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Not a bumper crop Fewer big-time recruits than usual from Chicago area.

Article Excerpt
Byline: Adam Rittenberg Daily Herald Sports Writer

When a particular region produces a wealth of first-rate football recruits, it's often linked to some magical and mysterious ingredient in the local water supply.

Perhaps it's not surprising then, that after last summer's drought, the Chicago area generated one of its thinnest recruiting crops in recent years. Several elite prospects emerged and made big splashes, but the number of talented players who will sign national letters of intent Wednesday is well below normal.

"I've been doing this 27 years and I have not seen a year this weak," said Tom Lemming, the Schaumburg-based recruiting expert for CSTV. "There's nobody here."

Added Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Tim O'Halloran: "This is probably the lowest amount of (Division I-A) signings that I've seen in 15 years. The upper-level kids are legitimate prospects, and then there's just a huge drop-off."

The famine affected some local teams more than others.

Notre Dame was unfazed, nabbing two elite Illinois prospects - quarterback Demetrius Jones of...

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