Fighting Illini football may soon be adding another lineman to their 2017 recruiting class. According to Illini Inquirer’s Jeremy Werner, three-star offensive tackle Alex Palczewski (IL) has narrowed his college list to Illinois, Vanderbilt, and Syracuse. Additionally, the big 6-foot-6, 260-pound prospect announced that he’ll be making his college decision on Wednesday (January 25).
Three-star @PHSKnightsFBall OL @PalczewskiAlex close to decision. Where do #illini, #Vanderbilt and #Syracuse stand?https://t.co/edycfqSi4j
— Jeremy Werner (@JWernerScout) January 22, 2017
According to 247Sports, Palczewski is rated as the No. 1236 overall player and No. 34 Illinois native in the class-of-2017. Other Power 5 programs that had previously expressed interest include Indiana, Michigan State, Minnesota, N.C. State, and North Carolina; these schools may have stopped their respective pursuits because Palczewski missed his entire junior season at Prospect (Mt. Prospect) with a neck injury.
Palczewski received an in-person visit from Lovie Smith on January 19, and that was followed with an official trip to Champaign the following day.
Had a great time today meeting with Lovie Smith and all of the other coaches from Illinois! pic.twitter.com/20ieZbeAoW
— Alex Palczewski (@PalczewskiAlex) January 20, 2017
Illinois’ offensive line currently sits at three-deep for this recruiting cycle thanks to commitments from three-star OL Vederian Lowe (IL), three-star OL Larry Boyd (MO), and three-star OL/early enrollee Hojo Watkins (OH). With six scholarships remaining, another commitment from Palczewski would essentially wrap up this position group until next year.