Shane Illingworth is one of the top quarterbacks out West and will be a national recruit in the class of 2020.
Illingworth played at Corona (Calif.) Centennial as a freshman but transferred to Villa Park in the off-season. He had to sit out the first five games of the season but is now back in action, sharing time with junior quarterback Paul Piferi.
Illingworth is a big kid, all of 6-6, 225 pounds with a live arm and the ability to make every throw on the field. For his size, he's also a plus athlete who can move, make plays with his legs and buy time in or out of the pocket.
He can throw with touch down the field or put as much heat as needed and just needs more game experience to really elevate his game. He was impressive during the spring/summer 7v7 circuit and his game translates really well to the next level. In terms of upside, Illingworth has all the tools to be a big time player in college.
On the recruiting front, Illingworth landed early offers last spring from Arizona State and Colorado and is also hearing from Cal, Hawaii, Notre Dame, UCLA and USC. He took a visit to South Bend two weeks ago for the Irish's big home win over USC.
"I spent the whole weekend there, Friday to Sunday and had an incredible time," Illingworth said. "I loved the overall family vibe there. The coaching staff makes the game as fun as possible but still but still makes sure the players give maximum effort and to stay disciplined.
"The facilities and the academics are second to none and it's just breathtaking there. I think what I liked most though was the religious aspect of the school. I like how the church and God are put first, that's big for me."
Illingworth was able to spend some quality time with the coaches as well.
"I met with coach Tom Rees, most of the offensive coaches and the recruiting coordinator," Illingworth said. "They're awesome people and I think I would fit in really well there. They like running quarterbacks that can make plays and I know I can be that guy.
"The game atmosphere was incredible. I’ve never seen so much school pride and you can literally feel the energy in the stadium, I had chills. The coaches said they're watching me and just want me to build up my film and come back for a camp for further evaluation. I definitely plan to get out there for a camp, I want to get back to South Bend soon."
Illingworth said he plans to take several other visits but hasn't locked in anything right now.
"I'm mainly focusing on trying to win a championship right now," Illingworth said. "I'm going to take a lot of visits in the off-season but I still need to sort out where. I've been to a couple of USC and UCLA games this season but the only out of state trip I took was the one to Notre Dame."
