High school football notebook: Jacob Alexander commits to Illinois, Evanston and St. Laurence hire coaches

Football was not on Jacob Alexander's radar when he was in junior high.

"I was a basketball kid," the Lincoln-Way East junior said.

He did play a little with the Joliet Ravens youth football program as an eighth-grader. But Alexander didn't really take the sport seriously until an encounter with Lincoln-Way East coach Rob Zvonar.

"He told me to come to camp and try out," Alexander said.

One thing led to another, and now Alexander is one of the newest members of Illinois coach Bret Bielema's 2026 recruiting class. He's the second local junior to commit to the Illini, following DeKalb receiver Davon Grant.

Alexander, a 6-4, 240-pound edge rusher, is a three-star prospect ranked 13th among Illinois juniors in the 247Sports composite ratings.

He picked the Illini from among more than a dozen Power Four offers, including eight in the Big Ten.

What made Illinois the right fit?

"I would say it was the defensive scheme," Alexander said. "I see myself fitting in well. ... And also the people in the building; everybody there was genuine."

It's early in the 2026 recruiting cycle to commit, but Alexander saw no reason to wait.

"I just went off when the time was right," he said. "After the visit, it felt like the right time."

Alexander first realized college football was a realistic option when he was called up to the varsity for the 2002 playoffs as a freshman.

"I was holding my own with the older guys," he said.

Alexander has been one of two elite prospects up front for the Griffins' defense. Senior Caden O'Rourke, another edge rusher, is headed to Northwestern.

"He definitely taught me a lot," Alexander said. "Especially with me being younger and new to the game."

Another teammate who sharpened Alexander's skills is junior quarterback and Oregon commit Jonas Williams.,

"He's a guy who likes to get out of the pocket," Alexander said. "Chasing him down every day helped me a lot."

Evanston hires Osei

Evanston has hired Miles Osei as its new head coach to succeed Mike Burzawa, who stepped down after 17 seasons.

Osei went 21-3 over the past two seasons at Kankakee, reaching the Class 6A quarterfinals both years. Before that, he spent six seasons at Elk Grove, leading the Grenadiers to their first playoff berth in seven years in his final season,

The Wildkits were 3-6 last season and last made the IHSA playoffs in 2021.

St. Laurence picks Swanson

Pat Swanson, the defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator at Mount Carmel, has been hired as St. Laurence's head coach.

Swanson also has college coaching experience at Wisconsin-Platteville (where he was a four-year letter winner), North Dakota and Northern Illinois.

He succeeds Adam Nissen, who was let go after six seasons, including a Class 4A runner-up finish in 2023.

Transfer time

Two top junior prospects have announced on social media their plans to transfer.

Receiver Blaise LaVista is going from Libertyville to Lincoln-Way East.

Last season, LaVista was the favorite target of Wildcats quarterback Quinn Schambow, who threw for 52 touchdowns. Twenty-four of them went to LaVista, who had 60 catches for 1,447 yards.

Now LaVista will team with Williams, who is the state's top-ranked junior and the No. 85 player nationally.

Tight end Gavin Mueller, the No. 15 junior in Illinois, left St. Francis for South Elgin. His offers include Illinois, Indiana, Florida and Texas A&M, among others.