When the 'Cats marched into Happy Valley last month, they left with more than just a 22-21 win.

Northwestern's victory had a snowball effect, leading to the firing of head coach James Franklin and Penn State's ongoing six-game losing streak. On Tuesday, the Wildcats beat the dead horse once again, flipping one of the Nittany Lions' recruits in the Class of 2026.

Offensive tackle Jack Fuchs announced his commitment to Northwestern in a social media post, becoming the highest-ranked recruit in the 'Cats' incoming class.

Jack Fuchs (@JackFuchs07) on X Excited for the future!!! Go Cats!

A native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Fuchs initially committed to Penn State in June. However, the 6-foot-8, 300-pound lineman reopened his recruitment following the Nittany Lions' loss to Iowa.

Northwestern offered a scholarship to Fuchs in January, and now lands the tackle nearly 10 months later. Fuchs took an official visit to Evanston last weekend and was scheduled to visit Georgia as well.

According to On3/Rivals, Fuchs is a three-star prospect, the No. 34 offensive tackle in his class and the No. 13 player in Tennessee. If he signs, Fuchs would be the highest-rated commit of the David Braun era. He now pushes Northwestern's Class of 2026 to the No. 59-ranked group in the nation.

ESPN projects Fuchs slightly higher, giving him a four-star grade, but the No. 43 ranking at his position. Fuchs is listed by 247 Sports as Northwestern's No. 2 commit in 2026, after interior lineman Owen Fors.

Fuchs is the son of Tennessee Titans assistant offensive line coach Scott Fuchs, who previously coached at Kansas, Buffalo, Wyoming and North Dakota State. The Bison alum coached in Fargo, North Dakota, from 2009-2013 and did not overlap with Braun (2019-2022).

The elder Fuchs now works with former Northwestern left tackle Peter Skoronski, who Tennessee selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. While Braun did not personally coach Skoronski at NU, it's easy to see how the Wildcats' head coach could've used his connections to land the ex-Penn State commit.

Read More Northwestern Wildcats Coverage

MORE: Northwestern's Offensive Explosion Matters, Even Against Cleveland State

MORE: Northwestern's Offense Erupts in 110-63 Win Against Cleveland State

MORE: Big Ten Reveals Missed Penalty After USC Fake Punt vs. Northwestern

MORE: Former Northwestern QB Named New York Giants Interim Head Coach

MORE: Northwestern's Grace Sullivan Stars for 'Cats in Win vs. SIUE

MORE: Jayden Reid Showed What He Can Mean for Northwestern in Win Over BU