Park Ridge (Ill.) Maine South senior defensive linemen recruit Tyler Fortis (6-foot-3, 270 pounds) decided to wrap up his recruiting process and gave in state Eastern Illinois University his verbal commitment. Fortis discusses his college decision in this latest recruiting update.

"I decided to commit to Eastern Illinois University and I just feel like it's the best place for me," Fortis said. "I'm just excited and happy to make my college decision and now I can just focus on my team and my senior year."

Fortis pointed towards some of the key factors which led to his verbal commitment to Eastern Illinois University.

"I made a visit not too long ago to Eastern Illinois and I just really like the staff at EIU. Everyone made me feel welcome and the overall atmosphere at EIU is great. The players and the coaches really get a long well and the player are excited and happy to be at EIU. EIU recruited me as a interior defensive linemen but they said they can also see where I could get some reps at defensive end as well. The EIU coaches saw me at several one day camps this summer and it just feels like Eastern Illinois the best fit for me so I committed."

So which other schools did Fortis consider before committing to Eastern Illinois?

"I looked hard at EIU, Grand Valley State (D2) and also Indiana State. I made visits to all three schools and they all had some good things to offer. The people at EIU just really made the difference to me and my decision. The combination of the people, the education and the football program at EIU made it hard to turn down the opportunity so I committed to them and I feel great about my decision."

So what was the hardest part of the recruiting process for Fortis?

"I went to a ton of college camps over the last few years and I guess I just expected the them to immediately offer a scholarship right away and that's just not the case. You need to just keep working hard and it can get frustrating. Stay on the grind and keep getting better and don't get too caught up in everything."

Fortis is also excited to have wrapped up his recruiting process.

"I'm very happy to have my recruiting over. It feels good to have a school to call home."

Tyler Fortis is verbally committed to Eastern Illinois University.