Feb. 04--Northern Illinois coach Rod Carey announced the name, position and high school of the new Huskie and smiled.
"Quarterback from Mount Carmel," Carey said while unveiling his 2016 recruiting class Wednesday. "That seems to have worked for us in the past."
Two seasons removed from the Jordan Lynch glory years, the Huskies picked up another Caravan quarterback in 6-foot lefty Anthony Thompson.
Everyone loves an underdog story, which is why Lynch became a local legend in leading the Huskies to an improbable Orange Bowl appearance after the 2012 season and finishing third in Heisman Trophy balloting the next season.
From his first turnover-filled start directing Mount Carmel's option attack, Thompson has been a bigger underdog.
He improved "exponentially" throughout his junior year, according to Mount Carmel coach Frank Lenti, but had not received any scholarship offers before NIU's in April. Carey said a live evaluation of Thompson sold him.
Ryan Graham, one of four NIU quarterbacks sidelined by injury in a bizarre 2015 season, was coming off a similar unremarkable junior year at Wheaton Warrenville South when the Huskies scooped him up.
"When we evaluate a guy -- and I hate to sound arrogant or shrug it off -- but we keep our own counsel in our evaluations," said Carey, who scoffed at Internet recruiting rankings during his news conference. "We don't need anyone else telling us who is good or not.
"We think he is a fantastic player. Does Mount Carmel and the relationship we have with Coach Lenti have something to do with it? You bet it does because we respect the heck out of that program, but Anthony stands on his own two feet as a player."
Thompson ran the option smoothly as a senior, and Lenti took advantage of his strong arm by throwing more than usual.
He became a huge NIU fan the same time the entire Mount Carmel community did, when Lynch was taking the Huskies to unprecedented heights.
Thompson knows the unfair comparisons are inevitable, but he plans to embrace them.
"I wouldn't shy away from that," he said. "Those are big shoes to fill. I would love to be like Jordan Lynch one day."
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
Huskies class at a glance
Instant impact: Loyola defensive tackle Ben LeRoy was more of an "Under the radar" candidate when he accepted NIU's scholarship offer in April, but he didn't stay there. LeRoy was the most dominant player on the top-ranked team in Illinois, the driving force behind the Class 8A champion's six shutouts. But when schools from bigger conferences caught wind of him, he refused to hear their pitches. He's up 10 pounds to 265 from his listed weight, and while Carey prefers to trade a player's 18-year-old season for one at 22, LeRoy may be too good to redshirt.
Under the radar: Shawano, Wis., isn't a common stop on the recruiting trail, and Carey's staff didn't have to fight off many competitors for Ezekiel Gueths. But Carey is excited about developing the 6-foot-5, 280-pound offensive lineman. "He's a basketball player, he's got good feet, he's the valedictorian of his class," Carey said. "The whole package."
Local angle: Austin Warner participated in an NIU camp after his junior season and, in Carey's words, "killed it -- I don't think he knew how good he was." The Oswego offensive lineman is starting to figure it out. He was surprised to receive an invitation to the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl in California last month and undoubtedly benefited from the experience.
Name, Pos., Ht., Wt., Hometown/school
Mitchell Brinkman, TE, 6-3, 235, Council Bluffs, Iowa
Antonio Cannon, RB, 5-9, 175, Oak Park
Marcus Childers, QB, 6-0, 212, Adairsville, Ga.
Lance DeVeaux Jr., S, 6-0, 190, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Jalen Embry, CB, 6-0, 184, Iowa Central CC
Ryan Gibbons, WR, 5-11, 175, Maine South
Andrew Gregory, LB, 6-1, 197, Normal
Ezekiel Gueths, OL, 6-5, 280, Shawano, Wis.
Jack Heflin, DL, 6-3, 245, Prophetstown, Ill.
Daniel Isom, CB, 5-10, 173, St. Louis
Karon Keyes, WR, 5-7, 155, Glenbard East
Justin Knauf, K, 5-10, 153, Rockford Boylan
Ben LeRoy, DL, 6-2, 255, Loyola
Corey Lersch, LB, 6-3, 210, McHenry
Alton Meeks, DE, 6-3, 244, Iowa Western CC
Benn Olson, OL, 6-4, 260, Burnsville, Minn.
Andrew Parchment, WR, 6-3, 180, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Brayden Patton, OT, 6-4, 265, Elletsville, Ind.
Jordan Robinson, WR, 6-3, 175, Miami
Ivan Smith, ATH, 5-11, 170, Homestead, Fla.
Anthony Thompson, QB, 6-0, 196, Mount Carmel
Austin Warner, OL, 6-4, 265, Oswego
