Northwestern football is continuing to be active this offseason in the 2027 recruiting cycle. Yesterday, it offered Jordan Cason, an unranked player from Florida listed as a wide receiver by 247Sports and an "athlete" by Rivals.
That designation suggests Cason could contribute at different spots on the offense, potentially at running back. It could also mean that he might be useful on the other side of the ball as well, depending on how the Wildcats and other teams evaluate him.
Cason currently plays high school ball for Bradford High School in Florida. He's listed at 6-foot-1 and 180 lbs, according to 247, and he has time to continue to build up strength before he makes his college debut. As a skill-position player, he's in line to be just fine in that regard.
Yes, he's currently an unranked player by both industry standard recruiting websites. But that is far from the full story.
Cason will likely receive a rankings jump in the near future, especially after he received this offer from David Braun and the Wildcats. He also already has West Virginia, Florida Atlantic, Georgia State and Central Michigan on his offer list.
With that many options, and a couple offers from power-conference schools, Cason is more than just a no-name, unranked guy. It's always important to do a little more digging than just looking at the subjective star ranking.
As we move forward, entering the Chip Kelly era, it will be interesting to see the types of players Northwestern targets out of high school.
David Braun and Kelly himself have both preached the importance of coaches adapting to players, and running an offense that best fits the group they have. But that doesn't mean the staff won't be targeting players in the future that fit whatever Kelly really wants to do.
Cason is an athlete with potential position flexibility, so if the 'Cats keep targeting a similar profile, it would seem they're looking for a little more juice among the skill position group.
In recent seasons, Northwestern has had some solid RBs and some good wide outs who made their money running good routes and having solid hands. The 'Cats might be looking for some more barn burners or athletic freak types in the future. That would certainly help them stack up better with the best of the best in the Big Ten.
The 'Cats are slowly building their 2027 class, but there's still more work to be done.