Old-school gets it done for Fenwick's Jake Thies

From the transfer portal to big NIL deals to coaches job-hopping, the college football world constantly is evolving.

But there’s one place where stability reigns, and that was a big draw for Fenwick’s Jake Thies.

One of the heroes of the Friars’ stunning Class 6A championship victory against East St. Louis last fall, Thies recently committed to Iowa in the 2027 recruiting cycle.

The two-way standout had some good options from the Big Ten (Illinois, Northwestern, Purdue, UCLA) to the SEC (Vanderbilt). But Thies liked what he saw in the Hawkeyes, a perennially successful program run by Kirk Ferentz, the longest-tenured coach in major-college football.

‘‘Right now, the way college football is changing, Iowa hasn’t bought into any of that,’’ Thies told the Sun-Times. ‘‘They’re staying true to what they do — how they recruit, how they handle stuff within their team.

‘‘It’s an old-school team, a physical team.’’

If that sounds like Fenwick, which has won two state titles in the last four seasons under coach Matt Battaglia, it’s no coincidence.

‘‘That was another thing I was looking for,’’ Thies said of a team with a similar mindset. ‘‘I’ve enjoyed my time at Fenwick. The program fits me super-well.’’

The 6-foot, 185-pound Thies has been a force on both sides of the ball for the Friars at safety and running back. In the victory against East St. Louis, he piled up 200 all-purpose yards, 19 tackles, an interception and two touchdowns — one on a 74-yard run.

Thies, the consensus No. 23 prospect in Illinois in the 2027 cycle, has a college future as a defensive back. Iowa’s reputation on that side of the ball and its track record of making players better factored heavily into his decision.

‘‘That’s the place that’s going to develop me the best,’’ Thies said. ‘‘The DBs coach [Phil Parker] is also the defensive coordinator. No school is going to be able to top that.’’

Thies started playing flag football when he was 3 and tackle when he was 6, so it’s no surprise he comes from a football family. Dad Scott, who is Fenwick’s athletic director, played at DePauw, and older brother Tommy, also a mainstay on the 2025 state champs, is heading to Miami (Ohio).

Thies said he is excited to move on to the next level, playing in front of huge crowds on national broadcasts.

Before that, however, he’s all-in for his final season at Fenwick.

‘‘Right now, I’m just really focusing on being bigger, stronger, faster every season,’’ Thies said. ‘‘I’ve been working with Pete Houlihan, a DB trainer, working on the small details. If you’re a step late, that’s too much.’’

A point of emphasis is making sure the Friars have the right mindset this fall.

‘‘The main message I’m trying to get across to our guys [is] we can’t live off a win from last season,’’ Thies said. ‘‘It’s not the same team. Not getting complacent is huge.’’