Recruiting notes: St. Francis’ TJ McMillen grateful with 20 offers, different opportunities

TJ McMillen has been in the recruiting process since Syracuse offered him a scholarship at the end of his freshman year in May 2020.

The St. Francis junior has been talking with coaches for years and has received 20 offers since everything started. But no matter how many offers he gets, including the recent wave in January, each offer feels surreal.

“It’s definitely amazing just knowing how many schools and how many different programs think that I can help their program and think that I can help lead them to success in some sort of way,” McMillen said. “It’s also crazy learning all the different ways that they think I can help.”

The lineman received offers from Boston College, San Diego State, Toledo, Nebraska, Western Michigan and Akron all offered in January while Eastern Michigan offered on Wednesday. Those schools joined Syracuse, Central Michigan, Eastern Kentucky, Arizona State, Miami of Ohio, Penn State, Texas Tech, Missouri, TCU, Kansas, Bowling Green, Ball State and New Mexico State.

247Composite ranks McMillen as a three-star lineman, the 10th-best player in Illinois and No. 504 in the nation. Rivals gave McMillen a three-star rating, 12th-best in the state.

McMillen has enjoyed talking to different coaches and hearing what their plans are for him and what side of the ball they think he should play. The junior doesn’t have a preference of what position he plays, as long as he can play college football.

“I definitely want to go where the best fit is, wherever the team needs me to play, I’ll play,” McMillen said. “If they want me to play at fullback, I’ll play there. If I get to play football at the next level and get my education paid for, that’s all I want.”

He’s visited Purdue, Wisconsin, Iowa and Northwestern for games this past season and visited Kansas recently. McMillen will visit different schools in the Big Ten, ACC and SEC in the coming months as schools have invited him to visit and he juggles the end of his basketball season and his brother’s wedding.

McMillen said he plans on making his decision around the time of Early Signing Day in December and wants to find a place he can call home.

“I want a place that has a great education that I can know where in four years walking out of that school that I’m going to be really well-educated for the rest of my life,” McMillen said. “Also a place where I feel like I can just call home with the coaches and the players that I meet there and the kids coming in.”

Getting closer

Kahlil Tate has worked his entire life to realize his dreams of playing college football and the Kenwood junior is getting closer to realizing his dream.

The recruiting process has been exciting and humbling for the cornerback prospect, and his recent wave of January scholarship offers just remind him that his hard work is paying off.

“You know you did everything to earn it, but it’s really happening,” Tate said. “It’s a really great feeling.”

Tate holds 15 offers after a busy first month of 2022. Bowling Green was the first to offer in the new year followed by Syracuse, Boston College, Minnesota, Oregon, Iowa, Tennessee, Missouri and Ole Miss. Penn State was the first school to offer the cornerback in January 2021, and Nebraska, Ball State, Central Michigan, Colorado and Michigan all followed suit throughout the year.

247Sports Composite ranks Tate as a three-star cornerback who is ninth-best prospect in Illinois and ranked No. 447 in the nation. Rivals gave Tate a three-star ranking, eighth-best in the state.

Tate has visited Illinois, Notre Dame and Northwestern so far and will make some visits to schools in March and will see coaches again in April for a spring evaluation. The junior was surprised by his offer from Oregon and was impressed when Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz came to visit him.

“I really like Iowa a lot,” Tate said. “They brought their head coach in the other day, so that meant a lot to me. But other than that, it’s an even playing field for all the schools.”

The junior is looking for schools to show hospitality when he visits campuses and wants to play under coaches and with teammates that will push him. He wants to be comfortable with his position and strength coach because he know that’ll help the cornerback succeed.

Tate has been communicating a lot with different coaches and enjoys texting with them. He’s just grateful to be in the recruitment process and has found ways to make sure he balances talking to coaches along with school and football.

“I see it all as a blessing, so I really don’t mind taking the time out of my day to do it all,” Tate said. “It’s really a blessing to me.”

‘Crazy’ opportunity

Logan Lester knew his hard work would pay off.

The Kenwood wide receiver had put in the time to become better and added two more offers in January to make it five opportunities to play college football.

“I don’t take it for granted,” Lester said. “Sometimes it’s surreal, sometimes when I sit back and look, I’m like wow this is crazy, I’m getting this opportunity.”

Western Michigan and Bowling Green were the latest schools to offer the junior in January. Lester also holds offers from Nebraska and Kansas in 2021 and Boston College in 2020.

The wide receiver has visited Illinois, Northwestern, Nebraska, Kansas and Notre Dame over the last two seasons and still needs to decide where he wants to visit in the upcoming months.

“I’m looking for a great place, somewhere that’s not just offering football,” Lester said. “Somewhere I can be able to have fun and not just be there for football. I want a great environment too.”

With each offer, Lester feels like he has more to prove and knows there will attract more attention from competition. But he’s grateful his hard work is paying off.

“It’s amazing,” Lester said. “I’m one step closer to that main goal and I’m just trying to enjoy the journey. I’m feeling like it’s more of a possibility each day.”