ROCKINGHAM — When football fans and college recruits watch CJ Tillman command the linebacking corps for the Richmond Raiders, they see his high-level intensity and smash-mouth style of play.
He’s often hard to miss under the glaring Friday night lights.
And now Tillman, a rising senior at Richmond Senior High School, is seeing all of his hard work pay off as he announced Monday he was verbally committing to play college football at Liberty University (Lynchburg, Va.).
In a special announcement video posted to his Twitter account, Tillman read his commitment over clips of him working out this summer along with video clips of Liberty football players.
“First and foremost I want to thank God for everything he’s done for my life and blessing me day after day,” Tillman said. “I want to thank my coaches and my family for being there and supporting me.
“Thank you to my mom and dad for being great supporting parents, and thank you to Nicole for never leaving my side when I was at my lowest,” he continued. “With that being said, I will be furthering my education and athletics to Liberty University.”
He became the fourth Raider football player in the class of 2021 to announce his future plans with a Division I program, joining quarterback Caleb Hood (University of North Carolina), and wide receiver Jakolbe Baldwin and offensive lineman Jaleel Davis (both North Carolina State commits).
Tillman originally planned to announce his verbal commitment to the Flames on Sunday, but following a car accident involving former classmates, he opted to wait until Monday out of respect.
A 6-foot, 224-pound linebacker, Tillman has been in the news a lot lately, having most recently been named to the N.C. Preps pre-season all-state team with fellow seniors Hood and Davis.
He also drafted an open letter to Gov. Roy Cooper and the Department of Public Instruction asking for his senior season to happen, which went viral on Twitter on June 19.
Following his junior season, when he led the Raiders in tackles (105), tackles for loss (21) and tackles per game (8.1), he was named the Sandhills Athletic Conference’s top defensive player of the year, and was one of 11 defensive players selected for the N.C. Preps 2019 all-state team.
Having received his first college offer from Notre Dame College (South Euclid, Ohio) in early April, Tillman had 13 offers to choose from. Among the other programs were Charleston Southern, The Citadel, Elon, Fordham, Gardner Webb, Lenoir-Rhyne, Old Dominion, North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central.
Tillman tweeted on June 18 that he had received an offer from Liberty. He noted that part of his decision-making process was looking at a Christian school where he could grow his faith while also playing football.
“I decided to go to Liberty because my family and I talked about it and knew it was close to home,” Tillman said. “Plus it was a Christian school and my mom and I thought that was important.
“I also felt like Liberty was the best school to give me a chance to work hard and try to play in the NFL,” he added. “I’m really excited because it’s always been my dream to play D-I football and it feels good to actually say I’m doing it.
Last fall, Tillman grew in his role as one of the top linebackers for the Raiders and helped the team go 13-1 and make a Western Regional Final appearance for the first time in a decade. He played in every game and recorded 10 or more tackles six times.
Tillman had 10 tackles against Jack Britt High School, and 10 more, including five tackles for loss against Butler High School. He recorded 11 tackles against Vance High School in the season finale, and collected 12 tackles against both Hoke County and Scotland high schools.
But his best high school performance, which put him in the Richmond record books, came against conference opponent Pinecrest High School on Oct. 4.
In a 36-0 blowout of the Patriots, Tillman tied the Raider program record for the most first-hit tackles in a game with 18 tackles. The previous solo leader was Ray Ellerbe (2014). He had six tackles for loss in that game and forced a red zone fumble with the Raiders backed up on their own two-yard line.
Through his 26 appearances at the varsity level the past two seasons, Tillman has 179 total tackles (130 solo), averages 6.9 tackles per game, has eight career sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions.
“It feels good to see all of my hard work pay off,” Tillman said of his progression. “Plus I’m coming off a (foot) injury from basketball and I’m back to 100 percent. It’s cool to see what I did and it all pay off in the long run.
“Going to play D-I football is a big deal because it shows other kids that even though we’re from a small county, we can still go and play at this level,” he added.
Following his graduation from Richmond next spring, Tillman will join a Liberty program that went 8-5 in 2019. He will play for head coach Hugh Freeze, who is entering his third season at the helm this fall. The Flames are an independent program not associated with an FBS conference.
Tillman plans to major in criminal justice while in Lynchburg. In the meantime, he said he’s “hoping for the best” to have a senior season so he and his teammates can play together one last time.
He also said he wants to see a season happen for his teammates’ sake, many of whom are still looking to make decisions about college ball.
