Libertyville (Ill.) senior quarterback recruit Blake Ellingson (6-foot-2, 200 pounds) recently made his college decision and gave Drake University his verbal commitment. Ellingson discusses his college choice in this latest recruiting news update.

"I'm just very happy and excited about my decision," Ellingson said. "Recruiting has been rough with all of the COVID issues including us not having a fall football season, but I've been able to find a perfect for me in Drake."

Ellingson, who was an all conference and all area performer for the Wildcats in 2019 discussed what stood out to him about the Drake Bulldogs.

"Drake offers a fantastic education and it's really everything I was looking for in a school. I was able to make a recent on campus visit to see Drake and I really liked everything I saw on my visit. The football program is strong and I feel it will be a good fit for me on the depth chart. I also get along really well with all of the coaches at Drake and I just feel very comfortable with Drake."

So which other schools did Ellingson consider before giving Drake his verbal commitment?

"I looked into schools like Minnesota State, Valparaiso, Butler and Cornell. Those were the main schools I considered and Drake was the only school I was able to visit in person. I just felt like I found the best fit for me overall with Drake so I committed."

So how big of a factor did the COVID pandemic play in his recruiting process?

"COVID played a huge role. It just limited a lot of different things with recruiting including not being able to make visits or camp with any of the colleges. Not having a chance to show the coaches what I can do in person was pretty brutal. I'm just very lucky to have found a great school in Drake."

Blake Ellingson is verbally committed to Drake.