Hales defensive back Patrick Nelson decided that his recruitment was over just a day after receiving an offer from Illinois.
The 6-foot-1, 195 pound prospect is rated a three-star safety by Scout.com and has risen up recruiting boards in the past several months.
He gave his oral commitment to the Illini Wednesday.
“It means a lot to be able to stay in my home state and play college football,” Nelson said. “And I am extremely happy to do so. Just to represent your home state is amazing and I have always wanted to play in the Big Ten since I was a kid and now my dreams are coming true.”
The offer came off of a recent visit to Champaign as he traveled back from Florida with his family.
“I talked to Coach [Tim] Beckman and Coach [Tim] Banks and they were basically saying that they want me to represent my home town and they need a player like me,” Nelson said.
“He’s a strong kid who likes to play up in the box and be around the action,” said Scout national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu said. “He has an effective motor on the blitz, shows good timing, solid speed and has a good motor in pursuit. He’s also a solid wrap up tackler with the strength to develop strikes.”
And the type of player that Trieu sees will fit well in the Illini’s defense.
“I will be playing safety and they said if I get bigger I could play their hybrid safety and linebacker position, they said I would be perfect on their defense,” Trieu said.
Nelson had other offers from Indiana, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Toledo and Nevada. He is the the eighth commit for Illinois in the class of 2015 and the fourth from in-state.
