Super Bowl: Illinois connection
The 54th Super Bowl on Sunday in Miami will feature a handful of names from the State of Illinois.
Enjoy this look back at the some familiar Land of Lincoln names now playing on the biggest stage this Sunday.
OL Nick Allgretti Lincoln-Way East (Illinois)- Allgretti, was a 7th round selection of the Chiefs in the 2019 NFL Draft and has appeared in seven games this year as a rookie. Allegretti was a three star ranked offensive center by Rivals.com in the Class of 2014 was also a three year varsity starter for the Griffins and head coach Rob Zvonar along with being an All State selection in his junior and senior season. Allegretti signed with Illinois over offers from Cincinnati, Northern Illinois, Toledo, and Western Michigan. He also had strong interest from Indiana, Purdue, Nebraska, Boston College, and Duke.
LB Ben Niemann Sycamore (Iowa)- Niemann signed with the KC Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and made the 53 man roster coming out of training camp. Niemann was a two star ranked athlete by Rivals.com in the Class of 2014 was also an All State linebacker for Sycamore in his junior and senior season for head coach Joe Ryan. Niemann signed with Iowa over offers from Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan and Illinois State.
RB Tevin Coleman Oak Forest (Indiana)- Coleman, who was a 3rd round selection of the Atlanta Falcons of the 2015 NFL Draft and played for the Falcons for four seasons before signing a two year free agent contract with the 49ers in March of 2019. Coleman was a three star ranked running back by Rivals.com in the Class of 2012 and was an All State selection in his senior season for the Bengals and head coach Brian McDonough. Coleman was also played receiver, quarterback, defensive back and returned kicks and punts for the Bengals in his high school career. Coleman signed with Indiana after considering offers from Michigan State, Illinois, Iowa, Purdue, Georgia Tech, Minnesota, West Virginia, Syracuse, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo and Western Michigan.
QB Jimmy Garoppolo Rolling Meadows (Eastern Illinois)- Garoppolo, who was a second round selection of the New England Patriots in the 2014 NFL Draft was then traded by the Patriots to the 49ers in October of 2017. Garoppolo was a two star ranked quarterback by Rivals.com in the Class of 2010 and was a back to back all conference and all area selection. Garoppolo signed with Eastern Illinois after considering offers from Illinois State and Montana State while also drawing recruiting interest from the likes of Purdue and Northern Illinois.
OL Laken Tomlinson Lane Tech (Duke)- Tomlinson, who was a first round draft pick of the Detroit Lions in the 2015 NFL Draft and was then traded to the 49ers in 2017 and Tomlinson has been a starter for San Francisco over the past three seasons. Tomlinson, who was a three star ranked offensive guard by Rivals.com in the Class of 2010 and was an All State selection in his senior season at Lane Tech. Tomlinson signed with Duke after considering several Power 5 offers from the likes of Ohio State, Stanford, Northwestern and Tennessee. Tomlinson, who was a high level academic student at Lane Tech stressed the overall importance of academics in his recruiting process as having the highest priority and a key factor in deciding on Duke.
TE Daniel Helm Glenwood (Duke)- Helm, who originally was signed a an undrafted free agent by the Chargers and was picked up off waivers by the 49ers. Helm, who was a four star ranked tight end by Rivals.com in the Class of 2014 and Helm was an All State choice in his senior year for the Titans and then head coach Dan Rourke. Helm originally signed with Tennessee out of high school but then transferred out to Duke after his freshman year and finished his college career with the Blue Devils.