The 'Cats are making strides on a sought-after recruit.
This morning, Rivals published an article detailing the recruitment of four-star 2027 offensive tackle Jasper Ngokwere. The No. 76 offensive tackle in the class is fresh off a visit to Evanston and has already secured an offer from the university.
The article, written by Sam Spiegelman, says that the 'Cats have risen in odds to land Ngokwere's services after the visit. Texas Tech has been the front-runner for a while, but it sounds like this visit was productive.
“Northwestern was a great experience,” Ngokwere told Rivals. “Seeing all the coaches was great, and the area is amazing. I feel like I can come in there and make an impact my first year. They took a big step this spring, and after the official visit, even more,” Ngokwere said to Rivals.
Granted, Ngokwere is from Texas, so the Red Raiders leading the way isn't surprising at all.
“Texas Tech has been reaching out for a while. They’re only looking at a very small amount of O-linemen, so me being one of those really means something,” he said. “I feel like I could come over there and make an impact on the O-line and help them win.”
Especially in the lone star state, it can be difficult to convince in-state players to leave. The high school to college football pipeline is strong there, and Northwestern is currently up against it.
But the article suggests David Braun and co. have vaunted themselves into a much better position over the past couple of months.
"The Wildcats have closed the gap with the Red Raiders at the top for Ngokwere after the time spent on campus in Evanston," Spiegelman said.
The 6-foot-5, 290 lbs tackle also has offers from some other top-programs that could easily complicate this scenario. Vanderbilt and Texas A&M are also in the mix, as well as Missouri.
Ngokwere is expected to make visits to those schools as well, and if they go similarly to Northwestern, odds could shift. For now, though, the 'Cats are listed on Rivals as the team with the second best odds.
Northwestern will have to hope that its academic standing, new stadium and new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly help land Ngokwere. If they can get him, they'll have a young offensive tackle ranked a lot higher in his class than other players they've been able to turn into quality starters at the position.
The 'Cats develop offensive linemen better than any other position on the field, and Ngokwere could be there next project -- one with a high ceiling.
