MDs Brooks has a perfect trip to Illinois

Germantown (Md.) Seneca Valley running back Jourdon Brooks took an official out to Illinois this past weekend. The 6-foot-1, 247-pounder had a near perfect visit to Champaign.

"It went really well, I liked it," he said. "They have a nice campus, facilities and all the coaches were great.

"I got there Friday morning and that day we mostly just hung out with the coaches and toured the football offices. On Saturday, I went out and toured the campus. I also got a chance to talk to Ron Zook one-on-one and coach Mitchell."

What did the three-star prospect think of his conversations with the coaching staff?

"Coach Mitchell really stood out to me," he said. "He thinks I can start as a freshman and be an impact player on their team. He likes my skills as an athletic running back and of course I really like the chance to play right away, that's big for me.

"As for coach Zook, my talk with him was more academics focused. He talked about how he's always willing to help me and he promised I'd leave there with a degree. He also talked a lot about football and how everything at Illinois is going up. In the past teams used to walk all over Illinois, but that isn't going to happen anymore."

Meanwhile, Illinois obviously made Brooks their top priority since he was hosted by Juice Williams.

"Everything was great with him, he's a really cool guy to hang around and doesn't sugarcoat anything," he said. "He told me what he likes about it there and how the program is on the rise. He thinks they just need some more ballers like me to push the program over the top. He also talked about how coach Zook and Locksley's attitudes never change even if you mess up. It's a very family environment."

The No. 14 prospect in Maryland rated the trip a perfect 10.

"Everything about the visit was perfect for me and that's how I felt about it."

Next up for Brooks are trips to Tennessee on January 12th and Rutgers on January 19th.

"I don't think I'm going to take a fifth official," he said. "I just want to go on those final two trips and see how they see me playing as a freshman and the academic sides. I also want to talk business with the head coaches. Once I do that I think I'll be ready to decide around Signing Day."