Lombard (Ill.) Montini Catholic junior athlete recruit CJ Harkins (6-foot-0, 180 pounds) is a talented two way starter for the Class 3A Montini Catholic Broncos. Harkins, who was starting to see his recruiting stock take off this spring decided to end his recruiting process and gave Northern Illinois University and head coach Thomas Hammock his verbal commitment over this past weekend. Harkins breaks down his college decision here.
"NIU was my first offer and they have been very loyal to me and recruiting me hard for some time now," Harkins said. "NIU just has a great family bond especially with the coaches and I'm excited to give NIU my commitment."
Harkins discussed why he decided to pledge to nearby Northern Illinois University.
"NIU gave me an opportunity to play football at the Division 1 level and it's an opportunity I was not going pass up. NIU was my first offer and they have been just very honest and also very loyal to me. I 'm just very impressed at how real the coaches are at NIU and how honest they have been with me in my recruiting. I went back to NIU on Saturday for another visit and I just came away really impressed with the whole atmosphere at NIU. The bond between the team and the coaches is very real and I've been able to build a great relationship with the coaches at NIU. It just means a lot that NIU believes in me and offered me and they have a plan for me. NIU offered me as a defensive back. Some schools like me as a defensive back and some others liked me as a receiver. I'm just ready to play and help out NIU in anyway I can."
So what other schools did Harkins look into before pledging to NIU? .
"I was in contact with a lot of different coaches including the coaches from Northwestern, Western Michigan and some others. A lot of schools all liked me but they also wanted to see me again this spring and some also wanted me to camp with them this summer. I just felt that NIU already believes in me and why wait on another school that may or may not offer me. NIU just has too much to offer for me to wait on, so I decided to make my decision and I'm very happy I'm committed to NIU."
Was distance from home ever a factor in Harkins college decision?
"Distance was never really an issue for me, but it works out great for my family and my friends at NIU. They can come see me play in college and not have to travel too far from home."
So what are the NIU Huskies getting in CJ Harkins? .
"I'm the type of player who brings a lot of speed and I'm also a versatile athlete. I have good ball skills and I also play with a lot of confidence every day. I also bring a lot of energy every day."
CJ Harkins is verbally committed to Northern Illinois University.
