High school football: Jacobs offensive lineman Jimmy Wormsley commits to Southern Illinois

Jimmy Wormsley will admit there might have been a little bit of doubt in his mind.

As the Jacobs offensive lineman finished his junior season and looked toward his senior year this fall, he still did not have a single college scholarship offer.

“Being a four-year starter, I started the recruiting process after my freshman year,” Wormsley said. “Seeing a lot of people get a lot of offers, you start to think: ‘Boy, I’m going into my senior year and I don’t have an offer yet.’ I was a little worried.”

The 6-foot-2, 295-pound Wormsley received his first offer from Southern Illinois on April 19. On Monday, about two months later, he committed to play for the Salukis.

“The whole coaching staff really believed in me,” Wormsley said. “They’ve stayed in touch and made that evident.”

Wormsley was a force on the Golden Eagles’ offensive line last year, helping the team to a 7-5 season and an IHSA Class 7A quarterfinal appearance. SIU plans to have him play interior offensive line.

The Salukis were Wormsley’s only offer, and he was OK with that.

“I’m not going to walk around and boast about the 50 offers I had or anything, but all I need is one,” Wormsley said. “I don’t need to sit there counting up my offers. I’m just concerned about finding the right fit and going somewhere where I can see myself for four or five years.”

Wormsley is excited about the Salukis' coaching staff, including head coach Nick Hill and offensive line coach Trevor Olson. Both of them visited Jacobs on the day they offered Wormsley the scholarship. Wormsley said the offer was a “weight off my shoulders.”

He also likes the atmosphere on campus and that the Carbondale campus is near some good fishing sites. Jacobs coach Bill Mitz said he thinks SIU is a good fit for Wormsley.

“The way this is nowadays, you’ve just got to go with your heart sometimes,” Mitz said. “I think he feels a real strong connection with that offensive line coach and the head coach.”

On top of that, Wormsley is one of the best players Mitz has had in some three decades of coaching. In 28 seasons at Stevenson and now seven seasons at Jacobs, Mitz said Wormsley will be the first four-year starter he’s ever coached.

“I’ve had guys that have been All-Big Ten, played in the NFL, all that type of stuff,” Mitz said. “Jimmy’s the first to start four years for me.”