IlliniHQ.com
Prater receiving plenty of interest
Sunday June 7, 2009
Rick Danzl
Proviso West receiver Kyle Prater, catching a ball during Saturday's Nike Training Camp at Memorial Stadium, says he has narrowed his list to 10 schools - one of which is Illinois.
To read more from Saturday's Nike Camp, click here.
To see photos from Saturday's Nike Camp, click here.
CHAMPAIGN – In seven months, in a city far from home, Kyle Prater will make his college choice. Then, a week or so later, he'll be moving to that college campus for good.
The Proviso West receiver, rated the top senior prospect in the state and No. 19 overall in the nation by Rivals.com, plans to enroll a semester early. The tricky part is figuring out which school he'll attend.
Recently, Prater cut his list from everybody to 10 schools. On Saturday, he was on the campus of one of the 10 (Illinois) for the Nike Football Training Camp.
The list (in alphabetical order) reads: Alabama, Auburn, Illinois, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Southern Cal and Tennessee.
Prater's got all sorts of helpers when it comes to his college choice. His parents, obviously, are involved. So is his coach, former Illini Famous Hulbert. Friends and strangers are offering advice. So are other college recruits, like future Illini quarterback Chandler Whitmer.
"He's cool about it," Prater said. "He wants to get me here. But I'm still looking. We always talk about that. We always work out together. That would be fun."
First, Whitmer tried to convince Prater to join him this season at Downers Grove South.
"I tried to get him to come over here," Prater said. "I'm not leaving. He'd have to come with me. I've built a relationship with my coach and my teammates."
Prater said he will keep his list at 10 until he feels comfortable cutting it. He doesn't have a timetable to eliminate schools.
Decision day will come Jan. 9 at the U.S. Army All-American Game in San Antonio. Prater will have school caps in front of him and pick a winner.
Prater doesn't view recruiting as a burden.
"I thank God, first," Prater said. "I thank God for giving me the ability. My family helps me with the process. I get a lot of calls. I treat everybody with respect."
Prater said multiple factors will be a part of his choice: academics, playing time, relationship with the coach and players, program success, proximity to home, etc. None is bigger than the other.
"It's just going to be the feel for me," Prater said. "When I take my officials, I'll know where I want to go."
Prater has seen articles written about him on recruiting Web sites and in newspapers.
"I don't let anything get to my head," Prater said. "I always keep working. Even if I see something positive, it's a motivator to work harder. If it's something negative, I'll work harder. I'll work all the time to be No. 1, no matter where I'm at."
Prater's visit to Memorial Stadium on Saturday helps Illinois. The receiver has already pictured himself on the field, scoring touchdowns in a Big Ten game.
He has developed relationships with Illinois receiver Arrelious Benn and quarterback Juice Williams. They talk on the phone or send text messages. He has relationships with players at other schools, too, mostly receivers.
"It's cool," Prater said.
Before he picks a college, Prater has a senior season to play with the Panthers and Coach Hulbert. He caught 60 passes for 948 yards and nine touchdowns in 2008. He would like to see those numbers go up. And he'd like to lead Proviso West to the playoffs for the first time in school history.
"My goal is the team goal," Prater said. "I don't really set too much on me."
Just what Hulbert wants to hear.
"We're looking forward to big things this season," Hulbert said.
The former Illini knows exactly what Prater is going through in recruiting. In 1993, Hulbert was rated among the nation's elite high school linebackers. He picked the Illini over offers from Ohio State, Iowa and others.
"Before this even happened, before he got a phone call or a letter, I've been prepping his dad, prepping his family in terms of everything," Hulbert said. "Everything that I said could happen is starting to happen. Whatever assistance I can give to the family, I'm giving it. I'm basically the ultimate resource because I've been through it.
"I've prepped him to the point where it can be enjoyable. I don't want it to be consuming and overwhelming to the point that it's extremely frustrating. As we go on into the season, without him committing to a college, it's going to pick up even more."
There are differences between Hulbert's recruitment and Prater's. Hulbert didn't have to deal with the avalanche of calls from Internet recruiting sites.
"It's a new thing," Hulbert said. "Every school has a Web site."
Hulbert admits he has a bias toward Illinois for his star.
"In a perfect world, a kid from the state should stay in the state and represent the state," Hulbert said. "We've had a lot of conversations with Coach (Ron) Zook and the staff. As long as they take care of business, we'll do what we can do.
"The great thing is he's worked hard to give himself options. We're going to ride the wave and he's going to make an informed decision, which will be in the best interest of his career."
Candidates forum
Proviso West superstar receiver Kyle Prater has narrowed his list of schools to 10. Here is our guess on his final five, with an announcement coming at the U.S. Army All-American Game in January:
Illinois — He could take Arrelious Benn’s place as go-to receiver. Plus, it’s close to home.
Michigan — For first time, Wolverine recruits are hearing, “Come help us build a winner.”
Notre Dame — Proximity and local connections will make Irish hard to ignore.
Oklahoma — Illinois to Sooner State moves haven’t worked out in past (see Akim Millington).
Southern Cal — What’s not to like about the permanent hosts of the Rose Bowl?
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