Northwestern has been making a lot of offers to members of the 2027 recruiting class in recent weeks, and yesterday they sent one out to a three-star running back.
Tylek Lewis is a Louisiana native, currently attending Zachary High School. He's ranked a three-star recruit by 247Sports, but he's still currently unranked by the other industry standard website, Rivals.
This is a bit strange, since Rivals is typically ahead of 247 when it comes to ranking recruits. Typically, when they disagree, it's just a matter of time before 247 updates its site and they're on the same page. Their specific, numerical rankings within the class is almost always different, but it's rare for the star ranking to not wind up in the same spot.
Because it's Rivals, this time, that is "behind," it suggests this could actually be a player they disagree on. That's something to track as time goes on in his recruitment process.
Lewis stands at 6-foot-even with a weight of 210 lbs. That's an impressive weight for a high school player at his position. According to 247, he ranks as the No. 91 running back in his class and the No. 38 player out of his home state.
Northwestern is up against some stiff competition in trying to earn his services. Other outstanding offers include Arizona, Arkansas, South Alabama, South Florida and Louisiana.
One notable program missing from the list is LSU, which could likely win out if it entered the fray. It's often difficult to convince recruits to leave their home states, so Lewis might also be enticed by Louisiana.
The 'Cats always need a solid running back to be successful, and right now they have one in starter Caleb Komolafe. He's penciled in to be the starting back next season, but past that point it's unclear what direction they will go in.
What is clear is that they're still committed to building the offensive line under new head coach Chip Kelly. That suggests that while the 'Cats will likely try to be more explosive in future seasons, they aren't planning to entirely abandon their run-first identity.
Lewis is the type of prospect who could take up the mantle once Komolafe is gone. He's likely to need some development time at the college level, but that's ok. Northwestern always has players in the fold who can be the next-man up.
Right now, 247 gives Arizona the best chance at landing Lewis, but that certainly doesn't mean his recruitment is over.