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Recruiting Wrap

Miles Osei on Illini monitor

Posted by: Jeremy Werner

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 8:50 AM

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Miles Osei's name belongs in the Mt. Prospect record books. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound quarterback has put up huge numbers in his three years as Prospect's starting signal caller.

But Osei's name is nowhere to be found in the Prospect's career stat leaders. What's the deal?

"We actually don't keep individual records," Prospect coach Brent Pearlman said. "If I had to guess, I'd say (Osei) has every single quarterback record at Mt. Prospect, and we had (former Tennessee and NFL quarterback) Jeff Francis. (Osei) may even be the No. 1 rusher because he has more than 3,000 yards rushing."

Osei continues to leave his mark on Prospect football history. He's completed almost 70 percent of his passes for more than 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns. Osei has also thrown for 900 yards and 14 touchdowns. Pearlman said Osei has a reputation as a run-first quarterback but insists the senior is a standout in the pocket.

"I think he's an equal passer and runner," Pearlman said. "Early on, he got tagged as a running quarterback, but he throws the ball extremely well. He's a true dual threat quarterback with a maturity and the type of charisma that you want in a quarterback."

Osei has caught the attention of several Division I programs with early offers from Air Force, Akron, Ball State, Buffalo, Illinois State, Navy Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois and Tulane. He's also had continued interest from a handful of Big Ten teams, including Illinois and Northwestern, and almost every Mid-American Conference team. Oregon and Syracuse have also expressed interest.

But competition for Osei's services may become even more heated soon.

"The media has blown him up in the last five weeks," Pearlman said. "He now gets calls from schools he never heard from before. I think his recruitment will peak as the season comes to a close.

"He's playing the waiting game. Recruiting quarterbacks is a different animal. Most schools just want one quarterback, so they don't offer very many. Really, 25 to 30 schools are looking at Miles. He's just waiting to see how things fall."

Pearlman said Illinois has shown interest in Osei, despite already having a verbal commitment from Downers Grove South quarterback Chandler Whitmer.

"They say they are interested in him," Pearlman said of Illinois. "I haven't talked to the coaches. One of our assistants has talked to the Illinois coaches. But they were down for one of our games. Our communication is that they love the kid. I don't know where they stand with him now, but our indication is that they really, really like him.

"If he were to end up at Illinois, I think in four years people all over would know his name and they'd be pretty happy with him."

Osei has led Prospect to a 7-1 record, pacing the team to 470 yards and 41 points per game. Pearlman said Osei is focused on leading his team deep into the playoffs but will concentrate on his recruitment this winter.

"I think after the season's over, he'll focus on his recruitment," Pearlman said. "He probably won't wait until signing day to make a decision. He'll attack recruiting like he attacks everything else. He's competitive."