With June in its last few hours, we thought we'd take a look at the prospects still on Northwestern's board, and what kind of chance the Wildcats have of landing each one.
Quarterback
NU’s chances: Zero
NU’s chances: Zero
As we reported on The Rock, both of these quarterbacks are headed to Tobacco Road: Harrell to North Carolina and Belin to Duke. A couple weeks ago, we thought Harrell would be NU-bound, but it shows you how much a situation can change in a short amount of time, and that Mack Brown can still get it done as a recruiter. It looks like Northwestern may have been just a little too late to the party with Belin. With three QBs on the roster with three or more years of eligibility remaining, Northwestern coaches are not desperate for a QB and will likely wait until fall to see if any seniors or decommitments emerge.
Running back
NU’s chances: High
NU’s chances: Low
Himon will announce his commitment on June 11 but sources say he will decide this week. We feel like the Arkansan will wind up a Wildcat. Looking at his official visits, NU has a big advantage academically over Mizzou and Louisville, and Vanderbilt, the school that may be able to compete with NU academically, is no contest on the field. Alston, who told us yesterday that he has yet to make up his mind, is difficult to read. He will announce on July 25th, but sources told us he is expected to make his decision this week. We don’t really have a feel for where he’ll end up; we just don’t think it will be Evanston. Besides, we figure Himon will beat him to the punch, anyway.
Offensive line
NU’s chances: Slightly less than 50/50
NU's chances: Slim
Anderson is as methodical a prospect as you’ll find. He took all four of his official visits, with Northwestern going first and Stanford in the enviable position of going last. A source said that Anderson was leaning toward Virginia, while his parents liked Northwestern the best (as is often the case). But that was before he visited The Farm. We’re not sure what to think now. We're including Robertson because we were told that the Wildcats would still take him, but, with interior linemen Nick Herzog and Deuce McGuire already on board, he is well aware that the Cats would perfer to land a tackle for their last OL spot. Robertson will announce on July 2 and will likely wind up at Texas or Stanford. Ironically, if it’s Stanford, Robertson -- as well as Cardinal commit and former NU target Lucas Heyer -- could wind up helping NU with Anderson. With two early commits and a bevy of highly-ranked prospects slated for officials, NU looked primed for a star-studded haul at offensive line. They could very well end up holding the bag.
Cornerback
NU’s chances: 50/50
Smith told WildcatReport that he wants to make a decision this week. His final three are Northwestern, Duke and Tulane, the schools he visited in June, but we think it will come down to the Wildcats or Blue Devils. The key in this battle is whether or not Smith wants to play defense. This is a high school quarterback who is used to having the ball in his hands and has never played cornerback in his career. He seems to “get” Northwestern; it’s a question of how comfortable and confident he is about playing on the other side of the ball. Distance from home, he assured us, will not play a role in his decision.
Defensive line
NU’s chances: Very Good
NU’s chances: Low
NU’s chances: Who knows?
NU’s chances: Stone-cold, lead-pipe lock
Saka, as we reported on The Rock, will be a Wildcat -- and he's a bona-fide difference maker. So, then, who else among the defensive line targets will join him? We still feel like Firestone, the guy we call the most interesting recruit in the world, is too good a fit to turn down Northwestern. We, frankly, expected a decision shortly after last week’s unofficial visit with his mother, but, surprisingly, it didn’t come. Sources say that VanSumeren loved his official visit to Northwestern, but the fact that his brother is already at Michigan State leads us to believe he will end up as a Spartan. As for Brown, your guess is as good as ours, but we don’t see him picking NU. All we really know about Brown is that he has a wonderful personality and enjoys the process as much as anyone in the country.
Safety
NU’s chances: Low
Brown would still be a take for the Wildcats, but they’ve got quite a few similar players in the class already. Braydon Brus is on board as an outside linebacker, and while Robert Fitzgerald and Devin Turner were recruited as safeties, they both could end up at outside linebacker and are, at the very least, hybrids. Still, Brown is too good a player to pass on if he wants to come. The unfortunate thing about Brown is that if NU doesn’t land him, odds are he’ll wind up in the Big Ten. He officially visited Northwestern, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin this month, along with Boston College. Our gut tells us he will most likely wind up in Ann Arbor or Madison.
Quarterback
NU’s chances: Zero
NU’s chances: Zero
As we reported on The Rock, both of these quarterbacks are headed to Tobacco Road: Harrell to North Carolina and Belin to Duke. A couple weeks ago, we thought Harrell would be NU-bound, but it shows you how much a situation can change in a short amount of time, and that Mack Brown can still get it done as a recruiter. It looks like Northwestern may have been just a little too late to the party with Belin. With three QBs on the roster with three or more years of eligibility remaining, Northwestern coaches are not desperate for a QB and will likely wait until fall to see if any seniors or decommitments emerge.
Running back
NU’s chances: High
NU’s chances: Low
Himon will announce his commitment on June 11 but sources say he will decide this week. We feel like the Arkansan will wind up a Wildcat. Looking at his official visits, NU has a big advantage academically over Mizzou and Louisville, and Vanderbilt, the school that may be able to compete with NU academically, is no contest on the field. Alston, who told us yesterday that he has yet to make up his mind, is difficult to read. He will announce on July 25th, but sources told us he is expected to make his decision this week. We don’t really have a feel for where he’ll end up; we just don’t think it will be Evanston. Besides, we figure Himon will beat him to the punch, anyway.
Offensive line
NU’s chances: Slightly less than 50/50
NU's chances: Slim
Anderson is as methodical a prospect as you’ll find. He took all four of his official visits, with Northwestern going first and Stanford in the enviable position of going last. A source said that Anderson was leaning toward Virginia, while his parents liked Northwestern the best (as is often the case). But that was before he visited The Farm. We’re not sure what to think now. We're including Robertson because we were told that the Wildcats would still take him, but, with interior linemen Nick Herzog and Deuce McGuire already on board, he is well aware that the Cats would perfer to land a tackle for their last OL spot. Robertson will announce on July 2 and will likely wind up at Texas or Stanford. Ironically, if it’s Stanford, Robertson -- as well as Cardinal commit and former NU target Lucas Heyer -- could wind up helping NU with Anderson. With two early commits and a bevy of highly-ranked prospects slated for officials, NU looked primed for a star-studded haul at offensive line. They could very well end up holding the bag.
Cornerback
NU’s chances: 50/50
Smith told WildcatReport that he wants to make a decision this week. His final three are Northwestern, Duke and Tulane, the schools he visited in June, but we think it will come down to the Wildcats or Blue Devils. The key in this battle is whether or not Smith wants to play defense. This is a high school quarterback who is used to having the ball in his hands and has never played cornerback in his career. He seems to “get” Northwestern; it’s a question of how comfortable and confident he is about playing on the other side of the ball. Distance from home, he assured us, will not play a role in his decision.
Defensive line
NU’s chances: Very Good
NU’s chances: Low
NU’s chances: Who knows?
NU’s chances: Stone-cold, lead-pipe lock
Saka, as we reported on The Rock, will be a Wildcat -- and he's a bona-fide difference maker. So, then, who else among the defensive line targets will join him? We still feel like Firestone, the guy we call the most interesting recruit in the world, is too good a fit to turn down Northwestern. We, frankly, expected a decision shortly after last week’s unofficial visit with his mother, but, surprisingly, it didn’t come. Sources say that VanSumeren loved his official visit to Northwestern, but the fact that his brother is already at Michigan State leads us to believe he will end up as a Spartan. As for Brown, your guess is as good as ours, but we don’t see him picking NU. All we really know about Brown is that he has a wonderful personality and enjoys the process as much as anyone in the country.
Safety
NU’s chances: Low
Brown would still be a take for the Wildcats, but they’ve got quite a few similar players in the class already. Braydon Brus is on board as an outside linebacker, and while Robert Fitzgerald and Devin Turner were recruited as safeties, they both could end up at outside linebacker and are, at the very least, hybrids. Still, Brown is too good a player to pass on if he wants to come. The unfortunate thing about Brown is that if NU doesn’t land him, odds are he’ll wind up in the Big Ten. He officially visited Northwestern, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin this month, along with Boston College. Our gut tells us he will most likely wind up in Ann Arbor or Madison.
