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Nebraska after Illinois multi-position athlete

Naperville (IL) North athlete Corey McKeon is reputed to be one of the most talented and versatile athletes in the state of Illinois.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound McKeon, with a 4.45 seconds 40-yard dash time, has played defensive back, linebacker, slotback and runningback in high school and could play any of the three positions in college.
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Such versatility and speed have made him an increasingly hot prospect with his list of offers growing by the day. In addition to previous offers from Wisconsin, Penn State and Connecticut he has added new ones from Purdue, South Carolina, Boston College, Bowling Green, Miami of Ohio and Northern Illinois.
"Recruiting's been going pretty good," McKeon said.
Other than those who have offered he is receiving major attention from many other college football powers.
"Iowa lately has been after me really big and UCLA said they really like me a lot. Nebraska has had a lot of contact with me too. I was visited at school by a ton of colleges. Colorado, Nebraska, USC, Penn State, Maryland - who I like a lot right now too, Oregon, Arizona, Michigan State and Minnesota all came by."
McKeon considers himself still wide open at this time and said that he doesn't have a "top 3" or "top 5" at this time. "It's still kinda too early. I do have some early favorites though."
He went on to comment on some of those early favorites:
Wisconsin - "I've been around their coaches a lot. I really like them, they are great guys. I went to camp there two times and it's a great atmosphere. There's a lot of commitment on the team, which is something I love in a team."
Purdue - "I like Coach Hagen a lot. I've talked to him a couple of times and he's a great guy. It's a great place too, I want to check it out. They have great coaches. As of now, Purdue is definitely recruiting me the hardest. They've had a lot of contact with me recently. Next week I'm heading over there to check out the campus with my parents."
Miami of Ohio - "I like Coach Wachenheim. It's a beautiful campus. It would be a great place to live and go to school. It's a good school."
Northern Illinois - "It's right here at home. Coach Novak is a great guy. I saw the campus when I went to a team basketball camp there. It's a great place."
Nebraska - "Lately I've been getting a lot more mail than usual from them. I've spoken with Coach Jamrog and they seem pretty interested in me. They want me to play safety, drop back linebacker or slotback. I know that they're after another player from my area who's pretty good too - Tommy Zbikowski. I've seen him play and we might conflict playing the same positions there. Plus, I've heard they don't offer too many guys from the same area. I'd be real happy if they offered me and I'd give them serious consideration because they're a great school and they have great coaches."
Oregon - "They've been pretty big on me lately too. They want me to play on the offensive side as a slotback. I'd be very comfortable doing that. I saw them play a couple of times last year. I love their program. It looks great. I want to get out there and check it out."
Boston College - "It's a great school. You get a great education there. I heard Boston is beautiful. I'd like to see it as soon as possible."
McKeon said his dream visit would be, "Definitely Michigan. It's one of those childhood things. I've always wanted to be a Wolverine, but they have not recruited me at all. Zero. Now, I want to play against them and beat them (laughing)."
Distance doesn't matter to him at all. "I want to get out and travel. I want to see and experience different areas of the country. I want to go to school where I'll feel comfortable. I want to play in the best surroundings for me that's why I need to get out there, look around and travel. I do like the Midwest and Big 10 area, but I would go where it's best for me - wherever that may be."
His priorities on his college choice are: "Definitely the surroundings and coaching staff will be big factors with me. I've always been surrounded by great coaches who get the best out of their players and that's exactly what I want on the college level. I'll go where I feel best about the coaches, where I feel comfortable and where I know they'll get the best out of me."
As for his timetable for his commitment, he said, "I'm definitely going to take all of my visits. How else am I going to get out to see schools across the nation and to see what they are all about? I can't take an unofficial visit to UCLA or schools like that, so I want to get out and see what they are all about."
McKeon plans to major in business, economics, journalism or some combination of the three.
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