Stuckey talks Illinois junior day

Olympia Fields (Ill.) Rich Central linebacker Matthew Stuckey Jr. made his way to Champaign for a junior day visit on Saturday.

OrgangeandBlueNews.com caught up with Stuckey to talk about the trip to his home state school.

“My family and I had a great time,” Stuckey said. “When we were there it was the second practice in pads. That part was really cool. I like seeing how the guys practiced and watching all the coaches interact with the team provided a really good atmosphere.”

So far, Stuckey holds offers from Bal State, Northern Illinois, and Illinois State. He was an All-Area performer as a junior playing outside linebacker. Stuckey could also play strong safety at the next level.

Stuckey said he was impressed in Illini head coach Lovie Smith on his visit, and likes that he is focusing on players from the state of Illinois.

“He knows his stuff, and he believes in his staff,” Stuckey said. ‘His goals were to get everyone on board so that Illinois can compete for championships. I think he’s doing a good job with the process and trying to keep the best student-athletes in Illinois.”

Illinois has a relatively small number of scholarships available in the class, and Stuckey said the Illini coach told him to be patient and let things unfold.

“He told us he has a process, and in my case he only needs two linebackers in the class,” Stuckey said. “He’s looking for everything from my understanding; grades, can the athlete play, how is his work ethic, his personality on and off the field.”

Academics won’t be an issue for Stuckey, and it will be a major factor in his ultimate college decision.

“I was told some players he wanted to offer but couldn’t offer because they didn’t have the grades,” Stuckey said. “That’s not an issue for me. I have 3.35 GPA, weighted is a 3.7 and 26th in my class.”