Northwestern played in an electric atmosphere two weeks ago in the Aer Lingus Classic in Dublin, Ireland. Aviva Stadium was rocking with mostly Nebraska red, but quite a bit of purple, too. The Wildcats rallied twice to beat their Big Ten West foe and win an impressive crystal trophy.
On Saturday at Ryan Field, the setting will be much more subdued. The crowd will be sparse, probably half the size of the crowd in Ireland. Students aren’t in school yet. The opponent is Duke, a non-conference program that won’t bring many fans -- or excitement, either.
It’s not the kind of environment you want to show off to prospects. That’s why there won’t be very many of them in the stands.
Sources say that there will only be a couple commitments at Ryan Field on Saturday to watch the Wildcats take on the Blue Devils, and fewer prime prospects. The ones in attendance will be local ones.
You can expect that to continue for the next couple weeks, too. With home games against Southern Illinois and Miami (Ohio) next up on the docket, and then a road trip to Penn State, the first home game of the season that the program will showcase to a large group of recruits will likely be Oct. 8 against Wisconsin, when Ryan Field should be buzzing.
It’s not ideal, but it is what it is. At least the Cats have No. 3 Ohio State coming to town later this year.
WildcatReport has learned that 2023 commitments Anthony Birsa and Frank Covey IV will be visiting on Saturday to watch the Cats take on the Blue Devils. Both play their games on Friday night; in fact, Covey’s Prospect squad is taking on Evanston just blocks from Ryan Field.
But there will also be one 2024 running back in the stadium that the Wildcats are keeping an eye on. Terrance Shelton is a 6-foot, 200-pounder from Franklin (Wis.), a suburb of Milwaukee. He visited Northwestern last year and camped in Evanston in June, so coaches already know him well.
Shelton told me that he’s been impressed by what he’s seen so far of the Wildcat program.
“(I) really love it there, so I hope to be able to connect with them more going forward,” he said.
In three games, Shelton has racked up 332 rushing yards, 601 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns for Franklin, who is 2-1 and takes on Racine Park on Friday night. He has yet to draw any offers, but Wisconsin has shown interest.
On Saturday at Ryan Field, the setting will be much more subdued. The crowd will be sparse, probably half the size of the crowd in Ireland. Students aren’t in school yet. The opponent is Duke, a non-conference program that won’t bring many fans -- or excitement, either.
It’s not the kind of environment you want to show off to prospects. That’s why there won’t be very many of them in the stands.
Sources say that there will only be a couple commitments at Ryan Field on Saturday to watch the Wildcats take on the Blue Devils, and fewer prime prospects. The ones in attendance will be local ones.
You can expect that to continue for the next couple weeks, too. With home games against Southern Illinois and Miami (Ohio) next up on the docket, and then a road trip to Penn State, the first home game of the season that the program will showcase to a large group of recruits will likely be Oct. 8 against Wisconsin, when Ryan Field should be buzzing.
It’s not ideal, but it is what it is. At least the Cats have No. 3 Ohio State coming to town later this year.
WildcatReport has learned that 2023 commitments Anthony Birsa and Frank Covey IV will be visiting on Saturday to watch the Cats take on the Blue Devils. Both play their games on Friday night; in fact, Covey’s Prospect squad is taking on Evanston just blocks from Ryan Field.
But there will also be one 2024 running back in the stadium that the Wildcats are keeping an eye on. Terrance Shelton is a 6-foot, 200-pounder from Franklin (Wis.), a suburb of Milwaukee. He visited Northwestern last year and camped in Evanston in June, so coaches already know him well.
Shelton told me that he’s been impressed by what he’s seen so far of the Wildcat program.
“(I) really love it there, so I hope to be able to connect with them more going forward,” he said.
In three games, Shelton has racked up 332 rushing yards, 601 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns for Franklin, who is 2-1 and takes on Racine Park on Friday night. He has yet to draw any offers, but Wisconsin has shown interest.
