One of the Chicago area’s rising defensive line recruits for the 2021 class is receiving notice outside the state of Illinois.
On Monday, Ryan Keeler received a scholarship offer from FAU.
However, this isn’t the first time the Nazareth Academy (La Grange Park, IL) prospect has gained interest from a southern college program this month.
Keeler took an ACC/SEC tour of campuses in mid-January which included rivals Georgia and Georgia Tech along with College Football Playoff National Champion, Clemson.
His first stop was Athens to meet with the Bulldogs.
“The staff cares for their players with a deep passion,” Keeler recalled. “I was able to watch a workout and the strength coaches impressed me with how engaged they were. They motivated the players to go beyond their limits.”
The sophomore reflected on the visit to see the Tigers, who not only finished this past season with an undefeated record, but a conference title as well.
“Clemson’s staff was very down to earth and easy to talk to,” he said. “I sensed a real family atmosphere. An atmosphere where fun and winning go perfectly together. Very impressed.”
Keeler’s next stop was back to the state of Georgia with time spent at the Yellow Jackets’ Atlanta campus.
“The new staff at Georgia Tech is going to be a game changer,” he said. “The coaches are all young and eager to win. They are going to restore the program. I see big things coming.”
And the junior to be is no stranger to Power 5 camps as well.
Last summer, he worked out at one of this past season’s College Football Playoff qualifiers, Notre Dame.
“The Notre Dame camp was amazing, well run and organized,” Keeler said of the trip to South Bend. “We would go from station to station working on the same drills that their current players do. I really enjoyed talking with all the players that were helping out with the camp.”
