- Michigan
MI Fair Warning From Warren De La Salle — Pass Rush Menace Muragin Picks Illinois
The passing pockets in the Big Ten are now officially on-notice.
Warren De La Salle senior defensive end Mason Muragin committed to the University of Illinois this week, bringing one of the storied Detroit Catholic League’s all-time most elite pass rushing prospects to the Tribe in Champaign-Urbana and the Big Ten Conference.
The quarterback-crunching Muragin (6-5, 250) highlighted a state-championship defense at De La Salle last fall, recording 13 sacks and 55 tackles. He broke out on the recruiting scene as a sophomore during De La Salle’s run to the state finals
Muragin visited Illinois last weekend. The Fighting Illini were one of more than a dozen offers that came Muragin’s way in the past 16 months. Muragin’s excellent work in the classroom had the Ivy League and military service academies on his heels as well. Cornell and Columbia made bids, as did Army, Navy and Air Force.
“It came down to culture and confidence,” Muragin said. “This is a program on the rise and I want to be on the ground floor for the liftoff.”
Brett Bielema took the reins of the Illinois team in December, returning to the college ranks from a pair of assistant-coaching gigs in the NFL. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, Bielema’s Wisconsin clubs won three Big Ten titles.
