This is a big weekend for Northwestern recruiting.
The Wildcats are expected to host 16 2020 official visitors in Evanston, and the entire visit experience represents a new recruiting philosophy for the program. Not only is the big official visit weekend occurring in the spring instead of the winter, but the visitors' itinerary proves that the program is upping the ante in an effort to lure a different tier of prospects than it has in the past.
Put it this way: the Northwestern is rolling out the purple carpet this weekend -- and it leads all the way to downtown Chicago.
Northwestern's official visit weekends of the past under head coach Pat Fitzgerald typically occurred in December, when all of the class's commits, as well as any remaining targets, would gather after the season. This year, the Wildcats are moving it to May.
Nine of the Wildcats' 10 2020 commitments, and seven uncommitted prospects, will be on campus. Ironically, the only commit missing will be Aidan Atkinson, the quarterback of the class who would typically be the ringleader. (He has finals next week and opted to stay home and study rather than spend the weekend out of town.)
Those nine commits will start building the bonds that will last for the four or five years they spend together in Evanston, as well as try to entice other prospects to join them and continue the recruiting momentum the Wildcats have been building all spring.
Scheduling the official weekend in May, rather than December, makes sense on several fronts.
The recruiting process seems to accelerate every year, so inviting top prospects on campus for officials earlier in the cycle is a wise strategic move. It also enables the Wildcats to get commits together with prospects in the spring, when prospects are still in the decision process, instead of the winter, when most have already made up their minds. Fitzgerald likes to say that his players are his best recruiters, and now he will get his commits and current players to help close recruits.
Plus, having official visitors in the spring, on the school's dime, might get a kid on campus who otherwise might not make the trip. Three-star cornerback Garrnett Hollis, from Franklin, Tenn., will be taking his first official visit, as well as his first visit to Northwestern, this weekend.
By the way, the December official visit weekend likely is not going away. It will likely still occur, but will include just the commits who have joined the class since the spring, as well as any remaining uncommitted prospects.
More than just the visitors, however, the weekend's itinerary is also a radical departure.
In the past, the big event of the weekend was Saturday night at Fitzgerald's house, when all of the visitors would have dinner and hang out after spending the day touring the campus and facilities.
This time, however, the big Chez Fitz dinner will occur on Friday night. The focus on Friday will be on NU's campus in Evanston, but Saturday will be all about the city of Chicago. (Northwestern doesn't call itself Chicago's Big Ten Team for nothing.)
On Friday, the group will tour the campus and facilities in Evanston, as well as hold all of their academic meetings. Then, they will spend the night with their hosts on campus after dining at the coach's house.
On Saturday, though, visitors will spend virtually all of their time in the third-largest city in America, just to the south of Evanston. The group will tour Wrigley Field -- where the Wildcats will host Wisconsin in 2020, when these players will be freshmen -- then head down to Michigan Avenue and North Avenue Beach (if the weather cooperates). That night, they are planning on dinner at Smith & Wollensky, right off the Chicago River.
As Northwestern's recent commits have shown, the program is battling blue bloods like Michigan, Ohio State and Notre Dame for recruits. They have the facilities to match or surpass any program, and they are coming off of a Big Ten West championship.
Now, by raising the bar on their official visits, they feel like they can go toe-to-toe with anyone.
The Wildcats are expected to host 16 2020 official visitors in Evanston, and the entire visit experience represents a new recruiting philosophy for the program. Not only is the big official visit weekend occurring in the spring instead of the winter, but the visitors' itinerary proves that the program is upping the ante in an effort to lure a different tier of prospects than it has in the past.
Put it this way: the Northwestern is rolling out the purple carpet this weekend -- and it leads all the way to downtown Chicago.
Northwestern's official visit weekends of the past under head coach Pat Fitzgerald typically occurred in December, when all of the class's commits, as well as any remaining targets, would gather after the season. This year, the Wildcats are moving it to May.
Nine of the Wildcats' 10 2020 commitments, and seven uncommitted prospects, will be on campus. Ironically, the only commit missing will be Aidan Atkinson, the quarterback of the class who would typically be the ringleader. (He has finals next week and opted to stay home and study rather than spend the weekend out of town.)
Those nine commits will start building the bonds that will last for the four or five years they spend together in Evanston, as well as try to entice other prospects to join them and continue the recruiting momentum the Wildcats have been building all spring.
Scheduling the official weekend in May, rather than December, makes sense on several fronts.
The recruiting process seems to accelerate every year, so inviting top prospects on campus for officials earlier in the cycle is a wise strategic move. It also enables the Wildcats to get commits together with prospects in the spring, when prospects are still in the decision process, instead of the winter, when most have already made up their minds. Fitzgerald likes to say that his players are his best recruiters, and now he will get his commits and current players to help close recruits.
Plus, having official visitors in the spring, on the school's dime, might get a kid on campus who otherwise might not make the trip. Three-star cornerback Garrnett Hollis, from Franklin, Tenn., will be taking his first official visit, as well as his first visit to Northwestern, this weekend.
By the way, the December official visit weekend likely is not going away. It will likely still occur, but will include just the commits who have joined the class since the spring, as well as any remaining uncommitted prospects.
More than just the visitors, however, the weekend's itinerary is also a radical departure.
In the past, the big event of the weekend was Saturday night at Fitzgerald's house, when all of the visitors would have dinner and hang out after spending the day touring the campus and facilities.
This time, however, the big Chez Fitz dinner will occur on Friday night. The focus on Friday will be on NU's campus in Evanston, but Saturday will be all about the city of Chicago. (Northwestern doesn't call itself Chicago's Big Ten Team for nothing.)
On Friday, the group will tour the campus and facilities in Evanston, as well as hold all of their academic meetings. Then, they will spend the night with their hosts on campus after dining at the coach's house.
On Saturday, though, visitors will spend virtually all of their time in the third-largest city in America, just to the south of Evanston. The group will tour Wrigley Field -- where the Wildcats will host Wisconsin in 2020, when these players will be freshmen -- then head down to Michigan Avenue and North Avenue Beach (if the weather cooperates). That night, they are planning on dinner at Smith & Wollensky, right off the Chicago River.
As Northwestern's recent commits have shown, the program is battling blue bloods like Michigan, Ohio State and Notre Dame for recruits. They have the facilities to match or surpass any program, and they are coming off of a Big Ten West championship.
Now, by raising the bar on their official visits, they feel like they can go toe-to-toe with anyone.
Last edited:
