Illinois Football: Illini continue to build class of 2019 with Nick Fedanzo
The Illinois football team continued to add players to the class of 2019 on Friday night.
Nick Fedanzo decided to end his recruitment and committed to play football for Lovie Smith and the Illini. Fedanzo is a 6-foot, 200-pound running back from Montini Catholic High School in Lombard, Illinois. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 1909 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 139 running back in the nation.
I am beyond excited to announce that I am going to be continuing my academic and athletic career at the University of Illinois. I’d like to thank all of my coaches, family, and friends for helping me get to where I am today! #ILLGANG19 #B1G pic.twitter.com/A8eMNhlznb
— Nick Fedanzo (@fedanzo13) June 22, 2018
Fedanzo was kind of flying under the radar with his recruitment. He had some good offers from Ball State and Air Force, but Illinois managed to snag this running back who should help the team moving forward.
I like this pickup for Illinois because I think Fedanzo could play a few different roles on this team. One thing that helps him be a multifaceted player is his speed. This kid can fly, and this helps him break away from the opposing defense.
The first position I see Fedanzo playing is obviously running back. Give him the ball and watch what he can do in space. He will make people miss. Illinois is starting to pile up the running back depth and that is a great thing to see. This is also why I think there could be more for this kid than just playing next to the quarterback.
I could also see Fedanzo in the slot for the Illini. He could transition into more of a Julian Edelman role for this program. I love that he has great hands and is able to catch the ball out of the backfield. Lovie and Rod Smith can use those hands and make Fedanzo a slot receiver. If Illinois needs a few yards, they should be able to get them with his abilities.
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The possibilities are fun to think about when seeing what Fedanzo can do on the field. He is a talented player who just didn’t have the spotlight that the others did. Illinois saw something in this kid, though, and now he is going to suit up for the Orange and Blue.