First Commit of 2006

(This article originally appeared on www.orangeandbluenews.com.)

6-foot-5, 275-pound Batavia (Ill.) lineman Mike Garrity was the first 2007 prospect to verbally commit to Ron Zook's program last summer. He than went out and had an all-state fall and lead his high school team to the Class 6A title game in Champaign. Get the latest in Garrity in this report from the Orange&Blue News.

Garrity's thoughts on the recruiting process? "It was a little bit of both fun and stressful, fun going through it, meeting everyone and seeing colleges. I loved doing that but had all these coaches asking me what I was going to do? It got kind fo stressful there so I am happy I made my decision for Illinois early. I don't know that I could have gone through all that during the fall, I was glad I was able to concentrate on my senior season."

Why the early commitment to Illinois? "It started getting crazy when I was going to summer camp. I went to Illinois, Michigan and was going to go to Iowa, Purdue, maybe Wisconsin. I was getting more attention, everybody saw what was going on, really when I started to go visit different places was when I got more attention but like I said, it was a little too crazy for me and Illinois was the place I felt the best about so I committed last summer."

"Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Georgia Tech, Purdue, mostly Big Ten schools were showing me the most interest. Illinois of course."

And why Illinois? "Well, I grew up watching Big Ten football and if I got the chance, I wanted to play at that level. At Illinois, it felt like home, every visit I went down there, I could see myself there, around the coaches, the players, get out on the field at camp, it was just like home."

What role did Ron Zook play in the decision? "I went down for lineman camp last summer. Coach Zook told me to make the most of my chance to impress him and Coach Warinner. Coach Disch was my recruiting coach and he was telling me to go out there and show everyone what I could do because I think Coach Disch had been talking me up to Coach Zook and Coach Warinner (laughing) He might have been more nervous than me. I gave him a hard time about that."

"Anyway, I did pretty good I guess at the camp and Coach Zook said they would be in-touch as soon as they could be. A couple days letter I got an official offer from Illinois. Coach (Zook) is a great guy. I am glad I will be able to play for him, help him and the rest of the team rebuild Illinois football."

And the rest of the Illini coaching staff also played a big part in the commitment, "Definitely, the Illinois coaches are real personal, even talking to them on the phone, they have better qualities than some other coaches I spoke with. The way they talk, they talk to you like they've known you forever, like a best friend from high school, not like a first time conversation, they acted like they knew me and my family, like they lived in the neighborhood and we were just talking about things."

And the Illini staff used Garrity as an example of the type of talent they are bringing in when other recruits came to town, "I was the first person to commit, every time I am down in Champaign, they wanted me to talk to the other recruits to let them know how excited I was about Illinois."

"When I was on my official, I was pretty much a full time recruiter just like I wanted to be. That was pretty cool. Most of the guys that were there on my official visit (December 8) committed eventually, Jack Cornell, Mark Jackson, Martez Wilson. I was real happy that most of the guys the coaches really wanted that weekend committed."

"All the guys that were there were high quality people, not just great athletic ability, they were great guys, the coaches at Illinois did the job of finding good guys to bring in. Jack (Cornell) and I have become pretty good friends. We are going to be roommates next fall at school."

And signing day finally being here on Wednesday? "I am really happy for it to get here. We will have a ceremony at the school for me to sign and send the fax to Coach Disch and Coach Zook. It's seems like a long time ago when I committed, a lot has happened but I am real happy next Wednesday will get here and I can make it official." Garrity will first be tried at offensive tackle at Illinois.

Garrity scouting report from Rivals.com: Garrity is a versatile prospect and could project to several spots at the college level. He is a big defensive end at the high school level and could develop as a defensive tackle in college. His athleticism and explosiveness may be better suited for the offensive side of the ball in college though. He could be a blocking tight end and may be worth the time to develop as a tackle. He has a good frame and should be able to bulk to up. He displays a good physical nature and should be able to get push in the run game. He does a solid job of using his hands and getting placement. He moves well enough to be able to shadow a pass rusher. He displays the strength to be able to anchor and hold his ground. Where Garrity fits best depends on where he goes to school and that teams needs. His versatility is his strong point. He will need some time to develop and adjust once he lands at a position.