Recruiting notebook: Leshon Williams picks Iowa, AJ Henning visits Michigan

Richards running back Leshon Williams didn’t wait long to join his teammate Sebastian Castro at Iowa.

Williams, a junior with 15 offers, originally planned to wait until after the 2019 season to choose a school. That changed when the Hawkeyes offered a scholarship last week. Williams announced his oral commitment Thursday, tweeting that “it really is a surprise.”

The 5-10, 195-pound athlete posted massive numbers last season: 2,115 yards and 24 touchdowns, for an average of 163 yards per game and 9.7 yards per carry.

Castro, a senior, was one of the area’s top two-way players last season. The quarterback/safety signed with Iowa in December.

Richards opens the 2019 season against Lincoln-Way Central, St. Rita and Hillcrest.

THE OTHER VISITOR

Nazareth quarterback JJ McCarthy made a huge splash on his official visit to Michigan last weekend when he gave Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh an oral commitment. But he wasn’t the only local star on campus in Ann Arbor.

AJ Henning, the state’s top recruit in the junior class, was also on a visit. He’s recently visited Illinois and Louisville as well.

MAKING A NAME AT WESTINGHOUSE

Sometimes recruiting is a process that just makes you smile. That’s exactly what it’s doing for De’Andre Wilborn, a junior at Westinghouse.

Wilborn, a Sun-Times All-Public League Honorable Mention selection as a junior, makes efficient use of his 6-3, 220-pounds as both a defensive end and tight end for the Warriors.

He’s added several offers lately, the most recent from Army.

“Receiving that just made me smile from ear to ear,” Wilborn said. “I was speechless. Just looking into how Army is an amazing school coming off an amazing season and they offered me honestly made me delighted and so grateful.

And recruiting overall?

“It’s been amazing,” Wilborn said. “It’s honestly a dream come true. I have always had the dream of playing football at the next level and seeing it come true is mind blowing. The feeling of my first offer was unbelievable. I have put all my trust into my amazing coaching staff and they have put in so much extra work helping me to become an amazing young man. When I received the offer I tried to call everyone as I broke down into tears thinking how my dream is turning into reality.”

Wilborn seems poised to start attracting interest from even larger schools. He currently has offers from Army, Columbia, Eastern Illinois, Fordham and Georgetown.

“My favorite part is interacting with the coaches learning their story and them learning mine,” Wilborn said. “Also being able for my teammates to ride this journey with me as they see that it is possible to go to college and make a name for themselves.”

Academics are a top focus for Wilborn, which is clear from the schools that are interested in him.

“A lot of coaches have told me that it’s more than football and they like how I am a student athlete who not only loves the game but also the classroom,” Wilborn said. “I have also been hearing that they love my character and the type of person I am.”

This summer will continue to be busy for Wilborn, who will likely play defensive end or outside linebacker at the next level.

“I plan on going to Purdue, Illinois, North Central and Northwestern camps,” Wilborn said. “I’ll also visit Georgetown and some of the Ivy League schools that have offered me.”