You might think that Saturday’s game against Michigan State would be a prime visit weekend.
It’s a big-name opponent and a 2:30 kickoff, meaning prospects a distance away won’t have to rise at the crack of dawn to make it to Evanston. The IHSA playoffs also start this weekend, so any players on teams that didn’t make the postseason are off for the weekend.
In reality, however, Northwestern isn’t expecting many visitors this weekend. There will be a few commitments and a few prospects, but that’s about it.
Let’s get the name game out of the way first.
The commitments who will make the trip are Isaiah Bowser, Greg Newsome and Grayson Mann. There could possibly be more, but those are the ones who have confirmed.
The 2019 prospects who will be at Ryan Field are Spencer Holstege from Grand Rapids (Mich.) South Christian, who will be making his second visit in a row after coming down for the Iowa game, and Khali Sanders, a three-star outside linebacker from Elmhurst (Ill.) Immaculate Conception. Neither player has an offer but is in the hunt.
The 2020 recruit is wide receiver Tommy Guajardo from Dearborn (Mich.), a 6-foot-1 sophomore who is already turning heads.
So why are so few prospects coming in? The biggest reason probably has to do with geography.
During the season, most visitors who go to games come from around the Chicago area. There are exceptions, of course – players with bye weeks during the season that enable them travel, out-of-towners who make plans to make one game – but for the most part, local kids make up the bulk of a guest list. That's especially true for non-commits.
For the 2019 class, there just aren’t too many Chicagoland kids on Northwestern’s radar. There are only two who currently have offers: Bolingbrook three-star defensive back Cameron Mitchell and Crystal Lake South four-star offensive lineman Trevor Keegan. Mitchell just visited last weekend for the Iowa game, and sources are telling WildcatReport that Keegan isn’t very interested in the NU program.
That’s much different than last year, when seven local 2018 prospects drew Northwestern offers early in the process, so there was a much deeper pool to draw from. The Wildcats wound up landing four of those Chicago players: Wyatt Blake, Devin O’Rourke, Brian Kaiser and Charlie Schmidt.
It’s a big-name opponent and a 2:30 kickoff, meaning prospects a distance away won’t have to rise at the crack of dawn to make it to Evanston. The IHSA playoffs also start this weekend, so any players on teams that didn’t make the postseason are off for the weekend.
In reality, however, Northwestern isn’t expecting many visitors this weekend. There will be a few commitments and a few prospects, but that’s about it.
Let’s get the name game out of the way first.
The commitments who will make the trip are Isaiah Bowser, Greg Newsome and Grayson Mann. There could possibly be more, but those are the ones who have confirmed.
The 2019 prospects who will be at Ryan Field are Spencer Holstege from Grand Rapids (Mich.) South Christian, who will be making his second visit in a row after coming down for the Iowa game, and Khali Sanders, a three-star outside linebacker from Elmhurst (Ill.) Immaculate Conception. Neither player has an offer but is in the hunt.
The 2020 recruit is wide receiver Tommy Guajardo from Dearborn (Mich.), a 6-foot-1 sophomore who is already turning heads.
So why are so few prospects coming in? The biggest reason probably has to do with geography.
During the season, most visitors who go to games come from around the Chicago area. There are exceptions, of course – players with bye weeks during the season that enable them travel, out-of-towners who make plans to make one game – but for the most part, local kids make up the bulk of a guest list. That's especially true for non-commits.
For the 2019 class, there just aren’t too many Chicagoland kids on Northwestern’s radar. There are only two who currently have offers: Bolingbrook three-star defensive back Cameron Mitchell and Crystal Lake South four-star offensive lineman Trevor Keegan. Mitchell just visited last weekend for the Iowa game, and sources are telling WildcatReport that Keegan isn’t very interested in the NU program.
That’s much different than last year, when seven local 2018 prospects drew Northwestern offers early in the process, so there was a much deeper pool to draw from. The Wildcats wound up landing four of those Chicago players: Wyatt Blake, Devin O’Rourke, Brian Kaiser and Charlie Schmidt.
