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EAST ST. LOUIS —  stepped onto campus at East ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ High thinking he'd be the next big thing in the heart of the Flyers' defense.

Flyers head football coach Darren Sunkett immediately had a different vision for McIntosh, who originally had designs on playing middle linebacker.

"Coach Sunkett saw a lineman in me, so I came down and played line and kept improving," McIntosh said. 

The 6-foot-3 and 245-pound McIntosh helped  shut out six opponents last season on the way to the 11th state championship in program history.

And going into his senior campaign, expectations are for McIntosh to help the Flyers stay on top.

"He's going to be one of anchor guys this year," East ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ defensive coordinator Trevor Dismukes said. "He's going to try to replace (Lindenwood signee Ke'Andre McClendon). So, we look for big things from Cornell this year. We put a lot of pressure on him, you know. Take over the leadership role in that group, in that (locker) room, and he's doing a great job for us right now."

McIntosh, No. 22 on the Post-Dispatch Super 30 football recruiting countdown of the area's top senior college recruits, committed to Northern Illinois University early in the recruiting process. 

He also received offers from Miami (Ohio), Toledo and Western Illinois.  

"They've got a good brotherhood (at Northern Illinois)," McIntosh said. "The coaches, they build great relationships with the players. (Defensive coordinator Rob Harley) talked to me every other day. They always keep on checking on me every day, so it's a good connection."

The Huskies will make a move to the Mountain West Conference during McIntosh's first season after playing in the Mid-American Conference since 1997. They have played in 15 bowl games since 2004.

Sunkett said when he saw McIntosh, it didn't take long to decide to slot him on the defensive line.

"He was a big kid," Sunkett said. "We thought he would outgrow the position that he wanted to play in, and he actually did. We knew he had a toughness about him. He was mobile, agile and we just knew we could do great things with him putting his hand on the ground."

McIntosh did not record a stat as a freshman, but as a sophomore he made 46 tackles and helped the Flyers finish as the Class 6A state runner-up.

Flyers coaches also had an eye on the future by moving McIntosh from linebacker to defensive line.

"With his ability, he'd be better off putting his hand in the dirt, because that's where he'd be playing in college," Dismukes said. "So we wanted him to get a better feel of what he's going to be doing later on in his career. We just put him where we knew he'd help himself and help us."

McIntosh finished with five sacks and 75 tackles as a junior and enjoyed a coming-out party in the Flyers' 48-28 victory against Geneva in the Class 6A state title game.

He wreaked havoc against the Vikings with a season-high two sacks and countless quarterback pressures. 

"It felt really good to win last year," McIntosh said. "I think we've got a good chance of winning again, going back to back, especially with this team."

The path won't be easy, as starting against perennial power Bergen Catholic, N.J., at 3 p.m. Aug. 28 in the annual Battle at the Beach event in Ocean City, N.J.

East ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ then plays host to Gadsden County, Fla., at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 before playing at 9 p.m. Sept. 12 at perennial power Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas. After five consecutive Southwestern Conference games, East ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ wraps the season at 6 p.m. Oct. 24 at another national power, IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

"The pressure is going to come with the competition," McIntosh said. "It's a lot of pressure, so we have to show them that we're better."