Feb. 02--Lake Forest senior quarterback Danny Carollo is one of the many players in the Chicago area waiting until the final minute to decide on a college.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Carollo indicated that he might extend his decision until after National Signing Day on Wednesday.
He has a preferred walk-on offer from Purdue and roster spot offers from Dayton, Valparaiso and Butler.
"I'm thinking about all my options and deciding what to do," Carollo said. "I'm not positive yet, but I'll talk with my family and hopefully have a decision soon. It potentially could go past (Wednesday). Ideally it would not, but it might."
Carollo, who passed for 1,881 yards and 22 touchdowns this season, has not played basketball for the Scouts due to a torn ligament in his thumb. Carollo admitted that he's intrigued about playing for Purdue but weighing all his options.
"(Purdue) is very high up for me," he said. "It's Big Ten football and big-time football at the same time. It's a good school and program, and Purdue is definitely up there very high."
Ratkovich to WIU: Back in November, days before the Class 6A semifinal against Hinsdale South, Crete-Monee senior Clint Ratkovich expressed mild frustration over the lack of interest from colleges during his recruiting process.
The multi-dimensional Ratkovich might not have his college position set, but he settled on a school when he orally committed to Western Illinois football coach Charlie Fisher during an official visit on Sunday.
The 6-2, 205-pounder played quarterback, slot receiver, outside linebacker, stand-up defensive end and punter for the Class 6A runner-up Warriors this season.
"The coaching staff, right away from the beginning, believed in me and offered me right away when they looked at my film, and I liked that," Ratkovich said. "The coaching staff and players are a nice group, and it felt like home.
"Coach Fisher talked to me and said everything I wanted to hear, and he believed in me as a player. It relieved a lot of stress when somebody finally came up and told me that. I'm not sure where they will play me. They are talking strong safety or some running back or wildcat quarterback."
Volpentesta to Wisconsin: Highland Park senior safety/fullback Cristian Volpentesta knew his college choice almost immediately after donning a Wisconsin jersey on Saturday.
Not much later, the 5-foot-10, 195-pounder accepted a preferred walk-on role at Wisconsin during an official visit. Volpentesta had also been considering Winona State.
"Right after I put on the jersey, I got the picture of the jersey and pretty much right after that I talked to the coaches and committed after lunch," he said. "This is my third time visiting. The thing that really sold me is when I was able to sit down with the coaches and talk about what they see with my future there. Right after that, they talked about how important the walk-on tradition at the program is, and I just knew I didn't see myself at anywhere else."
Volpentesta had 68 tackles, three sacks, three fumble recoveries and rushed for 392 yards and two touchdowns last season.
"They talked about all the guys that have been walk-ons, and they have a walk-on hall of fame there," Volpentesta said. "They take walk-ons very seriously. The facilities were unbelievable and the locker room. Everything there, from the staff to the facilities, is unmatched. I'm ready to work and can't wait to get out there and show that I can play at that level."
Volpentesta said the Badgers' coaching staff indicated he would play either cornerback or free safety.
Spears still deciding: West Aurora senior linebacker Drake Spears received an offer from Kansas on Saturday night during an in-house visit.
Spears, a three-star recruit, decommitted from Illinois on Friday and has been scrambling to find a suitable college.
West Aurora coach Nate Eimer said Spears' recruiting might extend past National Signing Day.
"It's been kind of a fluid situation, and I think there will be more stuff after signing day because some kids might decommit at the last minute and some spots might open up," Eimer said. "There's definitely been some action and some people getting ahold of me and him. He has never visited Kansas, so that would make it difficult to visit before Wednesday."
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
