Recruiting Wrap

Zach Fulton pledges to Lane Kiffin

Posted by: Jeremy Werner

Monday, June 29, 2009 4:38 PM

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 Though his older brother Xavier played Big Ten football at Illinois, Zach Fulton has decided to take his game farther south to the SEC in the fall of 2010. 

The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Homewood-Flossmoor senior offensive lineman made it official on his trip to the University of Tennessee on Monday.

IlliniHQ spoke with his father, Glen, on the family's drive back from Knoxville to the on Monday afternoon.

"It went real well," Glen Fulton said of the trip to the Tennessee campus. "We made our decision today, so Zach is going to be a Volunteer."

Zach chose Tennessee over offers from Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota. Though he plays right tackle in high school, he will play guard in college.

Zach earned MVP honors at a Tennessee lineman camp in the spring. He met with first-year Volunteers head coach Lane Kiffin today to give his verbal pledge.

"They were excited, very excited," Glen said. "They definitely let everyone know. Monte Kiffin came in. Lane Kiffin and the whole coaching staff was there."

Zach had visited the Illinois campus frequently while his brother played for the Illini (Xavier was drafted in the fifth round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in April).

But playing in the SEC and playing for the Kiffins were too much for the Homewood-Flossmoor standout to pass up.

"I think they have a chance to win a national championship in the time frame that Zach is going to be there," Glen said. "I think that winning is very much a very important factor in this whole scenario."

"It was just Tennessee," Glen said. "We had been committed to Illinois since 2003 (when Xavier committed). We took Xavier to Illinois on trips and to Michigan State, and we decided that Illinois was something that we wanted to be a part of. Now, Zach's a different person. I don't think I'd be a good father if I did not allow him to fulfill his wishes to play in a conference that he could definitely do well in. It's a matter now of what's best for him."

Zach visited the Illinois campus on June 6 for the Nike Football Training Camp, where he earned the lineman MVP honor.

After the camp, Zach had told IlliniHQ that Illinois was "still one of his options" but that Tennessee was his favorite "as of now."

Zach will not be able to sign a national letter of intent until national signing day on February 3, 2010. 

So, are the Illini still in play? Not likely, according to Zach's father.

"Our commitment is firm," Glen said. "This is an integrity issue for us. We don't want to be considered as people that are bouncing around with our decision. We're not going to be switching around hats or anything like that. This is a firm commitment."

 

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