The Midwest might be down for the recruiting class of 2015, but there are still some superstar prospects in the region.
Jashon Cornell, of St. Paul (Minn.) Cretin-Derham Hall, is one of those prospects. He is widely considered a top-50 prospect nationally and a five-star. On Saturday, he competed at the Chicago regional of the Nike Football Training Camp. He came determined to show his skills.
"Getting a shot to go to The Opening is a really big deal for me, because last year I felt like I was robbed for it, so I'm taking my rejection and coming back and competing even harder," he said, noting that he woke up before 4 a.m. to make the drive.
Cornell measured in at 6'3, 265 pounds, and definitely has the build of a strong-side defensive end type. And in keeping with that, Cornell said that he is focused on being more explosive with his hands, keeping his chest free of blockers.
Cornell does not have a top-10 list, but he does know when he wants to decide.
"The first game of the school year, on ESPN," he said of the game that will take place on Aug. 28.
What will it take for a school to land Cornell?
"It's about my my mom and academics," he said. "The average NFL career is only four years, so you have to have a degree and a plan when that's over." Cornell wants to major in international business and minor in communications, and looks forward to traveling when his NFL career is over.
Cornell named quite a few schools when asked which were recruiting him the hardest, and specified that they were not in any order: USC, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Florida State, Michigan, Stanford, UCLA, Michigan State, Penn State, Northwestern and [two more schools that I couldn't make out because the audio recorder caught a large amount of feedback due to the wind.]
Cornell has seen some of those schools, but will be looking to make a trip to the West Coast to check out the Trojans and some other Pac-12 programs. Cornell was wearing a USC Trojans hat Saturday prior to taking part in drills, along with Michigan State shorts.
I'll check back in with Cornell after he makes his trip out West. He has not yet been invited to The Opening, but it could still happen, as more invites have been given out in the weeks following events this year.