Former local standouts see college football action in 2024 season

From playing at Power Four programs and competing on college football’s biggest stages to playing for the Division III national champions, here is what former local high school football players were up to in the NCAA ranks in 2024.

FBS players

Jyaire Hill, Michigan: Former Kankakee star Jyaire Hill had a breakout redshirt freshman season as a defensive back at Michigan last season.

After appearing in four games as a true freshman before taking a redshirt during the Wolverines' run to the 2023 College Football Playoff championship, Hill made his first career start for the Wolverines in the 2024 season opener against Fresno State. He would start nine more games throughout the year.

Hill earned team co-Defensive Player of the Game honors after recording six tackles, one for a loss, and two pass breakups in a 27-24 win over USC on Sept. 21. The following week against Minnesota, he recorded his first career interception in yet another 27-24 win on Sept. 28.

He wrapped the season with three tackles against Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl, which Michigan won 19-13 to finish the season 8-5.

Keagen Trost, Wake Forest: Former Kankakee offensive lineman Keagen Trost set a new career high for snaps last season at Wake Forest in the trenches. He played 766 snaps across the offensive line and field goal unit, making 12 starts in what would be his lone season with the program, a 4-8 campaign.

Trost entered the portal after the season and will jump to Missouri as a graduate transfer. He started with Morgan State in 2019 before transferring to Indiana State for four years. He made 12 starts across his final two seasons with the Sycamores before heading to Wake Forest.

Marques Easley, Georgia: After signing with Georgia out of Kankakee as a four-star offensive line recruit, ranked No. 22 in the nation, Marques Easley saw limited action as a freshman for the SEC champion Bulldogs.

Easley took the field in games against Tennessee Tech and University of Massachusetts, both blowout wins for Georgia. He will utilize his redshirt after playing in just two games.

Georgia finished the season 11-3, losing the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff.

Naz Hill, Wyoming: The fourth former Kankakee player to take the field for an FBS program last season was defensive back Naz Hill.

He made is college football debut as a redshirt freshman for Wyoming in the season finale against Washington State and recorded a solo tackle. The Cowboys won the game 15-14.

Hill entered the transfer portal after the season and will play for Southern Illinois next season. The Salukis are coming off a 4-8 season at the FCS level.

Jaydon Wright, Minnesota: Like his cousin Jyaire Hill at Michigan, former Bishop McNamara star Jaydon Wright went to the Big Ten after a successful high school career.

Wright signed with Minnesota as a three-star prospect after gaining 815 yards from scrimmage as a senior with the Fightin' Irish in 2023. He missed the 2024 season with an injury for the Golden Gophers, but will be back with Minnesota for his redshirt-freshman season. Minnesota went 8-4.

Josh Gesky, Illinois: The 2024 season was the best for the Fighting Illini in some time. They won 10 games for the first time since 2001 and finished the season as the No. 20 team in the country.

Manteno’s Josh Gesky favored heavily in that success as a junior. He started all 13 games at left guard and earned All Big-Ten honorable mention honors and Academic All-Big Ten honors for the second year in a row.

He has seen his role on the field increase each season. After redshirting in 2021, he played 11 games as a special teamer in 2022. He appeared in 10 games at right and left guard in 2023 with eight starts.

Clayton Leonard, Illinois: Joining Gesky on the Illini roster the last season was Iroquois West’s Clayton Leonard. A former All-State selection and three-start recruit, the redshirt sophomore saw his first on-field action last season in what was his third year with the program.

Leonard took the field briefly in the season opener against Eastern Illinois after moving from offensive line to tight end for Illinois. In addition to making his debut, Leonard also earned academic All-Big Ten honors for the second year in a row.

Cannon Leonard: Himself a former All-State selection at Iroquois West, Cannon Leonard set out on a path similar to his older brother Clayton Leonard. Cannon joined a Big Ten program two years ago as an offensive lineman at Iowa, and this past redshirt freshman season joined Clayton on the academic All-Big Ten team.

The 6-foot-8 Cannon did not see any game action last season for the second year in a row as the Hawkeyes went 8-5 and 6-3 in the Big Ten.

FCS players

Tyshon King, Youngstown State: The 2024 season was the second at Youngstown State for former Bishop McNamara star Tyshon King after transferring from Division II Northern Michigan in 2022. He had been at Northern Michigan since 2019.

After rushing for more than 1,000 yards in 2023, King saw his rushing numbers dip a bit as part of three-man rushing attack in 2024. Still, he ran for 576 yards and seven touchdowns on 138 carries. He also caught 13 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown and logged nine kickoff returns for the Penguins. He was named a Missouri Valley Football Conference honorable mention in 2024.

King announced his declaration for the 2025 NFL Draft after the season.

Tony Phillips, Grambling State: After an electric high school football career that started at Bishop McNamara and ended at Kankakee, running back Tony Phillips made his college football debut last season as a freshman.

Phillips saw a bit of action for the Grambling State Tigers. Appearing in six games, Phillips had six carries for nine yards.

In the team’s second game of the season against Tuskegee, which was Phillips' debut, he had two catches for four yards and his first career touchdown. He also had one punt return for 12 yards on the year.

Matt Allen, Eastern Illinois: Former Bradley-Bourbonnais standout Matthew Allen was a redshirt freshman offensive lineman at Eastern Illinois last season, his second with the program. He did not see any game action as the Panthers went 3-9.

After earning All-SouthWest Suburban Conference and academic All-State honors as a senior for the Boilermakers in 2022, Allen followed in the footsteps of his father Scott Allen, who played at Illinois, as a college football player in the state.

Travis Jones and Jace Pankey, Illinois State: After redshirting as a freshman in 2023, Herscher’s Travis Jones took the field for Illinois State to make his college football debut in 2024.

Jones appeared in 12 games for the Redbirds. He recorded eight total tackles, five solo tackles and three assists. He also recorded a pass breakup in the team’s FCS Playoff loss against No. 5 California Davis. The Illinois State defense ranked in the top half of the FCS in scoring defense as the Redbirds went 10-4 in 2024.

Iroquois West’s Jace Pankey was a freshman offensive lineman for the Redbirds last season and did not see any game action in his first year of Division I college football.

Division III players

AJ Mancilla and Caleb Barclay, North Central: The North Central Cardinals played in their fifth-straight Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in 2024, which is the Division III national title game, and took the crown for the third time in that span. They also won in 2019 and 2022. Former Bradley-Bourbonnais players Caleb Barclay and AJ Mancilla were part of that title-winning team.

Barclay, a junior wide receiver, played in a career-high five games in 2024. He had one catch, the first of his career, for six yards in the team’s 70-7 win over Elmhurst on Nov. 2.

Mancilla, a freshman linebacker, did not see the field in his first season. He was part of a defense that allowed just 11.8 points per game, the eight-best mark in the nation. North Central went 15-0 in 2024 for the second time in three seasons.

Chris Hill, Millikin: After a three-season stint as an offensive lineman at Millikin in Decatur, the last two as a starter, the 2024 season was the last in the Division III ranks for Reed-Custer’s Chris Hill.

After 25 games with Big Blue, Hill entered the transfer portal after the 2024 season and signed on with Illinois State for 2025, making the jump to the Division I FCS level.