Head coach Pat Fitzgerald often talks about his own experience as a recruit at Northwestern, when he showed up on the first day of camp in Evanston not knowing a single other member of his recruiting class. He didn’t like that feeling and has set about to change that experience for his own recruits.
To that end, Northwestern is hosting a barbecue for its Class of 2016 commits on Saturday on the lakefront. All 19 members of the class were invited and at least 10 are expected to show up. Most, if not all, will spend at least one night on campus.
Thus far, WildcatReport has confirmed the following commits will attend: DE Tommy Carnifax, SB Eric Eshoo, OL Cameron Kolwich, WR Riley Lees, DT Alex Miller, WR Ben Skowronek, QB Aidan Smith, OL Nik Urban, OL Gunnar Vogel and S Travis Whillock.
Most of the commits attending are from the Midwest, making it easier for them to make the trip to Evanston, but Whillock and Miller are traveling all the way from Texas. Other commits who can’t make it due to scheduling conflicts -- RB Jesse Brown, CB Brian Bullock, CB Roderick Campbell, WR Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman and LB Jango Glackin -- expressed their regrets that they won’t be able to join their classmates.
The barbecue will give the commits and their families a chance to meet each other, most for the first time. They are constantly texting each other on a group chat and tweeting or direct messaging each other on Twitter. But unless they were visiting the same time as another recruit or went to a camp together, they probably haven’t gotten a chance to shake each other’s hand.
For example, Lees, a former Miami (Ohio) commitment who committed to Northwestern on June 8, hasn’t met a single member of his class yet, even though “I’ve talked to them a lot.”
On the other side of the spectrum is Skowronek, the social butterfly of the group who tweets at many of his classmates and has even done some recruiting for the Wildcats on Twitter. Yet even Skowronek has met only three other classmates in person: he grew up with Smith in Fort Wayne, Ind., and he met Urban and Campbell at the Nike Opening in Columbus, Ohio, on May 31.
Skowronek, who will get in on Friday and leave on Sunday, is looking forward to getting a chance to break bread with his future teammates, most of whom he knows only through what they type into their phones.
“It gives us a chance to get to know each other before we enroll next June,” he stated via a Twitter direct message. “I think we will all have a fun time hanging around Northwestern and Chicago this weekend.”
Then he ended his text with a statement that would make Fitzgerald proud and shows how much these new Wildcats have already been indoctrinated.
“Go Cats!”
More to come: In addition to the 2016 commits, Northwestern will also be hosting a number of 2017 prospects this weekend. WildcatReport is currently working to confirm visitors and will post their names on The Rock.
To that end, Northwestern is hosting a barbecue for its Class of 2016 commits on Saturday on the lakefront. All 19 members of the class were invited and at least 10 are expected to show up. Most, if not all, will spend at least one night on campus.
Thus far, WildcatReport has confirmed the following commits will attend: DE Tommy Carnifax, SB Eric Eshoo, OL Cameron Kolwich, WR Riley Lees, DT Alex Miller, WR Ben Skowronek, QB Aidan Smith, OL Nik Urban, OL Gunnar Vogel and S Travis Whillock.
Most of the commits attending are from the Midwest, making it easier for them to make the trip to Evanston, but Whillock and Miller are traveling all the way from Texas. Other commits who can’t make it due to scheduling conflicts -- RB Jesse Brown, CB Brian Bullock, CB Roderick Campbell, WR Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman and LB Jango Glackin -- expressed their regrets that they won’t be able to join their classmates.
The barbecue will give the commits and their families a chance to meet each other, most for the first time. They are constantly texting each other on a group chat and tweeting or direct messaging each other on Twitter. But unless they were visiting the same time as another recruit or went to a camp together, they probably haven’t gotten a chance to shake each other’s hand.
For example, Lees, a former Miami (Ohio) commitment who committed to Northwestern on June 8, hasn’t met a single member of his class yet, even though “I’ve talked to them a lot.”
On the other side of the spectrum is Skowronek, the social butterfly of the group who tweets at many of his classmates and has even done some recruiting for the Wildcats on Twitter. Yet even Skowronek has met only three other classmates in person: he grew up with Smith in Fort Wayne, Ind., and he met Urban and Campbell at the Nike Opening in Columbus, Ohio, on May 31.
Skowronek, who will get in on Friday and leave on Sunday, is looking forward to getting a chance to break bread with his future teammates, most of whom he knows only through what they type into their phones.
“It gives us a chance to get to know each other before we enroll next June,” he stated via a Twitter direct message. “I think we will all have a fun time hanging around Northwestern and Chicago this weekend.”
Then he ended his text with a statement that would make Fitzgerald proud and shows how much these new Wildcats have already been indoctrinated.
“Go Cats!”
More to come: In addition to the 2016 commits, Northwestern will also be hosting a number of 2017 prospects this weekend. WildcatReport is currently working to confirm visitors and will post their names on The Rock.
