Frankfort (Ill.) Lincoln Way East senior running back recruit Zion Gist (6-foot-0, 205 pounds) on Saturday gave Western Michigan University his verbal commitment. Gist, who was drawing increased recruiting attention this spring discusses his college decision here.

"Western Michigan when they offered me said they are taking one running back in this class and I did not want to miss this opportunity," Gist said. "I made a recent visit and just loved everything about the school and the football program. After the visit I knew I was ready so I locked in my decision today and it's a great feeling."

Gist pointed towards some key factors which led to his commitment to the WMU Broncos.

"Western Michigan has a great coaching staff and I've been able to really build up a relationship with them over the last few months. They definitely made me feel like a priority for them and made me feel wanted and needed. I made a visit and I just love the campus along with the surrounding area. I'm planning to major in aviation and my goal is to become a pilot and WMU offers that major which was another big factor in my decision. From the football side, I feel like I will be a good fit in the offense. They rum some different looks and utilize the running back in a lot of different ways. I was offered as a running back but the coaches said they will also use me at times as a slot, or as a sidecar all depending on the game plan. I love being as versatile as I can and that will be a great role for me. I'll also have an opportunity to come in and compete for early playing time and that's all I really want is a chance to compete."

So what other schools did Gist consider before committing to Western Michigan?

"I looked into schools like Iowa State, North Dakota State along with Northern Iowa and Kent State. I camped at Wayne State last week and a lot of coaches started reaching out to me, but once I made the visit to Western Michigan I was pretty much sold on them. WMU is just a great fit for me and a great opportunity."

Was making an early verbal commitment always a part of the plan?

"Yeah getting it done early was always my plan. The last thing I wanted to do was drag it into the football season. I was hoping to find a school that's a great place for me and it just turned out that WMU also wanted me to give them my commitment now. It all worked out for me."

Gist is also thrilled to wrap up his recruiting process.

"It feels great to be done. It was hard making visits and traveling to different schools. I can get pretty time consuming for me and also my family. Now I can just focus on my team and my senior season."

Zion Gist is the third known overall verbal commitment in the Western Michigan Broncos Class of 2025, and also the first known name from the State of Illinois.