Jan. 30--West Aurora senior linebacker Drake Spears became the latest to join a growing trend when he decommitted from Illinois on Friday night.
Spears orally committed to Illinois in mid-June, but after exploring his options, Spears re-opened his recruiting via Twitter. The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder became the fourth player in the last two weeks to decommit from the Illini, joining Harlem defensive end Joshua Black, O'Fallon running back Kentrail Moran and Detroit Cass Technical linebacker Tim Walton.
Currently, Illinois coach Bill Cubit has secured just four in-state commitments, including Lincoln-Way East offensive lineman Kurt Gavin, Auburn safety Juwuane Parchman, Hinsdale Central offensive lineman Doug Kramer and East. St. Louis defensive back Stanley Green.
"I'm going in a new direction and looking for a better fit," Spears said. "There's no bad terms with U of I. I loved them and they loved me. I just have to move forward."
Spears, a Tribune Second-Team All-State selection, helped lead the Blackhawks to their first playoff appearance since 1994. He collected 36 tackles, rushed for 358 yards and hauled in 25 receptions for 337 yards.
West Aurora coach Nate Eimer said Spears had "about 10 to 12 offers" at the time he committed to Illinois. Eimer and Spears have discussed potential landing spots, with Wednesday serving as National Signing Day. Eimer said Connecticut, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan were among the schools pursuing Spears before he committed to Illinois.
"The good thing is Drake is an (academic) qualifier, and he will have an opportunity to play," Eimer said. "When we send his transcripts to other schools, he's going to get in somewhere. This is more of a situation that just happened. It's unfortunate this happened, but I know we will have more time and some new schools have suddenly become interested in him.
"Everybody in this process has done it the right way. Drake is a good and humble kid. We just decided to open it up and find a new place. We're hoping for the best, and there have been people contacting him that weren't before he committed to Illinois in the summer."
Spears said Kansas is one of the schools that contacted him early Saturday, but also said his recruiting is wide open.
"It's has gotten real crazy too fast," Spears said. "Some new schools are calling. It's been fast-paced, almost like my sophomore year in recruiting. I have to just move forward.
"I feel it's gotten better than yesterday. Friday was nerve-racking and I'm hoping for the best after hearing from some schools. It's going to be a very busy next few days."
Saturday is the final day of the contact period for college coaches and assistants to visit or talk with prospects and their families. Eimer said Spears should have plenty of options.
"It's been a tough just under 24 hours for him trying to figure all this out," Eimer said. "It's been kind of crazy. I didn't realize how much things are up in the air for these schools and how aggressive they still are for these kids. I've heard from some new schools that we didn't hear from before.
"Basically right now, we're trying to figure our options. Obviously, things are filling up and schools are figuring things out with what they have and don't. This has been a fast process."
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
