The Latest on Sagesse

(This article originally appeared on www.orangeandbluenews.com.)

A three-star defensive lineman from Canada wants to play for Ron Zook's Fighting Illini, pending a final decision on his eligibility from the University of Illinois.

Renaldo Sagesse, a 6-foot-4, 310-pound defensive tackle from Vieux Montreal in Montreal, Quebec, wants to start school at Illinois in January if his academic standing is cleared by the school.

Sagesse expects a decision within a couple weeks from the University of Illinois.

Sagesse, a native French speaker who just began speaking English at age 10, was offered a scholarship at Wisconsin, but was not allowed in to school by the admissions department of the Big Ten school.

According to Sagesse, several schools appeared close to offering scholarships, but balked when he was denied admission at Wisconsin. Illinois is his only standing offer.

If he is not accepted at Illinois, he plans to visit Michigan on January 12, as a guest of the coaching staff there. He did say definitively, however, that if he gains admission to Illinois, he wants to be a member of Ron Zook's program.

"They're good people there at Illinois," Sagesse said. "It's a really nice place and a very good situation for me, I would like to go there."

Due to an extra year of Canadian prep school, Sagesse is already 19, and appears prepared, size-wise, to play college football. He is a three-star prospect in the Rivals.com database, and boasts 5.1 speed in the 40-yard dash.