In-state RB Erick Doke commits to Northern Illinois

Rising senior prospect Erick Doke from Bradford High School in Kenosha, Wis., committed to the Northern Illinois Huskies Saturday. The Huskies were Doke’s first Division 1 offer and he decided to pull the trigger and commit during an unofficial visit.

“I committed now because I feel like there won’t be another opportunity like this one,” Doke told BadgerBlitz.com. “It felt right, everything felt right. I didn’t need a ton of offers just to get attention, I wanted to have a school that felt right, and if it did I was going to commit.

“I liked how all the guys were great teammates and the facilities were good. I liked the campus and I really liked all the coaches. The main thing was the coaches, they made me feel like they really wanted me.”

A running back in high school, Doke, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound prospect, said the coaches at NIU are interested in him on both sides of the ball in college.

“They’re not sure what position I’m going to play yet but they’re really confident in me,” Doke said. “I’m a running back at heart, but I think I would be more successful as a linebacker at the next level.”

Doke, who rushed for 1,261 yards and 17 touchdowns last fall, said he needs to continue to work to become a better player on both sides of the ball, especially on the defensive side.

“I want to become a better all-around football player on both sides of the ball; a dominant football player,” Doke said. “Last year I was dominant on offense, but defense I barely got any reps and they want me to step into defense this year a lot more. I just want to be a dominant football player. Mostly on defense this year is my focus.”

Doke said other teams are still showing interest at this time, and a couple of teams could change the course of his recruitment.

“Mainly Michigan State and Iowa, I took visits there and they’re coming to watch me work out,” Doke said. “If an opportunity was there and I kind of felt good about the school then it could change things with my recruitment.”

When asked about if an offer from the Hawkeyes came his way, Doke responded, “Yeah, that would be big. I will use my officials more towards the winter after the season.”