Illinois lineman chooses MSU
Jack Cornell Jr. of Notre Dame High School in Quincy, Illinois is going to be a Spartan. The 6-foot-6, 295 pound offensive tackle chose MSU over Nebraska, Illinois, Missouri, Purdue, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. The Lansing State Journal reports that his new friendship with fellow Michigan State recruit Paul Simkovich played a large part in his commitment to MSU.
“Illinois and MSU were pretty much dead even,” Cornell said. “Meeting a guy like Simkovich really put me over the top because I didn’t get a chance to meet people like him when I was at the other places.”
At 6-foot-6, 295 pounds, Cornell is rated as the 12th best prospect in Illinois by rivals.com, a recruiting Web site. He and Simkovich join Darrell Davis-Budanauro of East Grand Rapids as offensive line commitments for 2007.
“Playing next to Simkovich and guys like Davis-Budanauro is going to be awesome for the next four or five years,” Cornell said. “If we can all stay together, I see us winning some championships.”