‘Dream school’ just latest to make offer to Lincoln-Way East’s Jacob Alexander

Given that Jacob Alexander hasn’t even begun his junior year, he has to feel like his dreams are coming true.

Alexander is entering his penultimate year of high school at Lincoln-Way East. A defensive end, he already holds 12 Division I offers, 11 from Power Four schools. That includes “a dream school” just this week in the defending national champions.

Alexander already had offers from the likes of Purdue, Kansas State, Missouri, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, Cincinnati, Louisville, Rutgers, Illinois and Toledo. Wednesday, he added the University of Michigan to that list.

Alexander referred to Michigan as “a dream school” on X (previously known as Twitter). While he’s not committed yet, he told 247Sports.com the same day that “Michigan is at the top of the list right now.”

The Wolverines are the defending national champions and have produced a litany of NFL players the past several years, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. With former defensive coordinator Sherrone Moore taking over as head coach, it’s easy to see the excitement of getting an offer.

What’s more exciting, for Lincoln-Way East anyway, is that Alexander has earned all this hype and still has two full seasons to play with the Griffins.

Alexander has earned the offers he’s got. He’s 6-foot-4, 240 pounds and tied for second on the team in sacks last year with three to go with 13 tackles, one for a loss. While those raw numbers may not jump off the page, consider that Alexander was only a rotational player most of last year. Now add on that he did it at the highest classification in the state. Now finish with the fact that he did it for the state runner-up.

Toss it all together, and you have an ultra-exciting player on the defensive line.

“My versatility [is a huge strength],” Alexander said. “I’ve got really good power moves, but I’ve also got some speed moves, so I can really switch it up. I have a bunch of different looks that I can give blockers.”

That’s good awareness to have for someone so young. More impressive is Alexander’s awareness on where he can improve and what he has to do to reach that next level.

“I’m trying to get better with my hands right now,” Alexander said. “I’m trying to be specific with where I place my hands with certain moves. I want to perfect the craft of getting past blockers.”

A standout basketball player, Alexander always envisioned playing on the hardwood in college as opposed to the gridiron. He said while the path of football is different from what he expected as a kid, he’s still very excited to play on the big stage while receiving “a free education.”

Before any of that happens, however, he’s got two more seasons with the Griffins.

Coming off a 13-1 season, Alexander acknowledged that there’s much less experience on this year’s team after Lincoln-Way East graduated half a dozen standout defenders, its top three receivers, leading rusher and starting quarterback. He said the team is working on communicating better to get everyone ready for the moment when they start the year.

But even if the Griffins don’t win a state title this year, there’s always next year for Alexander, right?

Not even close.

“I just take it one day at a time,” Alexander said. “I’m playing this year like I’ve only got one year left and not two. I want to win every year, so I’m not thinking like, ‘Oh, if I don’t win this year I’ve got next year.’

“I want to win for the seniors and everyone else, because we all dream about winning a state championship.”

With Jonas Williams transferring in to play quarterback and Miami of Ohio commit Trey Zvonar catching passes from him, the Griffins offense is in great hands. Northwestern commit Caden O’Rourke and Alexander will be counted on to get the defense where it needs to be. After finishing runner-up two years in a row, the Griffins will be aiming for their fourth state title in football and first since 2019.

Making that happen is a top priority for Alexander, along with his own individual success. But with all of that, he just wants this group to experience the brotherhood of football.

“I want to make the all-conference team,” Alexander said. “I want to make all-state and have at least 15 sacks. As a team, we want to go undefeated in the regular season, make it to the state championship and win. But also, we want to come together as a team more and see everyone get better.”