ROCKINGHAM — C.J. Tillman, a senior linebacker at Richmond Senior High School, said he’s found his future home to continue his playing career.
On Monday afternoon, Tillman took to Twitter to share that he was verbally committing to play at Campbell University. He shared a video of him in Camels gear and captioned the post with “Respect my decision. 100% committed.”
Tillman’s announcement came 17 days after he decommitted from Liberty University, another Division I school, which is currently ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press’ top 25 poll. He had initially verbally committed to the Flames on July 20.
During a year that has seen high school and college recruiting efforts slowed because of COVID-19, Tillman attributed his decision to step away from Liberty and reopen the recruiting door because of the impact of the pandemic.
When he verbally committed over the summer to Liberty, no decision had been made regarding high school sports in North Carolina. Under the state’s revised athletic calendar, football will now be played starting in late February.
“Issues caused by COVID made me rethink about where I wanted to play,” Tillman said. “When the NCAA gave players an extra year of eligibility, that meant a lot of linebackers at Liberty would probably be coming back.
“My spot would likely be filled in for another year and I wanted to weigh my options to see where I could try to play as a freshman.”
When he started retesting the recruiting waters just before Thanksgiving, Tillman said Campbell and head coach Mike Minter hadn’t been in contact. But with the help of Richmond head coach Bryan Till and former teammate and current Campbell player D’Marcus Harrington, Tillman was able to find his new landing spot.
“Campbell texted me and said they had wanted me originally, but I had committed to Liberty,” Tillman explained. “When I decommitted from there, the door opened and now I’m a Camel.
“It was quick,” he added. “Campbell texted me about two weeks after I decommitted and a couple days later I made my decision to go there. There’s a lot of relief for me now and it’s not so stressful. I’m glad to be committed.”
A standout starting linebacker the last couple of seasons for Richmond, Tillman tied the Raider program record for the most first-hit tackles in a game with 18 tackles against Pinecrest in 2019. The previous solo leader was Ray Ellerbe (2014).
Tillman had six tackles for a 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.
During Minter’s eight-year tenure at Campbell, the former Carolina Panthers defensive back has helped reboot the Camels’ program. Competing in the Big South Conference, Campbell had three straight winning seasons from 2017-2019. This season was a shortened slate, which saw the Camels go 0-4.
Something else that is important to Tillman is the ability to have his parents attend games, with Campbell’s campus roughly a 90-minute drive compared to Liberty’s three-hour commute.
“It’s a big deal to be closer to home and that helped me in making my decision,” Tillman said. “That means my parents will be able to come see me play.
“This is a better opportunity for my future and I’m excited to get started.”
Tillman plans to visit Campbell and meet with his new coaching staff in the coming weeks.
