Northwestern is one of the finalists for three-star wide receiver Skyler Bell, who recently postponed a previously announced decision date of May 20.
I reached out to the Watertown (Conn.) Taft School standout to shed some light on the delay of his commitment and what it might mean to Northwestern.
Bell received an offer from Wisconsin on April 29 and from West Virginia on May 13. Both came well after he announced a Top 6 of Georgia Tech, Iowa, Northwestern, Rutgers, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
Bell said that the new offers were not the reason for the delay of his self-imposed decision deadline, explaining that he just wanted to spend more time making the decision with his family.
However, he did say that both schools were now under consideration, making his Top 6 a Top 8.
I also asked whether Iowa, which is where former Taft teammate Diante Vines will be an incoming freshman this fall, is still in the picture. The Hawkeyes have landed three wide receiver commitments in recent weeks, but Bell says that they are still among his favorites.
Bell added that he is hoping that the commitment delay will give him an opportunity to take some campus visits when they are allowed again. The NCAA recently extended the recruiting dead period to June 30, so it could be quite some time before he makes his decision.
So what have we learned?
For one, the theory that Bell was a silent commitment to Iowa has been debunked. If he was, there would be no reason to delay the announcement.
Furthermore, while he directly denied it, it's hard to believe that the offers from Wisconsin (primarily) and West Virginia weren't at least part of the reason for the delay.
Sources still feel like Iowa is the favorite for Bell, but one told me that he thinks that it will be between Wisconsin or Iowa.
Either way, it looks like Northwestern may be on the outside looking in for Bell.
I reached out to the Watertown (Conn.) Taft School standout to shed some light on the delay of his commitment and what it might mean to Northwestern.
Bell received an offer from Wisconsin on April 29 and from West Virginia on May 13. Both came well after he announced a Top 6 of Georgia Tech, Iowa, Northwestern, Rutgers, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
Bell said that the new offers were not the reason for the delay of his self-imposed decision deadline, explaining that he just wanted to spend more time making the decision with his family.
However, he did say that both schools were now under consideration, making his Top 6 a Top 8.
I also asked whether Iowa, which is where former Taft teammate Diante Vines will be an incoming freshman this fall, is still in the picture. The Hawkeyes have landed three wide receiver commitments in recent weeks, but Bell says that they are still among his favorites.
Bell added that he is hoping that the commitment delay will give him an opportunity to take some campus visits when they are allowed again. The NCAA recently extended the recruiting dead period to June 30, so it could be quite some time before he makes his decision.
So what have we learned?
For one, the theory that Bell was a silent commitment to Iowa has been debunked. If he was, there would be no reason to delay the announcement.
Furthermore, while he directly denied it, it's hard to believe that the offers from Wisconsin (primarily) and West Virginia weren't at least part of the reason for the delay.
Sources still feel like Iowa is the favorite for Bell, but one told me that he thinks that it will be between Wisconsin or Iowa.
Either way, it looks like Northwestern may be on the outside looking in for Bell.
