Bolingbrook Guard Brady Pettigrew Ranks as Top Recruit
Families of local athletes now face earlier college timelines as recruiting rules shift for the class of 2028.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Secondary Education
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Bolingbrook guard Brady Pettigrew has emerged as a consensus five-star recruit and a top 10 player in the national class of 2028. The 6-3 guard has more than 35 scholarship offers, including from Duke and North Carolina.
Why it matters
For families in the Bolingbrook area, a player of this rank is a rare local benchmark, and the first to reach this level since Jahlil Okafor and Cliff Alexander in 2014. His father, Titcus Pettigrew, said new rule changes taking effect in 2027 mean colleges are taking the last of the older players, which is shaping how families plan the recruiting timeline.
Brady Pettigrew is a 6-3 guard at Bolingbrook and a consensus five-star recruit in the class of 2028. He has more than 35 scholarship offers, including from Duke and North Carolina, and has taken an official visit to North Carolina.
The players
Brady Pettigrew
A 6-3 Bolingbrook guard and consensus five-star recruit ranked among the top 10 players in the class of 2028.
Titcus Pettigrew
Brady's father, who has said the family believes in the 2028 timeline and that new rules are reshaping how colleges recruit older players.
Jon Scheyer
Duke's head coach, who visited Pettigrew at Bolingbrook.
John Calipari
Arkansas's head coach, who visited Pettigrew at Bolingbrook.
Jeremiah Fears
A former Joliet player who skipped his senior year and was the No. 7 pick in the NBA Draft after one season at Oklahoma.
The details
Pettigrew's recruitment has drawn direct attention from major programs, with Duke coach Jon Scheyer, Derrick Rose and Arkansas coach John Calipari visiting him in Bolingbrook's gym. His father said Brady could come out for college together with brother JT next season, which would make him a possible package deal. The family has said it is not considering sending Brady to a prep school.
Timeline
2014: Jahlil Okafor and Cliff Alexander were the last local players to reach this level.
2027: Rule changes affecting college recruiting of older players take effect.
2028: Titcus Pettigrew prefers Brady's college entry in the 2028 class.
The Home Front
Early college entry by local players has become a recurring path in recent years, following Joliet's Jeremiah Fears and Homewood-Flossmoor's Bryce Heard, who skipped his senior year after leading his team to the state title as a junior. The Pettigrew family's decision sits within that pattern of families weighing early college timelines against traditional high school completion.
If you have a student-athlete in the 2027 or 2028 class, check your school's guidance on early college entry and request a written timeline from the athletic office. Start a folder of transcripts, recruiting correspondence and any official visit documents so the paperwork is ready when decisions come up.
The takeaway
Recruiting timelines for local athletes are moving earlier and are shaped by new rules, so families benefit from starting the conversation with school counselors early. Keep your student's academic records current and organized, since they matter as much as athletic offers when a college or early-entry decision arrives.
Further reading
For more on how families navigate high school sports and college timelines, explore Secondary Education coverage in Bolingbrook.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Chicago Sun-Times.
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