How a Gabe Jacas photo convinced Illinois football to recruit the freshman defender

Описание: CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — During one of Illinois football’s bye weeks last season, defensive backs coach Aaron Henry was sent on a detour during his recruiting trip to Florida by head coach Bret Bielema. Originally in his home state to recruit corner Elijah Mc-Cantos, Henry and Bielema got a tip from Jack Daniels, a local coach who had known Bielema previously and Henry since he was in high school. It was about an edge rusher named Gabe Jacas. “I remember getting a phone call from two high school coaches in Florida that I think the world of — Lenny Jankowski and Jack Daniels. Those guys were like, ‘Hey you have to watch this guy.’ I flipped on the film,” Bielema said. “We're going into a bye week. I called Aaron Henry, and I’m like, ‘Change of plans; you’re going to go watch this guy practice.’” The Illinois staff had seen film, but it wasn't sure on the measurables. High school tape can be prone to high or awkward camera angles, and with a large portion of Jacas’ recruitment taking place during COVID the staff hadn’t had nearly as much of an opportunity to see him in person at camps or showcases. "We had seen film on Gabe, but everybody thought he was like 5-(foot)-9, 5-foot-10," Henry said. And then I think Coach Daniels let (Bielema) know like, 'Coach this kid is the real deal. He's legit size, he's a really good player.'" Henry went to Fort Pierce Central High School in Fort Pierce, Florida, to watch Jacas play. He couldn’t talk to Jacas at the time per NCAA rules, so that meant the coach at Jacas’ high school took him to go watch Jacas for a minute during class to check on those measurables. It turned out Daniels was correct. "Me and the coach walk by the class, and this kid is like a grown man," Henry said. "Later on that day, the coach ends up standing next to him and he had his brother take a — because I knew how tall the high school head coach was he was like 6-foot-3, 6-foot-4 — and so coach took a picture after I left of Gabe standing next to him and he had his shirt off. "I couldn't get back here ... I couldn't call coach fast enough. I said, 'Well, we need to send our whole staff down here — (outside linebackers coach Kevin) Kane and whoever we need to get down here to offer this kid." Jacas was committed to Tulane, with the Green Wave seemingly finding a prototypical edge rusher hiding in plain sight, but Illinois and Tennessee both found Jacas and offered to give him the chance at Power Five football. "Just being patient," Jacas said. "I wasn't really focused on that, just being patient and waiting for my time. Then when coach Henry said I was like six-foot it was crazy. It was just crazy because I was not that height when he came to see me down in Florida to my high school." Jacas is listed at 6-foot-3 and 265 pounds for the Illini. For reference, former Super Bowl MVP and All-Pro edge rusher Von Miller is listed at 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds. "He was like a god walking into school — he literally fit the bill," Henry said. "I have yet to see a high school kid that physically mature at that age. He checked all the boxes in terms of physical." Henry’s trip and urgency has paid dividends early for the Illini. Since Jacas signed with Illinois and joined the team, he’s offered edge rush help immediately. The coaching staff already sees him as one of the top edge rushers on the team, and used him as a third-down specialist for the first couple of weeks. “Sometimes you either got it or you don’t,” outside linebackers coach Kevin Kane said. “He came in with a lot of tools and a knack of how to do it.” Jacas came just shy of sacking the quarterback against Indiana before a two-sack game against Virginia tied him atop the team’s leaderboard on the season with Johnny Newton. "Gabe is special, man,” Bielema said. "... He’s got tremendous power, glide step and he has good instincts. As a pass rusher, those things are really quality things that if you don’t have them, it’s hard to teach them and he has the basic elements." Now with an injury to starting outside linebacker Ezekiel Holmes sidelining him for the rest of the season, Jacas is in position for an even larger share of snaps. "Virginia was kind of a stepping stone for me," Jacas said. "I'm excited for the rest of the season and what it has to offer." Jacas and Alec Bryant are the two likely options to start in Holmes’ place, and no matter who the replacement is, it means Jacas will have a much higher workload on earlier downs. “I think we’ve done a good job of getting him ready for certain situations and now he’s going to be getting thrust into a lot more,” Kane sa