(*Class)
Well, yesterday was fun for recruiting addicts like me. Never hurts to land two guys with multiple high-BCS/P5 offers in the same day at a position that's been historically difficult to recruit at NU AND is a position of need given our current roster construction. With six commitments in hand (roughly a third of the class, by my math), figure now is as good a time as any to take a look at the tape of our commitments and other offered prospects that might end up in Evanston.
The Commits (In order of commitment)
LB Blake Gallagher -- not exactly playing top-flight competition, but strikes me as a tough-nosed player who's more athletic than one might guess at first glance. Probably a Mike/Will prospect, he has pretty darn good burst to the ball and decent size already. Always nice to get a commitment from a guy with offers like Duke, Maryland, Nebraska, North Carolina, Pitt, Virginia, Rutgers, and Syracuse 14 months before Signing Day.
OL Sam Gerak -- Lacks what might be called "ideal" size/length, but should be fine as a center prospect. Nice to see a kid who seems to snap and move pretty naturally, even if he does play some at guard on junior tape. A little surprised he didn't wait out Penn State a bit longer given his legacy status, but happy to have him as part of this class.
DL Sam Miller -- Not entirely sure why this kid wasn't more highly recruited, because his tape is pretty phenomenal. Doesn't have great size right now, but seems to have the frame to carry plenty of weight. Very good movement skills for a young kid his size. Should have a year to put on the requisite strength and size with our DT depth, then be an effective player sooner than later.
OL RaShawn Slater -- Plays some tackle and guard in HS, he's almost assuredly destined to be an interior lineman at NU. A little more of a project, he shows pretty good athletic ability and balance in pulling. Like most HS OL, has some of a tendency to play high and could use some work in the weight room. That said, he's got the requisite frame and athleticism to develop into an effective BCS/P5 OL.
(This is when the tapes start getting REALLY fun)
DL Earnest Brown IV -- Flashes some very good burst off the ball, especially for a bigger/longer kid. Pretty easy to see why he drew 26 offers in quick succession. Good athlete, good tape against good competition, good projection... could/should be fun to see how he progresses once he gets into a collegiate strength and conditioning program.
DL Trevor Kent -- Another instance where it's easy to see why he collected an impressive offer list. He's the kind of "jumbo athlete" we don't usually get at Northwestern. The only thing that's missing is the level of competition, but at least he's completely dominant on both sides of the ball (which is about all you can ask for in that situation). Also looks like he has the frame to get to 275 pretty easily while retaining his athleticism.
The Prospects
While I don't usually put too much stock into 247's "Crystal Ball" picks, I have noticed that Steve Wiltfong seems to vulture the system by making predictions only when he's heard a commitment is forthcoming. Wiltfong changed both of his predictions on the first two kids below to NU this morning, which I'm hoping portends good things to come. Combined with tweets from both Bowers and Fitz this morning about a commitment from Texas, it seems like he's at least halfway right.
DB Austin Hiller -- A longer, rangy athlete from one of the better programs in Texas, Hiller's offer list is mostly regional schools and Ivies along with NU. That said, I think he's a pretty good player in his own right, showing pretty good burst, athleticism, and playmaking for a guy who's listed at 6-2 200. Seems capable of playing a Brian Peters-type safety position or possibly growing into an OLB. We shall see if his commitment is verified, but would be another solid to the growing depth at the back half of our defense.
OL Ethan Wiekderkehr -- (At least I think he's an OL... he could probably play a couple positions) Another guy who would fit the "jumbo athlete" mold, he could probably play a couple of spots along the OL or DL. Based on what I've read, it seems like NU is recruiting him as a Blake Hance-style OT, moving to the OL full-time after playing TE and DE in high school. Based on his style of play, what looks like a lot of "projection" in his frame, and bloodlines (dad is/was a HS coach and I believe NFL player, maybe that was Grandpa), I think he would fit that mold perfectly. We need more guys like his in our OL room.
DB/LB Kyle Nunn -- A little surprised that he hasn't committed yet, Nunn seemed very interested in NU before getting a little more interest from BCS/P5 schools (Indiana, etc.). He's a pretty good sized kid that moves well for his size, kind of a "Pete Werner-lite" if you will. Probably fits best as a projection down to OLB, but could probably play safety if needed. A nice-looking athlete that would continue building speed on that side of the ball in Evanston.
From there, it's a crapshoot amongst a lot of highly-recruited players. It sure would be nice to land one of our "A-list" QBs in 2017 after missing out the last couple years (Jack Coan seems most likely, though Kasim Hill is a better fit for our offense in my opinion). Would also be nice to snag a true game-changing, impact pass catcher or two (nice to get Cameron Sullivan-Brown on campus but likely a longshot, Jake Marwede seems enamored with the "name" schools, etc.).
With a group of very solid prospects committed, the spring evaluation period should be fun for NU coaches. Let's see if we can continue adding to an already strong class.
Well, yesterday was fun for recruiting addicts like me. Never hurts to land two guys with multiple high-BCS/P5 offers in the same day at a position that's been historically difficult to recruit at NU AND is a position of need given our current roster construction. With six commitments in hand (roughly a third of the class, by my math), figure now is as good a time as any to take a look at the tape of our commitments and other offered prospects that might end up in Evanston.
The Commits (In order of commitment)
LB Blake Gallagher -- not exactly playing top-flight competition, but strikes me as a tough-nosed player who's more athletic than one might guess at first glance. Probably a Mike/Will prospect, he has pretty darn good burst to the ball and decent size already. Always nice to get a commitment from a guy with offers like Duke, Maryland, Nebraska, North Carolina, Pitt, Virginia, Rutgers, and Syracuse 14 months before Signing Day.
OL Sam Gerak -- Lacks what might be called "ideal" size/length, but should be fine as a center prospect. Nice to see a kid who seems to snap and move pretty naturally, even if he does play some at guard on junior tape. A little surprised he didn't wait out Penn State a bit longer given his legacy status, but happy to have him as part of this class.
DL Sam Miller -- Not entirely sure why this kid wasn't more highly recruited, because his tape is pretty phenomenal. Doesn't have great size right now, but seems to have the frame to carry plenty of weight. Very good movement skills for a young kid his size. Should have a year to put on the requisite strength and size with our DT depth, then be an effective player sooner than later.
OL RaShawn Slater -- Plays some tackle and guard in HS, he's almost assuredly destined to be an interior lineman at NU. A little more of a project, he shows pretty good athletic ability and balance in pulling. Like most HS OL, has some of a tendency to play high and could use some work in the weight room. That said, he's got the requisite frame and athleticism to develop into an effective BCS/P5 OL.
(This is when the tapes start getting REALLY fun)
DL Earnest Brown IV -- Flashes some very good burst off the ball, especially for a bigger/longer kid. Pretty easy to see why he drew 26 offers in quick succession. Good athlete, good tape against good competition, good projection... could/should be fun to see how he progresses once he gets into a collegiate strength and conditioning program.
DL Trevor Kent -- Another instance where it's easy to see why he collected an impressive offer list. He's the kind of "jumbo athlete" we don't usually get at Northwestern. The only thing that's missing is the level of competition, but at least he's completely dominant on both sides of the ball (which is about all you can ask for in that situation). Also looks like he has the frame to get to 275 pretty easily while retaining his athleticism.
The Prospects
While I don't usually put too much stock into 247's "Crystal Ball" picks, I have noticed that Steve Wiltfong seems to vulture the system by making predictions only when he's heard a commitment is forthcoming. Wiltfong changed both of his predictions on the first two kids below to NU this morning, which I'm hoping portends good things to come. Combined with tweets from both Bowers and Fitz this morning about a commitment from Texas, it seems like he's at least halfway right.
DB Austin Hiller -- A longer, rangy athlete from one of the better programs in Texas, Hiller's offer list is mostly regional schools and Ivies along with NU. That said, I think he's a pretty good player in his own right, showing pretty good burst, athleticism, and playmaking for a guy who's listed at 6-2 200. Seems capable of playing a Brian Peters-type safety position or possibly growing into an OLB. We shall see if his commitment is verified, but would be another solid to the growing depth at the back half of our defense.
OL Ethan Wiekderkehr -- (At least I think he's an OL... he could probably play a couple positions) Another guy who would fit the "jumbo athlete" mold, he could probably play a couple of spots along the OL or DL. Based on what I've read, it seems like NU is recruiting him as a Blake Hance-style OT, moving to the OL full-time after playing TE and DE in high school. Based on his style of play, what looks like a lot of "projection" in his frame, and bloodlines (dad is/was a HS coach and I believe NFL player, maybe that was Grandpa), I think he would fit that mold perfectly. We need more guys like his in our OL room.
DB/LB Kyle Nunn -- A little surprised that he hasn't committed yet, Nunn seemed very interested in NU before getting a little more interest from BCS/P5 schools (Indiana, etc.). He's a pretty good sized kid that moves well for his size, kind of a "Pete Werner-lite" if you will. Probably fits best as a projection down to OLB, but could probably play safety if needed. A nice-looking athlete that would continue building speed on that side of the ball in Evanston.
From there, it's a crapshoot amongst a lot of highly-recruited players. It sure would be nice to land one of our "A-list" QBs in 2017 after missing out the last couple years (Jack Coan seems most likely, though Kasim Hill is a better fit for our offense in my opinion). Would also be nice to snag a true game-changing, impact pass catcher or two (nice to get Cameron Sullivan-Brown on campus but likely a longshot, Jake Marwede seems enamored with the "name" schools, etc.).
With a group of very solid prospects committed, the spring evaluation period should be fun for NU coaches. Let's see if we can continue adding to an already strong class.
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