The 'Cats are making a lot of offers at the RB spot.
Yesterday, Northwestern made its latest recruiting offer in a stretch that's been incredibly active for the Wildcats over the past few weeks. This time, it made an official pitch to class of 2028 running back Jayden Garrett, according to his X account.
Garrett is a three-star recruit, according to Rivals, and he currently attends Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois. Since he's a local kid from the Chicago suburbs just north of Evanston, Northwestern should have a better chance to land his services.
Per Rivals, Garrett is ranked as the No. 48 back in his class, as well as the No. 18 player coming out of Illinois. He's not yet ranked by 247Sports, but that doesn't mean he won't be in the future. It's so early in the process for Garrett -- a lot of the players NU has recently offered are part of the 2027 class -- so a lot can happen between now and his commitment.
Currently, Garrett is listed at 6-foot-even and 190 lbs. That's a solid weight for a high school player with even more time to grow and develop his game next season. His frame is projectable enough to see what programs like Northwestern see in him.
Outside of the 'Cats, Garrett is currently fielding offers from Wisconsin, Purdue, Colorado and Auburn. None of those programs are top-notch football institutions at the moment, but they're all squarely in Northwestern's range. Even though Garrett is from this area, he could easily choose to depart for any one of those schools.
In fact, right now Rivals gives the Badgers the upper-hand on the Wildcats with a 44% chance to land Garrett. Northwestern is in second place with a 21% chance, and Purdue is right behind with an 18% chance.
From that data, it seems like Garrett is destined to wind up in the Big Ten and in the Midwest. Despite the fact that Auburn has perhaps the deepest football tradition on his list, the Tigers are listed as having just a 2.5% chance per Rivals. That suggests he would prefer to be closer to home.
For Northwestern, adding running backs right now seems to be a focus. The 'Cats have extended offers to a few three-star recruits in both the 2027 and 2028 classes now, and it makes sense looking down the road at how their roster is constructed.
For now, Caleb Komolafe is a fantastic starter, but the depth behind him is starting to dwindle. Dashun Reeder elected to hit the transfer portal this offseason, and there isn't a clear heir apparent to Komolafe.
If the 'Cats can bring in a few young recruits at the position, then it will have a few options to fill that void if it can help develop these players into college-level athletes.
