Perkins looking forward to Illini junior day

Barrington (Ill.) junior defensive lineman Jackson Perkins is 6-6, 210-pounds and already has one offer under his belt from Eastern Michigan.

Right now, he’s spending most of his time on the basketball court — but football is where his heart and future are.

“Unless you are a five star recruit in both it’s hard to keep going recruiting wise and I think football is the way I want to go and the schools I want to go to,” Perkins said.

Basketball is helping Perkins work on his speed, agility and overall athleticism. Plus, it’s helping him to get noticed.

It definitely keeps me busy and athletic,” Perkins said. “It helps with the physicality of football. It kind of seems like I’m getting fouls called on me all the time. I have to tone it down a little there but overall it helps a lot."

On the recruiting trail, Perkins will visit Illinois and Eastern Michigan next weekend for junior days.

“I have never really been to Illinois, so it’s going to be cool to see what it’s like,” Perkins said. “They were a school that reached out to me.”

The interest from Illinois is somewhat new, but Perkins is excited to get to know the coaches and school more.

“Head coach Bill Cubit came into our school and was introduced to some of the recruits in the school and they invited me to junior day,” Perkins said.

Barrington advanced to the second round of the 8A playoffs and has a talented group of athletes returning for the 2016 season. They, along with Perkins, are a team full of athletes to watch.

“We’ve got some big boys,” Perkins said. “It’s going to be how hard we work in the offseason and in the summer and then how we mesh with the underclassman. But I think that we are all nice guys so we will mesh well.”