Decatur (Ill.) St. Teresa senior defensive end/offensive tackle Beau Branyan’s recruitment has taken a bit of an unexpected turn in recent weeks.

The 6-foot-5, 255-pound prospect has started talking with Illinois director of recruiting Pat Embleton, who reached out to him via Twitter. And before he knew it, they were discussing the possibility of a visit.

“I have all my highlights on Twitter, and I saw Coach Embleton pop-up one day, so I decided to follow him,” Branyan said. “He then followed me back and told me congrats on the season so far, and that they would like for me to come up for a game. Embleton then told me he would like me to meet Coach Butkus, so I also followed him on Twitter and introduced myself. He then told me that he was hearing a lot of good things about me, and that I need to get to Champaign quick.”