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For more of Beth Long's recruiting coverage, go to recruiting.scout.com.

Less than a day after visiting Champaign for junior day, Benet sophomore quarterback Jack Beneventi received an offer from Illinois.

“I am so excited, I loved my visit there and their offense is a perfect fit for my style,” Beneventi said. “Plus all the coaches were what I am looking for.”

Illinois is Beneventi’s first BCS offer, and at the moment he received it, he didn’t quite know what to think.

“My mind was racing, it is a dream come true to get an offer from a Big Ten school,” Beneventi said. “Especially from Illinois because how highly rated their academics are, I loved the team, coaches, facilities, and their future plans for the program.”

Several standout to Garrett

Plainfield South junior linebacker Clifton Garrett has several schools standing out to him.

“Right now, I have to say LSU is making a huge impression on me, along with Ole Miss, Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Florida is definitely in that league, plus Ohio State is in there, and Tennessee,” Garrett said. “They all have really good defenses and can get me to the NFL which is my ultimate goal. Most of them have really good academics which is important to me too and they have really good coaching staffs.”

During Garrett’s spring visits there are several things that are important to him.

“I know the coaches are doing a great job recruiting me but the main thing I want to see is the coaches tell me where I stand and be real with me,” Garrett said. “I want to see the difference in the coaches. I also want to see where I am on their recruiting board and their depth chart at linebacker.”

Thorson adds SEC offer

Offer number 13 came in for Wheaton North junior quarterback Clayton Thorson recently from Ole Miss. And as for the program overall, the Midwestern prospect seems to be noticing them from afar.

“Their program has been doing well in the past few years,” Thorson said. “And they are bringing in some big time players so they are definitely going to be national championship contenders in the years to come, so that is intriguing.”

He added, “The SEC is obviously a great conference with good competition week in and week out.”

Thorson also has a visit planned to Penn State this week.

“I am looking forward to visiting with head coach Coach Bill O’Brien more and talking with their coaching staff as well as with the players,” Thorson said. “Another thing is just to see Penn State’s campus and what it is like.”

Other offers

St. Charles North junior offensive lineman Chase Gianacakos received an offer from Michigan State Monday, adding to offers from Illinois, Bowling Green, Kansas and Wyoming.

“Michigan State loves that I am very mobile for a big guy and have quick feet,” Gianacakos said. “I like that they run a zone scheme that is similar in some ways to the one I am used too. I also like the coaching staff and their attention to detail.”

Other new offers went out to Mount Carmel junior defensive lineman Enoch Smith Jr. from Syracuse.