Illini back in the hunt for TE Ford
When Carterville (Ill.) tight end Luke Ford announced his decomittment from Arkansas earlier this month, it was no secret that the 6-foot-7, 247-pound four-star prospect would immediately become a top priority for the Illini.
Since then, Ford has taken visits to high-profile programs such as Auburn, Alabama, and LSU, and with that was some concern that the top-ranked player in Illinois may move on from the in-state program.
However, he rejected that notion and sent the Illiniois fanbase into a frenzy earlier today with several tweets directed at Illini fans.
“Well, the more and more I've been going through my recruitment, the more I find myself always coming back to Illinois and seeing myself play there,” Ford said.
His tweets, which included, “Where the Illinois fans at? #Illini” and “The Illinois Alumni base is awesome on twitter! Love you guys! #ILLINI,” give some insight as to why he feels so positive about the Illinois program.
“The alumni and fans are awesome and I can see that,” Ford said. “And besides from the fan part, having that large alumni means I will be able to get a job after I am done with football, which is important.”
That said, other aspects of the program have also grabbed Ford's attention, including the coaching staff and opportunity for early playing time.
“The NFL experience with the coaches has really stuck out to me,” Ford said. “They probably have the most of any staff in college football, and that is impressive. And I like that I could have early playing time as well. It is not the most important thing, but it is definitely somewhat of a factor.”
Ford visited Illinois before his original commitment to Arkansas, but he plans to make another trip to Champaign at some point in July. Given he has already seen most of the campus and facilities, this trip will have a different purpose for him.
“I want to get other recruits there and maybe even help recruit a little for Illinois because I might go there,” Ford said.
Although Ford said he has no favorites at this time, he acknowledged that Illinois would be in his top-10 if he had to form a list.
That said, with a long period of time remaining until he plans to make a decision, it'll be a tough battle for Lovie Smith and the Illini to reign in one of the top tight ends in the country whose offer list is now approaching 30.
“Right now, I just want to have fun in the process,” Ford said. “I don't want to make a decision until signing day. I'm going to keep my options open.”
Whenever that decision is made, Ford mentioned the three most important aspects that he will consider.
“The things I evaluate when I look at schools are their tight end usage, what their campus is like, and what the alumni base is like,” Ford said.