Nick Fedanzo earned his first scholarship offer from Illinois in March.

“It was a dream come true, I’d say,” Fedanzo said then.

Three months later, the Lombard (Ill.) Montini Catholic prospect solidified his spot with the Illini. The 3-star running back committed to Illinois on Friday.

“I like the closeness to home; it’s not that far away,” Fedanzo said in March. “It’s not that far away. I really like the coaching staff there. They’re all super nice.”

Fedanzo chose Illinois over offers over Air Force, Ball State, Kent State, Georgetown, South Dakota State and Western Illinois. The 6-foot, 200-pound running back is the No. 39 Illinois prospect in the Class of 2019, according to the composite rankings.

Fedanzo is the second commitment in as many days for Illinois. Texas 3-star all-purpose back Kyron Cumby committed to Illinois on Thursday.

Fedanzo, a big back who ran an 11.15-second 100-meter dash this spring, and Cumby -- a 5-foot-7 running back who ran a 10.38-second 100-meter dash this spring -- seem to complement each other well. While Cumby is a scatback with elite speed who will be used all over the field, Fedanzo is more of a traditional running back with size and burst in the mold of current Illini Mike Epstein and Kenyon Sims.

Illinois thinks Fedanzo is another good fit in Rod Smith’s up-tempo, spread scheme.

“They said they like that I was a track guy,” Fedanzo said. “They like my explosiveness and my speed, and I still have some size on me.”

Fedanzo visited Illinois in March and came away encouraged by what he saw from Smith's offense.

“I like it,” Fedanzo said. “It’s a little bit like what we run at Montini.”

Fedanzo is the Illini's seventh commitment in the Class of 2019 and the third in-state prospect in the class, joining 3-star Chicago Phillips DB Joseph Thompson and 3-star Bloomington TE Griffin Moore.

Scouting report

Some may pause at Fedanzo's offer list, but he looks like a pretty solid find for the Illini staff. In some ways, he's similar to Mike Epstein and Kenyon Sims in that he may not have an elite trait (like Cumby's speed), but he is pretty good at everything. Fedanzo has a good, though not huge, frame and should pack on more muscle pretty easily. While he may not have elite speed, he has enough burst to break off big runs. Fedanzo also played in a spread scheme at Montini Catholic, similar to what Rod Smith runs at Illinois, so he has a lot of experience with zone blocking, option reads and quick swing passes. He's a good fit from a great in-state program, from which Illinois has struggled to land talent.