LaGrange (Ill.) Nazareth Academy safety Henry Sakalas visited Illinois on Tuesday and was offered by the Illini.
This is the first Big Ten offer for the 6-foot-4, 195-pound Sakalas. The Illini now step in and become an immediate contender.
“We did talk about an official visit and are finalizing all of it, but the weekend of June 5-7 is the plan,” he said.
The unofficial visit was a memorable day for Sakalas and his family.
“It was awesome,” he said. “Getting to talk to Coach Bielema and be there with my dad when he offered me was special. It is something I’ll always remember. This offer means a lot to me. Being a hometown kid and the thought of getting to play for my hometown team is amazing.”
In addition to it being inside the state, Sakalas sees many aspects of the program to like beyond that.
“I love so many things about the program,” he said. “Love their nutrition and strength side of it and how hard they work with that side of football. I also love Coach Hauck’s style of attacking defense and feel as if I’d be an awesome fit.”
A big, versatile defender, he can project to almost any kind of defense.
“My role really just depends on how the schools see me fitting in to their defense,” he said. “As a whole most schools see me as a hybrid type. Being able to be a strong safety, but also being able to step down as a Nickel type and blitz and be a run stopper.”
Sakalas was a captain for the Roadrunners last season.
