Gurnee (Ill.) Warren Township junior inside linebacker recruit Malachi McNeal (6-foot-0, 220 pounds) is off to a strong start this season for the Blue Devils (2-0) and head coach Bryan McNulty. McNeal is also starting to see his recruiting stock rise this fall and recaps his latest recruiting news here.

"We are playing really well so far," McNeal said. "I've been just staying very focused and just staying within my role and doing my job the best way I can."

McNeal has also begun to draw increased recruiting attention this fall.

"I'm definitely starting to draw more college attention. I've been in contact with the coaches from Illinois, Iowa, North Dakota State plus South Dakota State. I've also been getting follows on Twitter from a lot more coaches. Eastern Michigan, Kent State and NIU all just recently started to follow me on Twitter and I hope to hear from those coaches soon."

Does McNeal have any college game day visits planned?

"I'm going to visit Illinois for a game on September 21st. North Dakota State reached out recently and invited me to a game and so did South Dakota State. I camped at South Dakota State last summer and really enjoyed it. Illinois is the only game day visit I have planned but I hope to get out to see a few more games this season."

So how has McNeal's game changed and improved from a season ago?

"Last year I was a sophomore on the varsity and I was just running around and just trying to make plays. This year I''m definitely more focused and I'm studying a lot more video and becoming a better student of the game. I'm also faster this season and I react better to getting to the football."

So how is the 2019 Warren Township defense different from last year's defense?

"This defense has a lot more speed and we have a lot more athletes on defense. Last year we had some more bigger guys but this year it seems like everyone is more athletic on this defense."