Alexandra (Alex) Eschmeyer out of Colorado picks up an NU offer. I’m assuming that name is not a coincidence. Right?? Has an offer from CU as well. Class of 2025 prospect.

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Looks like the Cats have an 8th 2025 recruit in the mix. This one happens to be a big.

6’11” Tommy Ahnemam out of Fargo, ND. Recruiting interest has really taken off over the last couple weeks. Recent offers from Iowa, Minny, DePaul, Nebraska and PSU.

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Class of 2027 QB Matthew Brady from downstate Bloomington (Ill.) Central Catholic is going to camp at NU this month. He's also going to Ole Miss, Mizzou, Iowa, Iowa State and Indiana, and is considering others.

He's 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds already. He doesn't have any offers, but several suitors.

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Here's the story from Edgy:

Leo Almanza Jr has 10 offers to play cornerback, but Northwestern was the first to offer him as a wide receiver. Here's our story on the 2025 athlete and his recruitment by the Wildcats, so far.

How come my thread OSU thread about my dream in which NU defeated them by (a historic score) to zip didn't get a "not open for further replies" also?

Finally received an email with a link to ticket information. No mention of capacity but there is a basic seating diagram with prices and, of course, “contribution” as with basketball.

@lou v talked to RB Isaiah Groves about his official visit to Northwestern, the impact of NU’s facilities and more.

Ouch! Assistant coach Talor Battle leaves Northwestern for Ohio State.

He’s the older brother of star point guard Boo Buie, who also left Evanston after exhausting his eligibility.

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(If this has been posted elsewhere, my bad. Just got back from a trip.)

The Athletic had a piece on h.s. coaches anonymously rating college recruiting programs. Pretty high marks all around for Braun (and Fitz as well).

This quote in particular caught my eye:

Coach 6: Our relationship with the Northwestern staff was very strong before, and now it’s just in kind of that infancy stage with a lot of the new coaches. I’ve always said this: Northwestern is by the book more than any other program I’ll deal with in recruiting. Whether it’s Braun or Fitzgerald, they’re very good at following the rules, and I think they take a lot of pride in that. They’re the cleanest recruiting college that I’ve come across.

247 put out its ranking of the 18 Big Ten basketball teams for the next season and had us as number 17! Only Minnesota was below us.

@lou v talked to 2025 RB Javin Gordon about his offer from Northwestern. Gordon amassed more than 2,000 all-purpose yards for Toccoa (Ga.) Stephens County last season.

Apologies to @Styre

Now that the seat renderings, pricing structure, and order of priority have been released, where are you hoping to sit? Comments welcome.

Impressive ranking for the Cats. Fitz’s body of work speaks for itself.

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Bill Walton has passed away. He was a longtime San Diego resident. When I lived in Pacific Beach and spent a lot of time on the boardwalk I would often see him shooting baskets at South Mission Beach courts where he donated to maintain the baskets and nets and he would often ride his bike on the boardwalk. He maintained a residence near Balboa Park and was a lifelong community member. I enjoyed his commentary and remember his connection to John Wooden and the UCLA basketball dynasty. RIP.

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Check out this article from USA TODAY:

Bill Walton, Hall of Famer and UCLA legend, dies at age 71

I talked to Princeton (Ill.) tight end Noah LaPorte about his first official visit to Northwestern, where the Wildcats stand, and his recruiting outlook.

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Dugandzic hails from nearby Winnetka (Ill.) New Trier. He told me this is a full scholarship offer, not PWO.

NU commits Niki Dugandzic and Mason Mayne both earned three-star rankings from Rivals. They are both 5.5 in Rivals Rating, the lowest designation for a three-star. A three-star for a punter is pretty rare.

NU's 2025 class is now entirely made up of three-star prospects. It's the 29th-ranked class in the nation.

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The class:

I talked to 2025 Colorado guard Josiah Sanders about his offer from Northwestern, the pitch from Bryant McIntosh and his recruitment.

My friends, sorry for all my intensity lately.

To quote the late Randy Walker: “I apologize for my passion.”

In 2024 - and until both Gragg & Schill are gone - I will be cheering primarily for Notre Dame football.

My Irish-American friends and family are aware of this decision, why I’m making it, and are fully supportive. They only cared about NUFB because I cared about it… and, now, we don’t.

Go Irish! And, Go ‘Cats.

I still can’t wait to see what our guy CCC does for NUMBB next season!

And, I reserve the right to rescind this important decision at my sole discretion.

Any questions?

#respectTheDecision #TrustYourself!!!

I talked to Jesse Marks of the NU Athletic Department to get an in-depth look at NU's new temporary lakefront stadium.

By Stewart Mandel

The U.S. Department of Justice reached a settlement with the NCAA that will permanently bar the organization from restricting athletes’ transfer eligibility, it was announced Thursday.

The settlement resolves a federal antitrust lawsuit filed by a coalition of states last December challenging the NCAA’s requirement that athletes who transfer more than once must sit out a year of competition. U.S. District Court Judge John Preston Bailey in West Virginia issued a preliminary injunction at the time that banned the NCAA from enforcing its Transfer Eligibility Rule. The DOJ joined the suit in January.

A consent decree announced Thursday makes that policy change permanent, allowing athletes to transfer an unlimited number of times without penalty. It also requires the NCAA to restore a year of eligibility for current athletes who missed a year of competition since 2019-20 due to the old policy.

“Free from anticompetitive rules that unfairly limit their mobility, Division I college athletes will now be able to choose the institutions that best meet their academic, personal and professional development needs,” Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division said in a statement.

“We’ve leveled the playing field for college athletes to allow them to better control their destinies,” said Ohio AG Dave Yost, who brought the suit. “This long-term change is exactly what we set out to accomplish.”

As required by the Tunney Act, a 60-day public comment period will begin, after which the court may enter the settlement as final judgment.

I talked to 2025 punter Niki Dugandzic about his decision, committing to David Braun on the same call he was offered, and his chances to come in and start immediately.

In case you missed it, starting in Fall 2025, college athletic programs will be able to distribute up to $21 million (estimated) in a revenue-sharing model with their athletes.

For the purposes of this hypothetical question on a Friday when our answers don't matter, let's not get hung up on the actual dollar amount. Can work with percentages or vague guidelines as you please.

I'm just curious in broad terms how you would split this up.

Specifically for NU, I would prioritize creating stability and minimizing turnover within the program - get more $ in the hands of more players and have that be a marketable aspect of the program (versus others which will probably max out their money to star players and leave many players with nothing). I think this could go a long way to attracting good players who prioritize a traditional college experience (and an education, maybe?) over prima donnas chasing max paydays who will keep program-hopping.

I would offer some guaranteed money to players who start in their positions in at least 51% of games and guaranteed money for seniors on the team for at least four years.

After that I'd give a minimum amount to players who had any playing time, and I'd set aside bonuses for players who receive awards and recognition - All Conference, position awards, maybe even some internal distinctions as well (who gets the "1" jersey, for example).

I would also set aside a big chunk for bowl/playoff participation, to minimize the chances of players sitting out. If the program doesn't get any post-season anything, this doesn't get paid out. Might adjust this if it actually seemed like a negative against the program, but over time I bet this would be the trend - and when you see post-season games with a ton of players are sitting out, then it becomes a sign that you're program doesn't manage it's revenue sharing well.

I would hold my breath and hope some individual caps would be in place to eliminate the possibility of bidding wars, negotiation stalemates, and agent involvement.