Maema Njongmeta - why isn't he playing for Northwestern?

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Some pundits are calling Njongmeta the best returning linebacker in the Big Ten, but he's wearing a Badger red uniform...

I've heard that "his first choice was Northwestern but NU didn't recruit him..."
He's a local kid who played at Stevenson High School, 20 miles from Evanston...
He got offers from every Ivy League school, but he turned them all down because he wanted to play big-time college football...

How is he not playing for NU?

 

[peatymeanis]

Some pundits are calling Njongmeta the best returning linebacker in the Big Ten, but he's wearing a Badger red uniform...

I've heard that "his first choice was Northwestern but NU didn't recruit him..."
He's a local kid who played at Stevenson High School, 20 miles from Evanston...
He got offers from every Ivy League school, but he turned them all down because he wanted to play big-time college football...

How is he not playing for NU?

Huh? You already answered your own question. NU didn’t recruit him.

 

[epicbret]

What a weird post

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

Some pundits are calling Njongmeta the best returning linebacker in the Big Ten, but he's wearing a Badger red uniform...

I've heard that "his first choice was Northwestern but NU didn't recruit him..."
He's a local kid who played at Stevenson High School, 20 miles from Evanston...
He got offers from every Ivy League school, but he turned them all down because he wanted to play big-time college football...

How is he not playing for NU?

First I’ve ever heard of him. Did he walk-on at Wisconsin? I don’t recall his recruitment whatsoever.

 

[DkeCat]

Some pundits are calling Njongmeta the best returning linebacker in the Big Ten, but he's wearing a Badger red uniform...

I've heard that "his first choice was Northwestern but NU didn't recruit him..."
He's a local kid who played at Stevenson High School, 20 miles from Evanston...
He got offers from every Ivy League school, but he turned them all down because he wanted to play big-time college football...

How is he not playing for NU?

Because we only recruited two LBs that year, and once we got Jansey, we shut it down. I would have taken Jansey and Gallagher over him too.

 

[HawkCat]

First I’ve ever heard of him. Did he walk-on at Wisconsin? I don’t recall his recruitment whatsoever.

Iowa State appeared to be his only other P5 offer. As someone else noted, we got two higher targets for us and apparently were done. It happens.

 

[IGNORE2]

This thread is one benefit of a new regime. Not only did the Enablers refuse to question any choice of the previous HC, they attacked anyone who did. This will make it easier to have debates and discussions in the future without digressing into personal attacks.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

First I’ve ever heard of him. Did he walk-on at Wisconsin? I don’t recall his recruitment whatsoever.

No he got a scholarship.
From what I've been told, NU was his dream school.
He had the grades/intellect, but NU passed. (3x Academic All Big Ten)
Led the Badgers in tackles last year.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Because we only recruited two LBs that year, and once we got Jansey, we shut it down. I would have taken Jansey and Gallagher over him too.

Thanks for that info about only recruiting 2 LBs, but hasn't Jansey been a bust?
There wasn't much doubt that Njongmeta was more physically gifted (and imposing) than Jansey coming out of high school.

Gallagher I wont dispute because of his brother's success.

 

[wicker]

Maybe he rolled out of bed and ran to the police station

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

Thanks for that info about only recruiting 2 LBs, but hasn't Jansey been a bust?
There wasn't much doubt that Njongmeta was more physically gifted (and imposing) than Jansey coming out of high school.

Gallagher I wont dispute because of his brother's success.

Jansey retired due to injury. Ironically, his brother Tyler is a scholarship LB at Wisconsin.

 

[epicbret]

This thread is one benefit of a new regime. Not only did the Enablers refuse to question any choice of the previous HC, they attacked anyone who did. This will make it easier to have debates and discussions in the future without digressing into personal attacks.

Asking why we didn't recruit a 3* kid in hindsight is an example of that? Oh okay

 

[DkeCat]

Thanks for that info about only recruiting 2 LBs, but hasn't Jansey been a bust?
There wasn't much doubt that Njongmeta was more physically gifted (and imposing) than Jansey coming out of high school.

Gallagher I wont dispute because of his brother's success.

Wouldnt have expected it based on HS tape, I thought Jansey was pretty darn good, much less raw and more refined than Njongmeta. But guess we will never know.

Hindsight, would have made a lot of different decisions about that class...

 

[gocatsgo2003]

No he got a scholarship.
From what I've been told, NU was his dream school.
He had the grades/intellect, but NU passed. (3x Academic All Big Ten)
Led the Badgers in tackles last year.

Because you can’t take everyone and get a 100% hit rate?

He was a late-bloomer, the likes of which often fall through the cracks in today’s era of earlier and earlier recruiting. I can say 100% that there were some in the building who were pushing us to take him based on senior tape, but we had filled up at LB by that point with Gallagher having committed in September 2017 and Jansey in June 2018.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Well, I'm glad I asked!
Thanks especially to gocatsgo2003 and DkeCat for the informed responses.
I can tell you that most people in his high school class thought he was nuts for going to Wisconsin instead of Harvard or Yale or Princeton - but he wanted to play against top competition for a school with good academics...

 

[IGNORE2]

Asking why we didn't recruit a 3* kid in hindsight is an example of that? Oh okay

This makes no sense. Almost all our recruits are 3* or less. Kinda like saying - asking why we didn’t recruit that was male…

 

[hdhntr1]

Huh? You already answered your own question. NU didn’t recruit him.

I think he is asking "Why did NU not recruit him?"

 

[peatymeanis]

I think he is asking "Why did NU not recruit him?"

Because Fitz was not a good identifier of talent 🙂

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

Because Fitz was not a good identifier of talent 🙂

Our recent group of transfers and decommits says otherwise.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Because Fitz was not a good identifier of talent 🙂

Good thing that is all about to change with the new regime!

 

[IGNORE2]

Our recent group of transfers and decommits says otherwise.

Our last ten QBs says true story. The WR rooms agrees. The OL room can support this contention. The asst coach group proves the case.

 

[hdhntr1]

This makes no sense. Almost all our recruits are 3* or less. Kinda like saying - asking why we didn’t recruit that was male…

A lot of guys are not originally rated and the 3* is more after the fact than it was at the time we had spots available. As has been indicated, we took two in that class and he was a late bloomer so there was no room for him by the time he showed he was worthy of being brought in.

 

[hdhntr1]

Because Fitz was not a good identifier of talent 🙂

More because he was a late bloomer and we had already filled our LB slots

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

More because he was a late bloomer and we had already filled our LB slots

For what its worth, the late bloomer thing is pretty valid (as a high schooler).
Njongmeta hadn't played football before high school .
He exploded as a senior in the fall of 2018, after NU already had commitments from Gallagher and Jansey (in June).

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Njongmeta had 134 tackles, including 24 tackles for loss and 11 sacks as a senior.

Badgers got him in late November, after his senior season had been completed.

We signed 19 guys that year? (not sure)

 

[IGNORE2]

A lot of guys are not originally rated and the 3* is more after the fact than it was at the time we had spots available. As has been indicated, we took two in that class and he was a late bloomer so there was no room for him by the time he showed he was worthy of being brought in.

That’s a reasonable response unlike several others.

 

[Bwm57]

Asking why we didn't recruit a 3* kid in hindsight is an example of that? Oh okay

Yeah,
Also why didn’t we recruit Tyson Bagent?
😀

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

For what its worth, the late bloomer thing is pretty valid (as a high schooler).
Njongmeta hadn't played football before high school .
He exploded as a senior in the fall of 2018, after NU already had commitments from Gallagher and Jansey (in June).

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Njongmeta had 134 tackles, including 24 tackles for loss and 11 sacks as a senior.

Badgers got him in late November, after his senior season had been completed.

We signed 19 guys that year? (not sure)

Going to see a lot more fliers in coming years. I guess if they turn out like this guy it’s not a bad thing.

 

[hdhntr1]

Yeah,
Also why didn’t we recruit Tyson Bagent?
😀

Hard to fault them when absolutely everyone else missed as well

 

[Bwm57]

Hard to fault them when absolutely everyone else missed as well

Did you actually think I was serious?