ATH Larkin commits to NDSU

Naperville (Ill.) Neuqua Valley 2023 athlete recruit Grant Larkin (6-foot-0, 175 pounds) decided to wrap up his recruiting process earlier this week and gave North Dakota State University his verbal commitment. Larkin, who made a second on campus visit to NDSU earlier this summer discusses his college decision in this breaking news recruiting update.

"North Dakota State was always a big draw and appeal to me," Larkin said. "They (NDSU) showed a lot of interest in me early and it was an offer I was chasing for some time. I looked hard at all of my options and offers and I'm just really excited about my decision to commit to North Dakota State."

Larkin pointed towards several key factors which led him to pledge to the NDSU Bison.

"The overall success of the football program at NDSU no doubt was an appeal and a big factor in my decision. I want to go somewhere that wins and a program that can make me the best athlete and student I can be. NDSU offered and recruited me as a safety in it's defense. What I like about NDSU is that they are more of a developmental program that doesn't rely a ton on the transfer portal. NDSU really has a strong coaching staff and culture and they just loved me up as an entire staff. The coaching staff are just great guys and I'm excited to get a chance to play for NDSU."

Larkin also pointed towards his two unofficial visits as a key in building a relationship with the NDSU staff.

"The first visit I made to NDSU was back on March 4th and I really think that visit set the tone for my recruiting with the NDSU coaches. We had a chance to sit and talk and get to know each other much better. I truly believe that if I didn't make that early visit my recruiting might have gone much differently with them. I felt that I showed them I was serious about them when I made that early March visit. I made a second unofficial visit last Monday to NDSU and it was just a great visit, and the visit just made me feel great about everything I was attracted to about them at first. My Dad went with me on both visits and he is also really excited about my decision."

So which other schools did Larkin consider before committing to the NDSU Bison?

"I looked really hard at schools like Northern Iowa, Illinois State and also Army. North Dakota and South Dakota State also showed more and more interest in me later in the process. It was hard calling up and telling some of the coaches I was going elsewhere, but I feel great about my decision. I wanted to let those coaches know my decision from me first instead of reading it on social media. The overall fit at NDSU along with the opportunities they have to offer are just too much for me to pass up."

Larkin also admitted that the timing of his announcement was also planned.

"North Dakota State will start it's big three day camp this weekend and they really do end up offering and getting quite a few commitments from that camp. North Dakota State just does not early offer very many kids before it's big camp so I wanted to not pass up such an amazing opportunity. My plan was to make my decision early this summer and when I noticed that the NDSU camp was coming up, I knew it was time to lock everything in."

Grant Larkin is verbally committed to North Dakota State University.