The football season may be over for Northwestern, but official visit season has just begun.
The Wildcats this weekend will host Grant Perry, two of their prime Class of 2015 targets, as they beginning to finish off a class that now numbers 17. Northwestern usually likes to host its top prospects in December, when they can spend more time with players and coaches who are free from football duties. That's certainly the case this season, with the Wildcats failing to achieve bowl eligibility for the second straight year.
James, a three-star athlete from Carmel (Ind.), has Northwestern in his Top 4, along with Indiana, Missouri and Wisconsin. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder took an official to Wisconsin in April. After taking in Evanston this weekend, he will head to Indiana next weekend. He has yet to schedule an official to Mizzou.
Three-star wide receiver Grant Perry just visited NU for the first time last weekend for the Illinois game and has already called the Wildcats his favorite. The 6-foot, 183-pounder from Birmingham (Mich.) Brother Rice has multiple MAC offers, but Northwestern remains his only Power Five conference offer.
Of the two, Perry is the more likely to wind up a Wildcat. As I have written before, I wouldn't be surprised if he pulled the trigger this weekend. Northwestern is also his only scheduled official visit.
James, on the other hand, has been tougher to read. He has been very methodical throughout his recruiting process and will likely take all of his officials before making his decision.
James is being recruited as either a wide receiver or cornerback, but based on the carnage that Northwestern experienced at corner this season, there's little question that coaches would rather see the speedster in the defensive backfield.
While James has the more impressive offer list and has been recruited by Northwestern for far longer, Perry is the guy who is more ready to make an impact as a freshman should both players choose to come to Evanston.
Perry is more of a finished product, a polished wide receiver who caught an astounding 105 passes for 1,727 yards and 21 touchdowns for Brother Rice this season. He runs good routes and has good hands, and he knows how to stem routes and find soft spots in the defense. That should be welcome news for the Wildcats, whose receivers had problems getting separation all season.
James, on the other hand, has the higher ceiling based on his speed and athleticism. But he played quarterback at Carmel -- where he led the Greyhounds to the state title game -- and would have to learn a new position at the college level. He is the player more likely to redshirt and take time to develop.
Look for updates on both players on WildcatReport after their visits.
Coaching carousel note: [/B]Coaching changes usually mean decommitments -- as Michigan has demonstrated this year. The Wolverines have already lost a few highly ranked recruits in the wake of Brady Hoke's firing and are down to just six commits. We'll see if a similar thing happens at Nebraska after the dismissal of Bo Pelini and hiring of Mike Riley.
However, a source said that Northwestern probably won't be impacted by any defections. The only player on the two schools' commitment lists that Northwestern would likely aggressively pursue is four-star tackle Grant Newsome, and the word is that he is still solid to Michigan.
It goes without saying the academics also limit the number of other schools' recruits the Wildcats would go after.
The Wildcats this weekend will host Grant Perry, two of their prime Class of 2015 targets, as they beginning to finish off a class that now numbers 17. Northwestern usually likes to host its top prospects in December, when they can spend more time with players and coaches who are free from football duties. That's certainly the case this season, with the Wildcats failing to achieve bowl eligibility for the second straight year.
James, a three-star athlete from Carmel (Ind.), has Northwestern in his Top 4, along with Indiana, Missouri and Wisconsin. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder took an official to Wisconsin in April. After taking in Evanston this weekend, he will head to Indiana next weekend. He has yet to schedule an official to Mizzou.
Three-star wide receiver Grant Perry just visited NU for the first time last weekend for the Illinois game and has already called the Wildcats his favorite. The 6-foot, 183-pounder from Birmingham (Mich.) Brother Rice has multiple MAC offers, but Northwestern remains his only Power Five conference offer.
Of the two, Perry is the more likely to wind up a Wildcat. As I have written before, I wouldn't be surprised if he pulled the trigger this weekend. Northwestern is also his only scheduled official visit.
James, on the other hand, has been tougher to read. He has been very methodical throughout his recruiting process and will likely take all of his officials before making his decision.
James is being recruited as either a wide receiver or cornerback, but based on the carnage that Northwestern experienced at corner this season, there's little question that coaches would rather see the speedster in the defensive backfield.
While James has the more impressive offer list and has been recruited by Northwestern for far longer, Perry is the guy who is more ready to make an impact as a freshman should both players choose to come to Evanston.
Perry is more of a finished product, a polished wide receiver who caught an astounding 105 passes for 1,727 yards and 21 touchdowns for Brother Rice this season. He runs good routes and has good hands, and he knows how to stem routes and find soft spots in the defense. That should be welcome news for the Wildcats, whose receivers had problems getting separation all season.
James, on the other hand, has the higher ceiling based on his speed and athleticism. But he played quarterback at Carmel -- where he led the Greyhounds to the state title game -- and would have to learn a new position at the college level. He is the player more likely to redshirt and take time to develop.
Look for updates on both players on WildcatReport after their visits.
Coaching carousel note: [/B]Coaching changes usually mean decommitments -- as Michigan has demonstrated this year. The Wolverines have already lost a few highly ranked recruits in the wake of Brady Hoke's firing and are down to just six commits. We'll see if a similar thing happens at Nebraska after the dismissal of Bo Pelini and hiring of Mike Riley.
However, a source said that Northwestern probably won't be impacted by any defections. The only player on the two schools' commitment lists that Northwestern would likely aggressively pursue is four-star tackle Grant Newsome, and the word is that he is still solid to Michigan.
It goes without saying the academics also limit the number of other schools' recruits the Wildcats would go after.
