When Reggie Spearman woke up on Tuesday morning, the Chicago (Ill.) Simeon linebacker didn't know that this was going to be the day he committed to Illinois.
The Illini had long been Spearman's leader since offering back in June, and he was excited to go watch the program go through its practice at Camp Rantoul in the afternoon.
As the day progressed, Spearman couldn't shake the feeling that playing for the Illini is what he wanted to do. Always planning to take all five of his NCAA allotted official visits before deciding, Spearman scrapped that idea and pulled the trigger, giving head coach Tim Beckman his pledge.
"Just watching the practice and knowing they're only going to take one linebacker, it hit me that this is the place I want to be. And knowing that they're only going to take one linebacker, I would have been disappointed if someone else would have committed first. I was thinking, I have to take this. This is where I want to be."
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Spearman chose the Illini over offers from the likes of Indiana, Minnesota, Houston and New Mexico.
Spearman is the 17th commit for Illinois in the class-of-2013. As a junior, he registered 89 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles and four pass breakups.
"The coaching staff and my position coach are great guys and I can trust them," Spearman said. "They're a great program and I think Coach Beckman is going to turn them around.
"I really have a great feeling about Illinois."
- Steve Wiltfong
- National Recruiting Writer - 247Sports