OL Evan Kirts commits to Illinois
Illinois picked up a commitment on Sunday night from three-star offensive lineman Evan Kirts from Chicago Brother Rice.
"Extremely excited to announce my official commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Illinois," Kirts said in a tweet.
Orange and Blue News spoke to Kirts to get his take on his pledge to the Illini.
Kirts is commitment No. 11 for Illinois in the class of 2019 and the second offensive lineman, joining Georgia product Jakai Clark.
Offensive line coach Luke Butkus was instrumental in selling Kirts on the Illinois program.
"It's awesome, " Kirts said about his commitment. "The first thing is Coach Butkus. He's a tough, cool guy. I like the idea of him being my coach."
Kirts spoke to Butkus on the phone on Sunday night.
"He was pumped," Kirts said. "He was telling me they're excited, and now its time to get to work."
Kirts said the plan is for him to line up at right tackle at Illinois. At 6-foot-5, 255 pounds he will need to add bulk, but he has a big frame and good mobility.
Another big factor for Kirts was the chance to stay home to play his college football. The entire starting offensive line for Illinois this season is home grown, and Kirts wants to continue that tradition.
"Beging the home state school and only two hours away is awesome too," Kirts said. "I went to the South Florida game at Soldier Field, and the Purdue game, and the atmosphere was great."
Kirts also considered Virginia, New Mexico, most of the MAC schools.
He talked about what fans can expect from him when he gets to Champaign next year.
"I'm going to work hard every day to get better," Kirts said. "Hopefully we will bring a winning tradition back to Illinois with a tough offensive line."
On the field this season, Kirts' team has had a huge year. The Crusaders hold a perfect 13-0 record and are set to play Loyola Academy on Saturday for a state championship.
"This is the goal our team set for ourselves, now we need to finish," Kirts said. "The fact that its Champaign is great. I'll get a feel for what it's like to play in that stadium. ""