After weighing all his options, Naperville Central senior Nick Linne has committed to play baseball at Northwestern.

The three-sport athlete will focus on baseball instead of actively searching for more football opportunities. The Redhawks quarterback threw for 1,711 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior, later drawing an offer from Illinois State.

Linne, a versatile infielder/outfielder, said that Central baseball coach Bill Seiple and his Illinois Sparks travel team coaches did too much selling to Northwestern on his behalf to reconsider the decision.

"It's just a verbal right now, but I'm not gonna change my mind. It's not gonna happen," Linne said Thursday after football practice. "I'm really excited to get up there next year."

Neuqua Valley defensive lineman Mike Khalil and Waubonsie Valley defensive back Ryan Yaeger will join forces next season at North Central College.

The Cardinals are coming off an 11-1 campaign in which they were ranked No. 2 in both Division III national polls at the end of the regular season.

Naperville Central junior quarterback Nick Linne has been offered by Illinois State. The three-sport athlete said he's not yet close to deciding between playing football or baseball on the next level.

Per EdgyTim, here's a cool video featuring Waubonsie Valley wide receiver Scott Kuehn.

Two local seniors recently announced their intentions to continue their football careers in college.

Neuqua Valley offensive lineman Scott Doehring is headed to Wisconsin-Platteville, the school announced Wednesday. Doehring was a Sun All-City choice and an all-Upstate Eight Conference pick. Platteville, a Division III school in southwestern Wisconsin, finished 4-6 last year and is a member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Meanwhile, Naperville Central running back Nick Kukuc is staying close to home by committing to North Central College. Kukoc, a Sun All-City honorable mention selection and first-team all-DuPage Valley Conference choice, ran for 591 yards and eight touchdowns for the Redhawks.

All along, Riley O'Toole said he just likes making plays. It looks like the Naperville Central senior will have the opportunity at Northern Illinois.

O'Toole was not part of the 24-man class the Huskies assembled last month. O'Toole visited Iowa during the football season and discussed the possibility of being a preferred walk-on at Arizona, but he has chosen to stay close to home.

The 6-foot-4-inch O'Toole has been one of Central's most valuable and versatile players across the last two seasons, lining up at wide receiver, linebacker, safety and punter. A unanimous all-DVC selection last year, O'Toole caught 28 passes for 537 yards and six touchdowns.

Recruiting comes down to where you fit on a program's big board. If a team needs a quarterback, Illinois would be a good place to look.

Of the top 30 juniors in the Chicago area, five are quarterbacks, all of whom are slotted within the first 21 spots. The list compiled by Taylor Bell and Tom Lemming includes Chandler Whitmer (Downers Grove South) at No. 6, John Whitelaw (Hinsdale Central) at No. 7 and Taylor Graham (Wheaton North) at No. 19. It appears the class of 2010 is stocked at the position.

It's winter, so Naperville Central guard Nick Linne is into basketball. But the spread offense quarterback who was responsible for more than 2,000 yards of total offense as a junior has begun receiving the mass mailings from college football programs, Arizona and Northern Illinois in particular. But baseball is another sport the 6-foot-1-inch, 195-pound athlete could potentially play on the next level. Linne said he'll be more prepared to weigh his options after the spring season.

"Really either football or baseball," Linne said. "Right now (I'm) really focused on football because I've already had my junior season. ... I still have to play my junior season for baseball and you really don't start getting letters for baseball until after that junior season so I got a ways to go."

Central's football and baseball programs enjoy state-wide reputations and its athletes are encouraged to play both sports. But relatively speaking the baseball team, which won a state championship in 2006, may have a slightly higher profile. Assistant Phil Lawler - whose son Scott is the associate head baseball coach at Notre Dame and brother Jim was a long-time assistant at Texas A&M - could open some doors.

"Coach Lawler's got a bunch of connections," Linne said. "If you're playing good for our team, he's going to get your name out there."