TE Neumann pledges to SDSU

Antioch (Ill.) senior tight end recruit Joey Neumann (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) decided to end his recruiting process late on Monday night and gave South Dakota State his verbal commitment. Neumann discusses his college decision in this breaking recruiting news update.

"I'm just really excited about my decision to commit to South Dakota State," Neumann said. "I made a visit to see the school in person on Sunday and it was everything i was looking for in a school. The visit no question played a big role in moving my decision along and I'm excited about SDSU."

Neumann filled us in on some of the factors which led him to give the SDSU Jackrabbits his verbal commitment.

"I love the offense at South Dakota State and how well the utilize the tight end in it's offense. They run a ton of different formations that will use multiple tight ends. They give big love in the passing game to the tight end position. SDSU also has great facilities and they have done a ton of renovations over the past decade or so. SDSU also gets great fan support and community support for the football program. SDSU also offers a great education and I'm planning to major in engineering and they have a strong engineering program. Overall SDSU just has a lot to offer and it's just a great fit for me."

So which other schools did Neumann consider before giving the Jackrabbits his verbal commitment?

"I looked hard at both SDSU and also North Dakota. I also made a recent visit to North Dakota and they also have a lot to offer and I had great experienced at both schools. Overall, I just feel that SDSU is the better overall fit for me on and off the field and they just stood out to me above every other school."

Neumann, who is a multi-sport athlete at Antioch (Football/Basketball/Track) also felt the timing for making his college decision known to SDSU was right.

"The tight end position is really in demand but schools also have maybe one or two spots open at the most, so spots are starting to fill up really quick. I didn't want to keep waiting and then miss out on a great opportunity for me at SDSU. I was talking to several different schools who liked me but also wanted me to wait to make a decision. I just feel great about SDSU and great about my decision and I was ready to end my recruiting."

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

"The hardest part of the process was either having to deal with all of the DM's on Twitter from the different coaches, or having to call up the coaches at North Dakota and telling them I was going to another school instead. That was not an easy call to make but I felt they deserved to hear my decision from me personally and not on social media."

Neumann is now focused on his upcoming senior season.

"We have been in team camp for a few weeks now and it's been going well. We are now in pads and we go three days a week. We bring back a lot of experience this season and we have a chance to have a very strong season this fall. The plan for me is to play both tight end and outside linebacker again and I will also go outside and play some wide receiver as well."

Joey Neumann is verbally committed to South Dakota State.