Hersey’s Farrell decides to flip commitment to Illinois from North Carolina

Hersey senior three-star tight end recruit Logan Farrell on Monday announced that he was flipping his verbal commitment from North Carolina to Illinois.

Farrell, who had been committed to the Tar Heels since November 2023, decided he liked what Illinois coach Bret Bielema was doing with the team.

“It all just came down to fit for me with Illinois,” said Farrell, who is 6-foot-3, 235 pounds. “It was a very hard phone call to make to the North Carolina coaches, but I just feel that Illinois is the best place for me and I'm very excited about my decision.”

Farrell said his recent visit to Illinois (6-1) and the team’s success this season were big factors in his decision.

“Illinois always remained in contact with me and they never stopped recruiting me,” Farrell said. “The tipping point for me with Illinois was the game day visit I made to Illinois on Saturday against Michigan. I had a great game day visit and experience at Illinois.

“The overall atmosphere at Illinois was amazing and I knew that Illinois was the place I was looking for all along. Illinois is having a great season and they are a program on the rise, which definitely caught my attention. Illinois is also a real positive for me as well as for my family as far as distance from home. My family and friends can come see me play in college, and I'll be able to get back home much easier now at Illinois.”

Farrell is already very familiar with several players on the Fighting Illini's roster.

“When I went into the locker room at Illinois I already knew a lot of kids on the team, including some kids I didn't know played at Illinois. I was able to say hello to several of the players, and it was already a great feeling to know so many players already at Illinois. It's a really comfortable feeling and a real positive.”

Farrell, who is recovering from a season-ending knee injury suffered last summer, was also impressed with how Illinois remained interested in Farrell even after the injury and surgery.

“Illinois and North Carolina stuck with me and stayed interested in me during the entire time before and after surgery. I heard from a few different coaches, but the two main schools who stayed with me was both Illinois and North Carolina, which meant a lot.”

Logan Farrell is the 15th known commitment in the Illini’s Class of 2025. Farrell joins Maroa-Forsyth tight end Grant Smith, Homewood-Flossmoor defensive end Cameron Brooks, Mt. Zion wide receiver Brayden Trimble, Eisenhower athlete Andre Lovett and Andrew offensive guard Michael McDonough as in-state commitment to Illinois.