- Indiana
MIDWEST RECRUITING: Zionsville’s Hartwig, Brownsburg’s Marcus continue trend of IHSAA stars staying home
Last week’s college connections:
Staying in Hoosierland for your college ball was a trend in March. The in-state path proved well traveled.
Zionsville center Gus Hartwig committed to Purdue last Wednesday night and Brownsburg running back Donny Marcus committed to Ball State Thursday afternoon. Carmel linebacker Ty Wise chose Indiana earlier this month.
Hartwig (6-foot-5, 280 pounds) is one of the top offensive line prospects in the Midwest for the Class of 2020. Some experts peg him the smartest and most fundamentally-sound lineman in the Hoosier State. He also has offers from Indiana, Virginia and Vanderbilt.
Marcus (6-foot-0, 175 pounds) helped lead Brownsburg (10-1) to a league title and an undefeated regular season last fall as a junior. The shake-and-bake specialist of a ball carrier rushed for 1,725 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2018. Wise racked up 90 tackles for a 2018 Carmel team that appeared in the state championship game in 6A.
News & Notes
Ft. Wayne Bishop Dwenger junior offensive lineman Luke Wiginton is the hottest line prospect in the state. Since last month, Wiginton (6-foot-5, 275 pounds) has scooped scholarship offers from Indiana Purdue, Minnesota, Illinois, Cincinnati and Vanderbilt.
Indianapolis Bishop Chatard junior offensive lineman Joe Solomon (6-foot-5, 275 pounds) just snagged his first power-conference offer when Indiana came in with a bid last week. Chatard ran the table in the 2018 regular season, advancing to semi-state in 3A where it lost to Evansville Memorial.
Culver Academies defensive end Deontae Craig managed to stay busy on the recruiting trail while he was holding down post duties for his school’s hoop squad during a second straight trip into the Class 3A state finals — while Craig and Culver collected a state crown in 2018, they fell to a scrappy, destiny-blessed Silver Creek club 52-49 this year in a game in which Craig scored 11 points and snared eight boards. In the midst of his tourney run on the hardwood, the pass-rush prodigy on the gridiron fielded an offer from Georgia Tech and took a visit to Purdue. This weekend, Craig will visit Notre Dame. Other schools to offer have been Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Indiana, Tennessee, Minnesota and Northwestern. Craig visited Michigan the weekend prior to sectionals tipping off.
