OG Grant adds an SIU offer

Chicago (Ill.) Mount Carmel junior offensive guard recruit Jalen Grant (6-foot-3, 280 pounds) was able to add his first offer from in-state Southern Illinois University. Grant, who has been impressive this winter at various camps and showcase events recaps his latest recruiting news here.

"SIU offered me a few days ago and that was my first offer," Grant said. "I hadn't had much contact with SIU until a few days before they offered me so it was a nice surprise to add my first offer from them."

Grant filled us in on his impressions of landing his first offer from SIU.

"I went online and did a little research on SIU. I've also been talking to one of the kids who just signed with them (East St. Louis OL Devin Hunt) and we talked about SIU and he said it's a definite family vibe and he's really excited about signing with SIU. I've been in contact with Coach (Trevor) Olsen and he's the coach who offered me over the phone. SIU has a junior day on April 6th and I'm going to visit for the junior day."

So who else has Grant been in contact with so far this winter?

"Besides SIU I've also been in touch with the coaches from Eastern Michigan, Rice along with Harvard and a few other schools. The feedback from the college coaches has been pretty positive. The coaches are telling me to keep working hard and they also just want to get to know me better."

Grant, who also saw significant playing time last season at defensive tackle for the Caravan also filled us in on what he's working on this winter to improve his overall game.

"I've been working on improving my overall strength and quickness. I've also been working on losing fat and adding more muscle and I've been able to get my weight down this winter. I would say that some of my strength is run blocking and I love to get out and pull and just catch people off guard. I've also been versatile and played on both sides of the football at times last season."

Grant is also excited for his upcoming 2019 senior season.

"We are looking good and working hard in the weight room this winter. We will graduate a lot of seniors in the spring but we also have a lot of talented underclassmen."

Jalen Grant has a scholarship offer from Southern Illinois University.