In the midst of the college basketball transfer window, Northwestern's football team is continuing to recruit talent out of the high school ranks.
Today, we learned that 2027 offensive line prospect Nico Ramos took a visit to Evanston over the weekend. Ramos himself announced the news via X, and Wildcat Report's Louie Vaccher reported it a few hours later.
Ramos is a three-star prospect, and both 247Sports and Rivals are in agreement on that ranking this time. According to 247, he's the No. 61 interior offensive lineman in the class, as well as the No. 101 player out of his home state of Florida.
Rivals is a little lower on Ramos, listing him as the No. 90 lineman and the No. 137 player from Florida. It all averages out to a three-star according to both rankings, as well as both sites' industry rankings.
Ramos is 6-foot-5 and 320 lbs, according to 247, so he already has the size to compete at the next level while still in high school. He currently plays for American Heritage in Plantation, Florida.
There are a number of other power conference teams in the mix for his services. According to 247, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, Syracuse and Duke have all submitted offers. West Virginia is also listed, and Rivals seems to think that's his most likely destination, although it's unclear if this recent visit is factored in.
Northwestern has already submitted an offer, so it's clearly interested in convincing Ramos to come to Evanston. Given how well the 'Cats seem to develop offensive linemen, it always makes sense when they're lurking in the recruiting process for three-star level guys.
In recent seasons, the Wildcats have turned players like Caleb Tiernan, Peter Skoronski and Rashawn Slater into NFL-level talents. It's also turned interior lineman Ezomo Oratokhai into a high-level Big Ten starter over the course of last season.
Northwestern has earned a reputation as a good school for players on both the offensive and defensive fronts to come get better. It's the perfect landing spot for three-star talents because head coach David Braun isn't going to bring in five-star tackles or guards to start over them. Instead, they'll eventually get their chance, and they'll come into the program knowing that it has a track record for helping players like them improve.
Whether or not NU can bring in Ramos remains unclear. Those other power conference options are certainly attractive in their own right. But this is just another example of Braun using the high school recruiting process to play to his program's clear developmental strength.