David Braun and co. had a flurry of activity today, offering three different high school recruits -- two in the 2027 class and one in 2028.
The biggest name of the three is 2028 EDGE Kameron McGee, a four-star from Chicago who goes to Brother Rice. According to 247Sports, he's the No. 13 recruit in his class and the No. 1 player out of Illinois.
Obviously, this means he's a long shot for Northwestern, but it can never hurt to try for a local kid. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
If the 'Cats could somehow land McGee, it would be an enormous get. NU wants to be able to rush the passer, and McGee is as close to a sure-fire stud as you can get in the high school recruiting pool. But he already has offers from Illinois, Alabama and Georgia.
It would likely take an enormous financial commitment to somehow beat out blue bloods like those last two teams. But Northwestern is, at the very least, throwing its hat in the ring for the 6-foot-3, 234 lbs pass rusher.
In the 2027 class, the Wildcats offered linebacker Joakim Gouda and running back Gary Walker. Both players hail from the state of Georgia.
Gouda is the bigger deal, as he's a three-star prospect according to 247Sports. The website has him as the No. 60 linebacker in his class and the No. 81 player out of his home state. Overall, it lists him as the No. 723 recruit in the 2027 class per its composite rankings.
Rivals hasn't ranked Gouda yet, but his offers from other teams suggest that it will soon. Alabama is in the mix here as well, and teams like Cincinnati, Florida and Florida State will also present a problem for the 'Cats.
Gouda is 6-foot-2, and he already weighs 225 lbs, so he's right on track size wise for a Big Ten-level talent.
Walker is currently unranked by both sites, but he, too, is probably in line for a boost. Northwestern is not his only power-conference offer, as he's sitting on options like Duke, Florida State and Penn State.
With programs like that in the mix, it's only a matter of time before his recruitment heats up even more. At 6-foot, 200 lbs, he has some room for growth, especially if he wants to be more of a bruiser than a finesse player at the next level. But he has time.
Northwestern was active in the transfer portal after the end of its season, and it's now refocusing on bringing in young talent. Braun has made his intentions to be active in both areas of talent acquisition very clear, and today is further proof.