The 'Cats continue to make offers.
Northwestern has been making a ton of offers in both the 2027 and 2028 recruiting classes over the past few weeks. Now, it's shifting its focus to the running back position, where it has made two offers in the past few days.
Jamar Lewis is a three-star recruit in the 2028 class who currently goes to high school in Chicago. A local product, Lewis is ranked as the No. 60 player at his position and the No. 20 player from Illinois, according to Rivals.
According to Lewis's post to X, the 'Cats made their offer two days ago. They've already vaunted themselves to poll position in Rivals' crystal ball feature, which projects where recruits will ultimately wind up.
Right now, the recruiting website gives the Wildcats a 31% chance of landing Lewis. Kansas is next in line with a 27% probability, and Boston College is in third at 23%. Those are the main, power-conference options that Lewis currently has, so Northwestern isn't up against any blue bloods here.
Yesterday, NU offered another running back, this time a three-star in the 2027 class named Kenyon Norman. Norman is not a Chicago native, but he is from the midwest, hailing from Ohio.
At 6-foot-even, 180 lbs, Norman is less of a power back and more of a shifty player. Lewis is a bit bigger, so the 'Cats are looking at two different types of backs here. But Norman is in the 2027 class, so he's a bit more relevant right now.
Rivals hasn't updated to include Northwestern's offer yet, but Norman's other outstanding offers include West Virginia, Wake Forest, Iowa, UConn and Cincinnati. Those aren't unbeatable programs either, but West Virginia appears to have the inside track for now, and Iowa can always present a difficult challenge.
Once Northwestern's offer registers on Rivals, we'll have a better understanding of where David Braun stands in that mix.
The 'Cats are in a good spot at running back heading into next season with Caleb Komolafe returning as the starter. He was fantastic in that role last season, and he could get even better.
But looking to the future, Northwestern does need to make sure it has younger guys to take over when the Komolafe-era is over. Dashun Reeder looked like a potential option to fill that void, but he entered the transfer portal this offseason.
Adding freshmen at the position in the next couple classes is important, because Northwestern is always better when it has a strong running game. The offers to Norman and Lewis feel like a stab at making sure that continues.
