Recruiting notebook: Driscoll’s Baker a receiver on the rise

Lineman Sean Cascarano of Glenbrook South has received offers from Michigan State, Indiana and Cincinnati.
(Tom Cruze/Sun-Times)

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Last December, between celebrating his school’s seventh state football championship in a row and accepting the coaching position at Evanston, then-Driscoll coach Mike Burzawa lost track of Austin Baker.

‘‘I was talking to [a reporter] about the top prospects on next year’s team, we started talking about the Evanston job and I forgot to mention Baker’s name,’’ Burzawa said.

So in one nationally circulated survey, Baker wasn’t included. But that was then, and this is now. The 6-5, 210-pound receiver with size 16 shoes has made up for lost time in a hurry. He is receiving a lot of attention from college recruiters, and the telephone keeps ringing.

‘‘The sky is the limit with his potential. His best days are to come,’’ said Brandon New, Driscoll’s new coach. ‘‘He was immature early. He was the biggest kid on the field and wasn’t challenged much. But he accepted the team concept last year. In college, he will either be a slot receiver with a huge mismatch problem for opponents or he will grow into a tight end.’’

Baker, who was point guard on the basketball team, was one of four receivers who caught 30 passes or more on last fall’s state championship team. He hasn’t received any scholarship offers yet, but Illinois, Michigan State, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and all the schools in the Mid-American Conference have expressed interest.

‘‘He slowly matured as the season went along,’’ Burzawa said. ‘‘In the playoffs, he stepped in and made some big catches, including two touchdown receptions against Bishop McNamara. He needs to work on his footwork and speed. He is just learning to understand the game.’’

FIRST OFFERS: Sean Cascarano of Glenbrook South, a 6-6, 260-pound offensive lineman, has received offers from Michigan State, Indiana and Cincinnati. Coach Mike Noll expects others to follow, probably from Illinois, Northwestern, Virginia, Stanford, Iowa, Purdue, Duke, Rice, North Carolina and Vanderbilt.

‘‘He could be the best offensive lineman I’ve coached in 20 years,’’ Noll said. ‘‘He is a very good student. Ivy League schools are interested. Colleges are looking for linemen with size, length and agility. There is no doubt that he is a Division I player. He has great choices to make.’’

THORNTON DUO: Thornton coach Bill Mosel, who once had eight products in the NFL at the same time, more than any other school in the country, has two more prospects who he believes have that kind of potential — quarterback Darren Jones and wide receiver Jamal Gray.

Jones, a 6-3, 195-pounder, has been offered a scholarship by Illinois, Michigan and Indiana.

‘‘Potentially, he could be as good as any quarterback [remember Antwaan Randle El] I have coached,’’ Mosel said. ‘‘He can throw the ball and has great athleticism. The spread offensive is a perfect fit for him.’’Gray, a 6-3, 190-pounder, has been offered a scholarship by Illinois, Indiana and Western Michigan. He also has great athleticism and could play receiver, running back or free safety.

BARRINGTON DUO: Barrington coach Joe Sanchez has two promising recruits — 6-3, 265-pound offensive lineman Gus Handler and 6-2, 225-pound linebacker Alex Smith. Handler plays left field on the baseball team, and Smith has been timed in 13 seconds for 200 meters.

Handler has been offered a scholarship by Air Force and has attracted interest from Stanford, Northern Illinois, Miami (Ohio) and Ball State. Smith has been offered by Air Force, Army, Western Illinois and Wyoming while Iowa, Northwestern and Miami (Ohio) are also interested.