On Thursday, news broke that head coach David Braun and Northwestern are recruiting a three-star EDGE from the state of Oregon. According to a Rivals article from Brandon Huffman, Josh Christensen is set to visit Evanston in late June.
Currently attending Lake Oswego High School, Christensen stands at 6-foot-6 and weighs 250 lbs, so he already has the size to play the position at the next level. He also has a whole senior season to continue to develop.
It's worth noting that, according to the article, lots of other teams are interested. However, Braun and Northwestern seem to have an advantage for a couple of reasons.
First of all, the 'Cats are scheduled as Chirstensen's final visit. That will, theoretically, give Northwestern's staff the final word in his recruitment. It's far from a guarantee that he will come to Evanston, but 247Sports also lists the Wildcats as the most likely landing spot. They're the only program listed as "warm" under his interest tab.
With that being said, there are some quality football teams working to earn Christensen's services. Illinois, Washington State, Oregon State and Boise State have all submitted offers, according to 247.
He's also set to visit BYU, Utah and Washington during the spring, according to Huffman's article on Thursday.
That list isn't comprised of massive heavy-hitters, but it does have plenty of programs more than capable of competing with the Wildcats for recruits.
It's always important to watch out for Illinois. Northwestern's cross-state rival has had more success in football in recent seasons, and the 'Cats often lose recruits there. A team like Oregon State is also interesting, since Christensen would be able to stay close to home. Any West Coast school probably has that advantage.
But this seems like a fairly realistic recruitment for the 'Cats, and that's a good thing. Northwestern is a little weak at the EDGE position all the sudden after both starters left this offseason. Anto Saka hit the transfer portal, and veteran Aidan Hubbard is beginning his professional career.
Without those two guys, both of whom were productive starters for NU, it's now time to build the room back up again. It's hard to overstate the importance of rushing the passer in the modern era of football, and Northwestern is never going to get the highest ranked players at a premium position in the transfer market.
As a result, the process becomes more about high school recruiting and development, and it's easy to trust the Wildcats with the development component. After all, it developed Hubbard and Saka very well.
It's the recruiting component that's a question mark, but getting guys like Christensen to come to Northwestern is an important first step.