A Look at Northwestern's 2008 Recruiting

[LordJeffBuck]

Northwestern Wildcats

Northwestern prides itself on being a top-flight academic institution, and quite frankly, their emphasis on scholastics puts the Wildcats at a distinct disadvantage when recruiting against their Big Ten foes, many of whom have little or no restrictions on admitting athlete-students. Nevertheless, Northwestern has consistently managed to put together respectable recruiting classes in recent years, especially in 2007, when the Wildcats made a big push into Ohio and ended up signing fourteen three-star players (according to Rivals) in their nineteen-member class. The 2008 class is also off to a respectable start, although the Wildcats will need a strong finish to end up coming even close to last year's effort.

Despite signing four offensive linemen last year, the Wildcats have already locked up verbal commitment from four more OL for the class of 2008, all of whom are from the Chicagoland area. Leading the pack is guard Brian Mulroe (Wilmette Loyola; Rivals 3*, #18 OG, #8 in Illinois), a 6-foot-6, 263-pounder who will need to fill out a bit before being ready for Big Ten football. Another solid prospect is tackle Jeff Radek (Naperville Necqua Valley; Rivals 3*, #60 OT, #18 in Illinois), whose pass-blocking skills should make him a good fit for the Wildcats' spread offense. Guard Nick Adamle (Wheaton North; Rivals 2*, NR) is the nephew of former Northwestern All-America running back Mike Adamle. The biggest recruit of the bunch is mammoth 6-foot-8, 285-pound tackle Chuck Porcelli (Lombard Montini; Rivals 2*, NR). Despite having four O-linemen already in the bag, the Wildcats are still pursuing two other local tackle prospects, Emmett Cleary (Arlington Heights St. Viator; Rivals 2*; #23 in Illinois) and Neil Deiters (Elmhurst York; Rivals 2*, NR); both are very high on Northwestern and have GPA's in excess of 4.0.

On the other side of the line, the Wildcats have received a verbal commitment from Minnesota defensive end Brian Arnfelt (Stillwater; Rivals 2*, NR). In addition, Northwestern is battling Vanderbilt for the services of rangy defensive end prospect Josh Jelesky (Naperville Central; Rivals 2*, #27 in Illinois), who racked up nearly 100 tackles as a junior last season. Besides Arnfelt and Jelesky, the Wildcats are not "in" on any other D-line talent at this stage of the game. Update: Josh Jelesky committed to Vanderbilt on July 17th.

Northwestern has received a commitment from only one skill position player so far, namely Ohio "athlete" prospect Jeremy Ebert (Hilliard Darby; Rivals 2*, #48 in Ohio). As a junior, Ebert rushed for 1,013 yards and threw for another 1,182 as Darby's quarterback, and he also played safety on defense. However, the Wildcats plan on using Jeremy as a wide receiver in their spreak attack, where he can rely on his 4.37 speed to out-race opposing defensive backs. Despite the two-star rating, those who follow central Ohio high school football think that Jeremy Ebert could be a special player at Northwestern, much like former NU star Jeff Backes (Upper Arlington).

The Wildcats' final commitment to date is punter Jimmy Howell (Florence (SC) West; Rivals 2*, NR). At 6-foot-6, 240 pounds, Howell has got to be one of the biggest punters in history, and head coach Pat Fitzgerald will undoubtedly be counting on Jimmy's huge leg to invigorate the Wildcats' anemic punting game (second-last in the Big Ten for three years straight). If Howell doesn't make it as a punter, he could always get a shot at tight end or quarterback, two other positions that he has played at the high school level.

With all of the "big uglies" in place, Northwestern is currently looking for some "speed" players to fill out the balance of their 2008 recruiting class. One of the Wildcats' primary targets is running back Darius Ashley (Cincinnati St. Xavier; Rivals 3*, #17 in Ohio), who has rushed for 3,200 yards and 48 TD's over the last two seasons. At 5-foot-8, 185 pounds, and with exceptional speed (4.45 forty) and quickness (4.12 shuttle), Ashley is reminiscent of current Northwestern star Tyrell Sutton, who also came from the Buckeye State (Akron Hoban). Although Darius has offers from several major programs including Boston College, Louisville, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, he is intrigued by Sutton's success in Northwestern's spread offense, and there is a decent chance that he'll head to Evanston to be Tyrell's heir apparent at running back.

Of course, the spread offense requires several wide receivers, and local star Brandon Green (Chicago Robeson; Rivals 4*, #6 in Illinois) is at the top of Northwestern's wish list. As a junior, Brandon posted some mind-boggling numbers: 62 receptions for 1,875 yards, and 21 TD's; together with 55 tackles and 8 interceptions on defense. Green is looking at (and has offers from) most of the Big Ten schools, so the 'Cats will have a serious battle ahead of them to obtain his services. If Green isn't a go, then the 'Cats will look to out-of-state prospects Carlos Davis (Ft. Washington (MD) Friendly; Rivals 2*, NR) and Isiah Sweeney (Missouri City (TX) Hightower; Rivals 2*, NR), along with receiving tight end Quentin Williams (Pittsburgh Central Catholic; Rivals 3*, #26 in Pennsylvania).

On the defensive side of the ball, Northwestern is looking at several linebacker prospects, most notably local product Brett Nagel (Lemont; Rivals 3*, #9 in Illinois), who sports a 4.6 forty and a 4.25 grade point average; Nagel has offers from around the country (Boston College, Stanford, Colorado, Vanderbilt, and Iowa to name a few), and he is expected to decide before the end of the summer. Joining Nagel on the honor roll is Texan Blake Slaughter (Missouri City Elkins; Rivals 3*, #97 in Texas), who rustled up 124 tackles and a 4.3 GPA last year. Another linebacker with some serious interest in the Wildcats is athletic Kyler Reed (Overland Park (Kansas) St. Thomas; Rivals 3*, #6 in Kansas); Kyler has Northwestern in his top three along with Nebraska and Kansas State (both offered). The Wildcats are in the top three for Ohio linebacker Steve Gardiner (Dublin Coffman; Rivals 3*, #57 OLB, #39 in Ohio), but they are facing stiff competition from Pitt and West Virginia (both offered). Also expressing at least some interest in Northwestern are Jonathan Meyers (Greenwich, CT; Rivals 4*, #17 MLB); Justin Staples (Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward; Rivals 3*, #19 in Ohio); Damion Whittington (Norco, CA; Rivals 3*, #74 in California); Dexter Heyman (Louisville Male; Rivals 3*, #5 in Kentucky); and Will Ebner (Friendswood, Texas; Rivals 2*; NR).

The Wildcats' two top defensive back targets are Arizona cornerback Quinn Evans (Chandler Basha; Rivals 2*, #19 in Arizona), whose only other current offer is from Stanford; and Texas safety Michael Thomas (Houston Aldine Nimitz; Rivals 3*, #88 in Texas), who could also play running back or wide receiver at the next level. At the present time, the only other DB prospect with legitimate interest in Northwestern is Florida safety Jon Lejiste (Delray Beach Atlantic; Rivals 3*, #88 in Florida). Lejiste is the rare Floridian who seems bound and determined to leave the Sunshine State and head north, as his leaders include a host of midwestern schools like Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and, of course, Northwestern.

In summary, Northwestern has the potential to sign a solid class in 2008, but there is very little chance that this year's group will match last year's haul. Although the Wildcats have four quality offensive linemen already in place (Adamle, Mulroe, Porcelli, and Radek), and seem to be close to landing commitments from two others (Cleary and Deiters), the rest of the class is spotty. To date, only one defender is in the books (DE Brian Arnfelt); the lone skill position verbal (ATH Jeremy Ebert) is from a high school quarterback who will switch positions once he gets to Evanston; and the 'Cats have had to expend a valuable scholarship on a punter in order to remedy their woeful punt game. However, Northwestern still has plenty of time to improve both the balance and overall quality of its class, and the first step in that direction would be to secure a verbal commitment from exciting and productive running back prospect Darius Ashley, who already has 'Cat fans thinking of another Tyrell Sutton. In addition, the 'Cats need to lock up at least one of their top three wide receiver prospects (Green, Davis, or Sweeney), with the ultra-productive Brandon Green being at the top of the wish list. On defense, the Wildcat staff really needs to get moving. A good start would be linebacker Brett Nagel, a local kid who certainly fits the Northwestern profile of honor-student-athlete, but the 'Cats also must sign at least one other of their LB targets, plus a couple of athletic DB prospects.

Pat Fitzgerald is doing some nice things in Evanston, and the Wildcats are once again on the verge of signing another respectable recruiting class. But "respectable" will get you only to the middle of the pack in the Big Ten. Can Fitzgerald & Co. take Northwestern to the next level? Can the Wildcats once again win a conference championship? Maybe even be a contender for a national championship? Perhaps win it all? The answers to those questions are easy - no, no, no, and no. Why? Because at Northwestern, it's all academic.

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