Northwestern got another "big fish" in the transfer portal this morning as offensive tackle Grant Seagren committed after an official visit. Seagren has two years of eligibility remaining, spending time at Nebraska and, most recently, Oklahoma State.
Heading into 2026, the Wildcats are losing two starting tackles from their 2025 team in likely NFL Draft pick Caleb Tiernan and Martes Lewis. Seagren will help fortify the ranks coming off a season in which he allowed zero sacks with the Cowboys in 713 snaps.
This is a big win for Northwestern in the transfer portal -- the program reportedly poked around on Seagren in last year's cycle, and getting him now proves that NU is, in fact, in a different spot than it was a year ago.
After CBS Sports writer Chris Hummer broke the news via X, Seagren's agent, Jeremiah Sirles, responded to the post.
"[Seagren] chose NW over multiple SEC and other Big 10 schools," the post said.
Sirles also credited their "established relationship" with NU general manager Christian Sarkisian for making the deal possible.
This level of forthrightness from an agent about this process isn't always the case, and it revealed a couple interesting things. The first is that Seagren was being pursued by other power conference programs.
This is the biggest piece of information for 'Cats' fans. This program is no longer messing around, and it actually is, in certain scenarios, capable of competing for players with more traditional football schools. That's a big deal.
Now, it isn't shocking that a highly-regarded offensive lineman might make this decision. Northwestern has proven itself perhaps more than anything as a place for linemen to develop and thrive. The next step is to be able to convince skill position players and eventually quarterbacks that Evanston is a place to be.
The second thing Sirles revealed is that Sarkisian was crucial in making this deal happen. This is why you hire a general manager in today's world of college sports. Sarkisian gives the Wildcats more credibility with player representation, and he's able to devote his time to figuring out the financial side of these agreements so it doesn't all fall on David Braun.
Seagren is an impact transfer for Northwestern on the football field, but he's also a sign that the process and structure of the athletic department is working as intended. This is the kind of portal recruiting effort the university envisioned when it revamped itself to fit the NIL era.