Illinois and Notre Dame pursue Carmel’s 6-foot-7 Wyatt VanBoening, who knows ‘talent will only get you so far’ – Chicago Tribune

Carmel offensive tackle Wyatt VanBoening’s size certainly catches the eye.

But the 6-foot-7, 285-pound junior’s other attributes are no less significant in his emergence as one of the top prospects in his class nationwide.

“Of course, recruiters consider a player’s size,” VanBoening said. “But there are a lot of other factors. They’re also looking at how well you move, how you process information.

“They’re trying to figure out how quickly you learn new things — because once you learn enough about football, it slows down, and you can play at a higher level.”

Although VanBoening has only one varsity season under his belt — he started at right tackle for the Corsairs as a sophomore — recruiters believe he can play at the highest level of college football.

Even before June 15, the date when college recruiters were allowed to begin personally contacting players in his class, VanBoening had accrued 20 scholarship offers. Most of the offers came from Power Four programs, including Illinois and Notre Dame. Since then, VanBoening said he has received a “ton” of text messages and plenty of phone calls.

“That was when I started to realize which schools really wanted me,” he said.

But VanBoening’s primary concern is handling a change of position. He will flip sides this season, becoming Carmel’s left tackle, which he played as a freshman in the program.

“It’s crazy for me to think that I’m already halfway done with playing high school football,” VanBoening said. “My whole way of thinking about football is to focus on the game first and let everything else sort its way out later. I’m just trying to stop the person in front of me.”

VanBoening knows he’s not a finished product. Determined to get stronger, he has increased his squat from 385 pounds to 505 pounds in 12 months.

“I never thought I’d be at that level so quickly,” he said. “I wasn’t the strongest kid last year, so I had to make up for that by relying on my aggression and technique. I want to get as strong as possible. It creates a situation where you can make up for mistakes you might make.”

VanBoening’s work ethic has impressed Carmel coach Jason McKie, who played fullback for the Chicago Bears in seven of his eight NFL seasons.

“He definitely has great size and is really physical at the point of attack, but there’s so much more to what makes him effective,” McKie said. “He has a nasty streak in him, too, but what really stands out is that he practices on every snap with intent. He’s always trying to get better.”

VanBoening intends to be the best offensive lineman in his family. His older brothers Trenton VanBoening, who will play at Lindenwood this season after stops at Eastern Michigan and Penn, and Rhett VanBoening, who begins his second year at Army, are offensive linemen who graduated from Libertyville. Their father, Simon VanBoening, played linebacker at Nebraska and Kansas State.

“I’m a naturally competitive person who wants to do this better than them,” Wyatt VanBoening said. “They have a couple of years on me, so I always had some catching up to do. But they give great advice. I get to know things about recruiting and the game in general that others my age don’t know.”

Although Trenton VanBoening has been away from home for most of the past three years, he has seen enough to believe Wyatt’s upside is expansive.

“When you’re the youngest of three, you have to grow up pretty fast,” Trenton VanBoening said. “He has that attitude that if you don’t finish eating first, you won’t get a second helping.

“Strength-wise, there are a lot of guys I’ve been around in college who can’t do what he’s doing now. He’s just different than when Rhett and I were at that point.”

That includes Wyatt VanBoening’s size.

“I came back and noticed that he was bigger than me, and that was weird,” Trenton VanBoening said. “I want to support him however I can, but he truly is his own person, and he’s so goal-oriented. I’m definitely proud of him. He’ll always be the little brother.”

Wyatt VanBoening recognizes that’s an enviable position in his family. His brothers’ guidance made him feel much more comfortable in his varsity debut last season, and he will be all-ears going forward.

“Last year, they stressed to me to make it my priority to get off the line and onto the wide receivers,” he said. “They tried to prepare me as best they could, and I felt I held my own really well. Their best advice was to tell me not to only rely on my natural ability. Talent will only get you so far, but not as far as I want to go.”

Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.