Downers Grove North tight end Will Vala commits to Illinois

Will Vala said he knew that he wanted to commit to Illinois going into his official visit this past weekend.

He made it public Monday.

Downers Grove North’s rising senior tight end, who committed Friday during his visit to Champaign, made his announcement on social media Monday.

Vala, 6-foot-4, 225 pounds and a three-star prospect, chose the Illini from 24 offers, including Wisconsin, Purdue and Louisville.

Vala is the 17th member of Illinois’ Class of 2026, a group that includes seven top-30 in-state prospects, according to 247Sports.com. Vala is the No. 38 prospect in that class, according to 247Sports.com.

“I was feeling the best about Illinois and the official visit really sealed it,” Vala said. “Just being there – the staff has been amazing, coach [Bret] Bielema is an awesome person, I enjoyed the staff with the other recruits. It felt like home."

As a junior, Vala made 30 catches for 400 yards with four touchdowns and also had 35 pancake blocks. Defensively, he recorded four sacks and 15 tackles for a 10-2 Downers Grove North team that reached the Class 7A quarterfinals. He is the Trojans’ second Big Ten recruit, joining Minnesota-bound quarterback Owen Lansu.

Aside from the personal feel in Champaign, Vala was drawn to how the Illinois coaching staff utilized the tight end position.

“I liked the way they use tight ends, especially this past year,” Vala said. “They told me I would be used more as an H-back, slot move around type of guy. Not that I wouldn’t be used at a wide position. That’s how they’d use me, and I like that a lot.”

Downers Grove North coach Joe Horeni, likewise, saw Illinois as a good fit.

“They do a lot of different things with tight ends and play multiple tight ends at a time,” Horeni said. “It’s a good opportunity for him to have a chance and work with those guys. The one thing Will is not afraid of is competition.”

Vala’s commitment is the culmination of a recruitment process that started slow but took off this spring.

His first offer came from Illinois State in late January. Other offers from lower NCAA Division-I programs and MAC schools followed.

“At that time I had gone on one visit, I think Western Michigan for a game day visit, and I was super excited for the opportunity to be there,” Vala said. “Honestly I was dreaming about being there in the future and now Big Ten, SEC schools offer me. It’s been incredible.

“Honestly, no, I had never imagined playing in the Big Ten until recently I got those offers. At one point I was picturing playing in the MAC, which would have been awesome. Just shooting even higher and it happened.”

Illinois became the first Power Four school to offer Vala, on March 31. Offers from Purdue, Indiana, Louisville and Kentucky flowed in within a week.

“It was kind of a domino effect,” Vala said. “The process has a lot of ups and downs. It picked up in the spring ball area. It’s fun but also it can be overwhelming at times.”

“It started slowly because he’s not 6-foot-5. That is the prototypical guy they want right now, 6-5, 6-6 and can carry 250,” Horeni said. “You get in front of Will, you see his frame, 6-3, he’s got long arms, the ability to get bigger quickly.”

Horeni saw Vala in games dominating at the point of attack, making plays catching the ball, turned to his offensive coordinator and said, “That dude is getting [scholarship] money for sure.”

“The biggest thing that people see in him is he is not just a huge tight end that blocks, and he is not just the receiver type. He can do both things,” Horeni said. “That is why [his recruitment] exploded after January. Coaches took notice and saw film.”