Wheaton (Ill.) St. Francis senior quarterback recruit Tommy Rittenhouse (6-foot-0, 180 pounds) decided today to end his recruiting process and gave in state Illinois State University his verbal commitment. Rittenhouse discusses his college decision in this breaking recruiting story.
"I was really excited when Illinois State first offered me," Rittenhouse said. "A the time I wanted to take some time and look hard at all of my options. In the end I just felt like it was a great fit for me at Illinois State and I'm very happy with my decision."
Rittenhouse pointed towards several factors in his decision to commit to the in-state ISU Redbirds.
"I've been able to get to know the coaches at Illinois State really well over the last few months in particular especially offensive coordinator(Kurt Beathard). Illinois State runs a pro style offense and I feel my game overall will be a great fit in that offense. I like being able to control and run the offense and the ISU offense allows you do make a lot of key reads and decision. I've also visited Illinois State three separate times since they offered me. Illinois State is a great football program and also a great school academically. ISU plays in the Missouri Valley Conference which is one of the best FCS conferences in the nation. ISU is also in the national title hunt and I want to be a part of and add to the program's success."
Another key factor for Rittenhouse was location.
"I didn't really talk about it a lot at the time but I've always wanted to play closer to home. Staying closer to home is a big plus for myself and my family. Illinois State is only a few hours from home and I'm excited that my family and friends will be able to come and watch my games in person."
How big of a factor did the COVID-109 pandemic play a role in his recruiting process?
"COVID played a huge role. I was planning to wait on a decision and play this fall and show some college what I can do on game tape. I was also planning to go to a lot of camps this summer. These days we have so many unknowns with high school and the same with college. The longer I thought about things the more Illinois State felt like a great fit. I was ready to make the decision and I feel great about it."
Another big factor for Rittenhouse was the IHSA pushing back the football season to the spring.
"When the IHSA moved back football to the spring it definitely made me push up my own time frame for making my decision. A lot of schools wanted to see some senior tape this fall and now that the fall was out it would have been really hard to wait and pass up the offers and opportunities I already had this summer."
Rittenhosue is now the 5th known in state verbal commitment to the Illinois State Redbirds Class of 2021. Rittenhouse now joins East St. Louis TE Scott Preston, Lake Zurich S Jack Dwyer, Sacred Heart Griffin linebacker Reese Edwards and St. Rita OL Bodie Turner as verbal commitment to Illinois State. .
Tommy Rittenhouse is verbally committed to Illinois State University.
