Several East St. Louis Flyers will be signing National Letters of Intent to further their education, and continue their football careers next week. The first day of the national signing period for football will be next Wednesday.
Leading the way is Gregory Taylor, who will sign with the University of Missouri. Game after game, Taylor proved why he was a threat every time he touched the football. The two-way domino combined his speed and toughness for a team-high 1,782 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns for Darren Sunkett’s IHSA Class 6A semifinalist.
Taylor will play defensive back at Mizzou. He was also a monster on defense for East St. Louis, where he was credited with 94 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions for the Flyers defense. The No. 19-ranked prospect in Illinois by Rivals.com, Taylor chose Mizzou because of the loyalty the Tigers showed to him.
“Coach Gary Pinkel was the first coach to offer me a Division I scholarship my junior year,” Taylor said. “Sure, I had several offers during my senior season. But at the end of the day, I felt loyal to them. It’s a great fit and I’m feeling being wanted as a student/athlete. And Pinkel and coach (Cornell) Ford are great.”
Linebacker Kyron Watson will be signing with the Kansas Jayhawks. The 6’2” 226-pound Watson should step in and play right away for the Jayhawks. He turned down Syracuse, California, Illinois, TCU, Mizzou and Michigan State, among others.
Ranked No. 20 in Illinois by Rivals.com, Watson was one of the most feared downhill linebackers in the state. Watson recorded an impressive 165 tackles, four sacks, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Watson feels he’s ready to play his freshman year.
Defensive back Trevon Prater will sign at Syracuse after originally committing to Western Michigan. After one look at the Carrier Dome, and the school’s famous Communications program, Prater made the switch to Syracuse after a recent visit.
Prater was impressive on the secondary for East St. Louis with 70 tackles. He was one of the area best ball hawkers with seven interceptions. He also had seven touchdowns on offense. Prater also had offers from Kansas, Indiana State, Illinois State and others.
Despite the loss of such talented players, Darren Sunkett’s team will be loaded once again in 2014. It will feature one of the best defensive lines in the country with returning starters Kenny Knight, Leon Hyde and Terry Beckner Jr., who is ranked the No. 2 defensive end in the country by ESPN.
In addition, tailback Natereance Strong, one of the nation’s top running backs, returns after a leg injury that ended his season midway through the 2013 season. Strong, at 6’2” and 220 pounds, finished second in the state in the 200 meters for the Flyers’ 2013 State runner-up track & field team.
