.3
Scout.com Rating: 2-Stars, #80 OG
ESPN.com Rating: 74, #53 OG

Rivals Profile
Scout Profile
ESPN Profile

Pegram finds right fit at Northern Illinois
Pegram picks Northern Illinois
Pegram among state's top prospects

All-State

Was also considering: Colorado State (Offer), Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri

Logan can easily be one of our top recruits this year. Just look at his rankings. ESPN has him at the 53rd ranked Guard in the nation! That is incredible. He's just not as tall as you would like in an exterior, but he should dominate the interior of the line in the MAC conference. A great type of recruit for NIU to get. Also played basketball in for Silver Lake.


8. Brandon Rogers, QB
6'2" 215 lbs
Tulsa (OK) Union

Rivals.com Rating: 2-Stars, 5.1
Scout.com Rating: 2-Stars, #146 QB
ESPN.com Rating: 69, #112 QB
Ranked #27 OK Prospect by OkPrepXtra.com

Rivals Profile
Scout Profile
ESPN Profile

Options limited for Redskin quarterback
Union quarterback commits to Northern Illinois

Was also considering: Eastern Michigan (Offer), Colorado State, Kansas, SMU, TCU, Alabama, NC State, Purdue, Tennessee, Tulsa

Brandon is the late commit that we all felt like we needed to get. One of our last weekend gets. Hopefully he can push some people at the QB position and have a better year in that department for the 2008. Just like one of the coaches said, the QB needs to be an extension of the head coach. Played in front of 25-30,000 fans each game in HS. Benches 300+ lbs. The same player that helped Coach Kill pick up Brandon Jacobs found this guy. Compared to former SIU QB Nick Hill.

Threw for 2,449 yds, 25 TDs and only 5 INTs his senior year, completing 65% of his passes.

Here's what Brandon's uncle has to say about him per NIU Dog Pound:

He's the real deal and he is coming to NIU with something to prove. Trust me, he's definitely a student of the game and his only focus is winning and school. None of those other outside distractions are a factor. Can't wait until everyone gets an opportunity to see and meet him this summer.