At 6-foot-4, 283 pounds, Hunter Wells was a standout offensive tackle for a disappointing Canton High School football team with an 0-9 record last season, and he hoped to be recruited by a Division-I school.

That didn’t seem possible only a few weeks ago for the high school junior, though, when coaches at Northern Illinois University told him they wouldn’t be offering him a scholarship.

But Thursday, Wells’ dream came true.

He was in his third-hour English class, typing an essay, when his head football coach, Justin Miller, called him out of class.

“Hunter, come here a minute,” Miller said he shouted to Wells. “I think I scared him, he didn’t know what was coming.”

The junior offensive tackle got up, thinking that his coach was angry at him, and walked into the hall.

“He said, ‘U of I is making you an offer,’” Wells said.

After a Monday visit to campus, Wells accepted the scholarship offer, making him the first commit for Illinois in the Class of 2011.

Miller started sending out highlight tapes only weeks prior to Illinois’ offer, and Wells was lightly recruited.

His name is difficult to find on recruiting Web sites, but the big tackle who works on his grandfather’s farm ran a 5.3 40-yard dash last fall. Miller said he’s improved his speed since then.

“(New outside linebacker’s coach Ron) West said, ‘Where have you been hiding this kid,’” Miller said. “I said, I haven’t been hiding him, he’s been out here for three years.”

Illinois coaches were impressed enough to offer a scholarship only a day after receiving his highlight film.

Miller said Illinois offensive line coach Joe Gilbert was impressed with Wells’ ability to quickly move his hips and his burst out of his stance, and West was also impressed with his size and athletic ability.

“Ron West said, ‘When they created you, they created a right tackle. You’ve just got to get down on your knees and thank God,’” Miller said.

Miller isn’t foreign to talent, having coached former NFL fullback Boomer Grigsby at Canton.

Grigsby played linebacker for Illinois State and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft, later spending time with the Miami Dolphins as well as the Houston Texans.

“The difference between Boomer and Hunter is that Boomer was one of those kids that had to work for what he got, Hunter’s just gifted. God created him to be an offensive tackle,” Miller said.

“I heard the guys at Illinois (on Monday), he could play in the NFL one day. If he stays healthy and gets his work done, he does what they ask of him, the kid’s going to go on and play.”

Miller may follow in the footsteps of Illini senior Jon Asamoah, a two-star recruit out of high school who is expected to be one of the top offensive guards taken in the NFL draft this April.

But after his Monday commitment, Wells is just happy to be an Illini.

“I walked out on the field (Monday), and they told me to get down in my stance, it’s fourth-and-one on the right hash. So I went up there and I got chills getting into my stance, feeling the turf under my fingers,” Wells said. “Then they had me walk out into the ‘I’ and do a 360-degree turn and just take it all in, imagining what it will soon feel like with screaming fans in orange.”