Lemont (Ill.) senior tight end recruit Nick Hawkins (6-foot-5, 225 pounds) made an unofficial visit to Illinois State on Thursday, and Hawkins left the Normal, Illinois based campus committed to the Illinois State Redbirds. Hawkins discusses his college decision in this latest recruiting update.
"I went and made a visit today (Thursday) to Illinois State and it was great," Hawkins said. "The Illinois State coaches just treated me great and I ended up giving them my commitment before I headed back home."
Hawkins pointed towards a handful of key factors which led him to commit to the in-state Illinois State Redbirds.
"Illinois State uses the tight end in it's offense a ton and that really appeals to me. They really use the tight end as much or even more than any other school I've seen and they will be able to develop my game and many times they will have 3 and 3 right ends on the field at the dame time. Illinois State also has a great campus, impressive facilities and I just was able to get a lot of answers from the ISU coaches on my visit. ISU is also adding on to it's facilities with a brand new indoor practice facility that will be up and running once I'm playing for Illinois State. ISU is also close to home, and they also offer a good education."
Hawkins also admitted that the Illinois State Redbirds recruited him harder than any other school..
"The Illinois State coaches really made me feel like I was a priority for them and that they have a plan for me. They just treated me great and I'm excited to play for those coaches. I also looked hard at a few schools like Indiana State and SEMO (Southeast Missouri State) and those schools have a lot to offer, but I just never got the same feeling I have with Illinois State. I loved it on my visit at ISU and overall it's just a great fit for me."
So what was the hardest part of the recruiting process fo Nick Hawkins?
"I would say just having to find a coaching staff this was just honest with me. I really admire the Illinois State coaches because they always talked straight with me and just never tried to hide anything in the recruiting process. Just trying to find out where I stood with some schools was hard to figure out."
Nick Hawkins is verbally committed to Illinois State University.
