Jimmy Fitzgerald was the first Illini to commit in the 2015 class.

As a quarterback growing up in Champaign and attending Centennial High School, Fitzgerald always knew he wanted to go to Illinois. So once he committed last February, he went from being the recruited to the recruiter.

“The coaches encouraged me to recruit as much as possible,” Fitzgerald said. “So I talked with Dre (Brown) and then when he got on board, Dre and I talked to Gabe (Megginson) and so on and so forth. As the class builds, we get more and more recruiters.”

A three-star quarterback, Fitzgerald is one of nine early enrollees already in the University. While he is on campus, Fitzgerald won’t be a full participant for spring practice after tearing his ACL in September 2014. While he’s limited to non-contact work until summer, Fitzgerald said that being at Illinois is a catalyst for his rehab and allows him to get a jumpstart on learning the offense.

“Coach Cubit has a really complex playbook, so I wanted to get in and try to learn as much as I can,” Fitzgerald said. “The No. 1 thing I’m trying to work on is the mental aspect. It’s so much more complex than in high school, and you don’t really realize that until you’re thrown into the fire.”

He was the only member of the class with a perfect 4.0 GPA in high school and his academics almost took him elsewhere for college. Fitzgerald was looking at Indiana, Northwestern and Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Yale, but since they don’t offer athletic scholarships, Fitzgerald looked to his hometown school to balance football and academics.

“I was always a huge Illinois fan, and they were my first offer which was huge for me,” he said. “I decided that Illinois offers the best of both worlds.”

Fitzgerald hopes that his intelligence off the field will translate onto the field. For a comparison to a professional signal caller, Fitzgerald compared himself to Andrew Luck. He referenced Luck’s dedication to preparation and his knowledge of the offense as someone he strives to be.

Now that the Illini’s class is complete — good for seventh in the Big Ten and 45th overall, according to 247sports — Fitzgerald and the other incoming freshmen haven’t stopped bonding together.

“We have a group chat and we talk every day, multiple times. We’re really tight,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s big to have so many guys rooting for everybody else to commit.”

While he was in a workout on the morning of Signing Day, Fitzgerald said he had a feeling that some undecided players were leaning toward Illinois.

It appeared as though Fitzgerald and his classmates’ recruiting pitch paid off. Illinois picked up three commitments on the morning on signing day, including four-star running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn and three-star defensive tackle Jamal Milan.

It’s been easier for Illinois to recruit as the program has earned more wins in each of head coach Tim Beckman’s first three seasons. Now that recruiting is done, it’s time for the new Illini to make a difference on the field.

“They went two to four to six and they want these guys to be a big part of getting to eight,” Fitzgerald said.

Stephen can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter

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