By Shannon Ryan
Alex Hill had been eager to sign with Duke -- until he heard from Illinois.
He orally committed to the Blue Devils, but after receiving an offer from Illinois and taking a visit in late January, he decided to switch his allegiance. Hill is an added boost to the Illini's incoming class, which becomes official on Wednesday's national signing day.
The 6-foot-4, 305-pound center from Slidell, La., is considered a three-star recruit and rated at No. 17 nationally for his position by Scout.com.
Alex Hill had been eager to sign with Duke -- until he heard from Illinois.
He orally committed to the Blue Devils, but after receiving an offer from Illinois and taking a visit in late January, he decided to switch his allegiance. Hill is an added boost to the Illini's incoming class, which becomes official on Wednesday's national signing day.
The 6-foot-4, 305-pound center from Slidell, La., is considered a three-star recruit and rated at No. 17 nationally for his position by Scout.com.
Hill will have an opportunity to earn playing time in the fall. Center Eric Block graduated after starting for two seasons.
The offensive line, which also lost veteran lineman Jon Asamoah, needs to rebuild to protect a new quarterback after the graduation of starter Juice Williams.
"If I come in and do what I need to do, I'll get playing time early," Hill told Scout.com. "No one else but me is going to decide how quickly I play there. If I'm strong enough and learn the playbook, I just need to compete with a few other guys to get playing time."
Hill told recruiting web sites that the decision to attend Illinois was influenced by relatives who live in Chicago. He also received offers from Duke, Memphis and Arizona, while receiving some interest from LSU.
The offensive line, which also lost veteran lineman Jon Asamoah, needs to rebuild to protect a new quarterback after the graduation of starter Juice Williams.
"If I come in and do what I need to do, I'll get playing time early," Hill told Scout.com. "No one else but me is going to decide how quickly I play there. If I'm strong enough and learn the playbook, I just need to compete with a few other guys to get playing time."
Hill told recruiting web sites that the decision to attend Illinois was influenced by relatives who live in Chicago. He also received offers from Duke, Memphis and Arizona, while receiving some interest from LSU.
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