Alex McGill has been an Indiana University fan since moving to Columbus from Greensboro, North Carolina, when he was in seventh grade.
So when the Hoosiers offered McGill a soccer scholarship, the Columbus North senior jumped at the chance to play for IU.
“I went on my visit, and I really liked the campus,” McGill said. “I had never been to the campus. I’ve always been thinking about playing at IU, and when the coach (Todd Yeagley) asked me if I wanted a spot on the team, I just couldn’t turn it down. It was my dream school.”
McGill also had visited and had an offer from Loyola (Chicago). He canceled a visit to Cornell after getting the offer from the Hoosiers.
A two-time The Republic Boys Soccer Player of the Year, McGill passed up his senior high school season to play with the Indiana Fire Development Academy. He tied for the team lead with eight goals this fall.
“It’s a little bit of a quicker pace,” McGill said. “You have to know what you’re doing a lot quicker than (in high school), and the training environment is a lot more strict.”
The Fire went 9-4-1 this fall and finished fourth out of 10 teams in the Midwest Region League. They are taking the month of December off, then will practice indoors for a couple months before start the spring season in March.
The team practices Monday through Thursday at Grand Park in Westfield. McGill usually catches a ride with another North senior, Isaac Johnson and his parents.
“It’s nice to have him on the team with me because the eight-hour busrides are a lot more fun,” McGill said.
McGill scored 20 goals as a sophomore in leading the Bull Dogs to sectional and regional titles. He came back with 22 goals as a junior last season.
But this year, he joined a recent trend of top high school players competing with the Development Academy to help bolster their chances at being recruited by top colleges.
“I did miss playing high school,” McGill said. “I really enjoyed playing in front of the student section and the local fans, and I missed the team lunches and the coaching staff.”
