Posted by: Jeremy Werner
Friday, June 19, 2009 9:06 AM
Frank Boenzi, a 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive tackle from Geneva (Ill.), had the chance to compete with some of the top defensive linemen in the area at the Nike Football Training Camp on June 6.
Boenzi held his own with some of the top prospects, which included Michigan State commitment Will Gholston and Illini recruiting target Bruce Gaston, a defensive tackle from St. Rita.
"That was pretty hard, but it was fun," Boenzi said. "It was fun to see the other competition in the state up close. It was just cool to play next to them because they were all really good, all the kids that were there."
Boenzi made a trip to Northern Illinois the day after the Nike combine to give the Huskies coaches a closer look at his skillset at a one-day camp.
After helping Geneva reach the Class 7A state championship game (Geneva fell to East St. Louis at Memorial Stadium), Boenzi has drawn plenty of recruiting interest.
Schools showing early interest in the tough-nosed senior nose tackle include Illinois, Northern Illinois, Colorado, Purdue, Indiana, Michigan State and Minnesota. Many of the schools visited Geneva High School during the May evaluation period.
"A lot of the coaches told my coach they really like me and that I just need to work on my grades and get those up," Boenzi said. "We'll see what happens from there. ...I've been told in January I should be getting some offers."
Boenzi said he didn't take academics seriously as an underclassmen but that his grades have vastly improved.
"I'm taking three classes over the summer," Boenzi said. "I ended up with three B's and a C (in the spring). My second semester went better, so my grades are on their way up. I just took the ACT last Saturday. It went awesome."
Boenzi said he has no favorites right now but that Colorado, Indiana and Illinois are showing him the most interest. He said Illinois coaches called him in the spring and asked him to attend a one-day camp.
But Boenzi said he does not have many visits planned this summer.
"Someone told me they have my highlight tape out that I don't need to go to any of the camps," Boenzi said. "I don't know who's really, really interested in me now, so I'm not going to waste my time going to random camps."
