Donald Dillon has been so far under the radar that one major recruiting site has two different profiles of him, one with an incorrect spelling of his last name. But the Kenwood senior is starting to turn heads and, he hopes, change perceptions about Public League football.
The 5-11, 165-pound defensive back has nine offers from such high-profile programs as Arizona and Pittsburgh. It’s heady stuff.
“In all honesty, I didn’t think I’d be getting the kind of offers that I have right now,” Dillon said. “I just thought, ‘I’m just a kid from Chicago, I’m just playing football.’ “Then I get invited to all types of camps. Many people opened my eyes and let me see what I could really be.”
Dillon hasn’t always been a defensive back. Starting out with the Dolton Bears youth program, he actually played on the defensive line.
“I was one of the bigger kids,” he said. “(Later) I ended up playing tight end. As I got older, I moved to linebacker and running back.”
A turning point in Dillon’s career was his move to defensive back after the arrival of Sinque Turner as Kenwood’s head coach in 2017.
Dillon loves the position: “Just the feeling it gave me, the adrenaline, being seen as the bad guy. ... I’m the type of guy that loves challenges.”
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Dillon also played baseball at Kenwood, but gave it up to focus on football year-round. It’s probably helped to raise his recruiting profile, culminating in the Power Five offer from Arizona.
“When the (2018) season ended, I had maybe two weeks off,” Dillon said. “I worked my tail off till the season came, I promise I did.
“Every camp, every showcase Coach wanted me to go to, everything I heard about, I was going. Even if we had a family barbecue, I’m cutting a family barbecue to go work out.”
His coach appreciated the effort.
“He made tremendous strides in the offseason, just perfecting his craft, trying to get to the next level,” Turner said.
Specifically, Dillon said, “I got much better at covering the ball in the air.”
While he had around 65 tackles last season, his low number of pass break-ups rankled. He saw immediate improvement this year with three interceptions in a season-opening win against Young.
Now, Dillon is focused on building on Kenwood’s first state playoff appearance in 32 years and setting an example for his younger teammates.
“We’re looking great, maybe just a few tweaks after the (Week 2) loss to De La Salle,” he said of the Broncos (3-1, 1-0 Illini Prairie State). “I just want to become All-State and be a good person for people to look up to. Not a superhero ... just a guy to leave his mark on this school.”
That’s happening, according to his coach.
“I’m really proud of the kid,” Turner said. “He’s not much of a vocal guy, (leads) more by example. His peers gravitate toward him. He’s a good kid to have around.”
