NU in the hunt to add Rivals100 wing to 2020 class

[lou v]

Great news here: Four-star wing William Jeffress is the No. 75 player in the nation and says that Northwestern is one of his favorites.

NU in the hunt to add Rivals100 wing William Jeffress to 2020 class ($)

 

[7th Cir. Cat]

Great article! Lou - We just had a lively thread on Jeffress, did that influence your decision to reach out to him? If so, then I love the responsive journalism.

He said some great things about NU and hearing that he has 4.1 GPA makes me think that we are not included just to give lip service to academics. He would be a HUGE get, I think he's going to be a very, very good college player. Still worried about Notre Dame and Stanford, but seems like we have a fighting chance.

Good outreach Lou!

 

[lou v]

Great article! Lou - We just had a lively thread on Jeffress, did that influence your decision to reach out to him? If so, then I love the responsive journalism.

He said some great things about NU and hearing that he has 4.1 GPA makes me think that we are not included just to give lip service to academics. He would be a HUGE get, I think he's going to be a very, very good college player. Still worried about Notre Dame and Stanford, but seems like we have a fighting chance.

Good outreach Lou!

Of course that thread influenced me. I hadn't thought about him in a while before that thread, to be honest.

And he has a 4.19 GPA, almost 4.2. Don't sell him short! Seriously, he's a very impressive kid.

 

[Max_Power]

Of course that thread influenced me. I hadn't thought about him in a while before that thread, to be honest.

And he has a 4.19 GPA, almost 4.2. Don't sell him short! Seriously, he's a very impressive kid.

Lou, thank you for this follow up.

 

[mickbula]

Jeffress is a PBjr/Max caliber player! Gosh- it would be some seriously cool if we can get him to play for NU! Think about it, we got our point guard and center of the future. Now let's add our foward/lead scorer for this class as well!

 

[7th Cir. Cat]

Jeffress is a PBjr/Max caliber player! Gosh- it would be some seriously cool if we can get him to play for NU! Think about it, we got our point guard and center of the future. Now let's add our foward/lead scorer for this class as well!

I actually think the way we make the leap as a program is with kids like Jeffress. PBJ is one and done and if he comes here it's a combination of stars-aligned, unique circumstances that will likely never be replicated.

Jeffress is one notch below, but still outstanding. He's one of those players that has the talent to be All-BIG Junior and Senior year and he'll stay four years. In some ways, it's more important that we get players like Jeffress to commit because he would be doing it without the parental connections.

Really hope we land this young man.

 

[GOUNUII]

I actually think the way we make the leap as a program is with kids like Jeffress. PBJ is one and done and if he comes here it's a combination of stars-aligned, unique circumstances that will likely never be replicated.

Jeffress is one notch below, but still outstanding. He's one of those players that has the talent to be All-BIG Junior and Senior year and he'll stay four years. In some ways, it's more important that we get players like Jeffress to commit because he would be doing it without the parental connections.

Really hope we land this young man.

All good valid points.

GOUNUII

 

[Medill90]

On the amount of schollies...I think if Jeffress were to commit you'd take both PBJ and Christie...if they'd commit...and then decide a few months on what to do.

A choice between 2-3 years of Christie and one year of Gaines would not be difficult, IMO. I'd probably move Gaines to super back or linebacker and let him walk on basketball.

 

[DaCat]

On the amount of schollies...I think if Jeffress were to commit you'd take both PBJ and Christie...if they'd commit...and then decide a few months on what to do.

A choice between 2-3 years of Christie and one year of Gaines would not be difficult, IMO. I'd probably move Gaines to super back or linebacker and let him walk on basketball.

Gaines is a superb athlete. He could be the Pat Spencer of football... asking for another Napoleon Harris (first round pick) might be asking too much though.

 

[torque-cat]

Gaines is a superb athlete. He could be the Pat Spencer of football... asking for another Napoleon Harris (first round pick) might be asking too much though.

Gaines could be a beast LB in football

 

[NJCat]

Gaines could be a beast LB in football

Not at 6'4", 205 lbs.........

 

[willycat]

Not at 6'4", 205 lbs.........

Safety?

 

[cometclear]

Great article! Lou - We just had a lively thread on Jeffress, did that influence your decision to reach out to him? If so, then I love the responsive journalism.

He said some great things about NU and hearing that he has 4.1 GPA makes me think that we are not included just to give lip service to academics. He would be a HUGE get, I think he's going to be a very, very good college player. Still worried about Notre Dame and Stanford, but seems like we have a fighting chance.

Good outreach Lou!

I wouldn't get too worried about ND. They just took a committment from a 6'7" wing from the class of 2020. I think if they had a good shot at Jeffress, they wouldn't have pulled the trigger on new committment, particularly since Brey has never seen kid in person and has never met him. Pitt has rumored to have been the leader all along. Perhaps the fact that Jeffress has yet to commit indicates that he isn't as deadset as many assume?

 

[Sec_112]

Last item I saw was in February by Bossi. He listed Pitt, Stanford, Baylor and PSU.

According to Verbal Commits (not always rock solid), Pitt and ND still have two available schollies. However, according to them Stanford and PSU are one scholarship over.

So because I don't want to do the research, I'll assume at least one of them is out.

 

[PurpleFaze]

Would be a nice get and glad we are in the hunt, but based on the other schools on his list not feeling warm and fuzzy.

 

[No Chores]

Would be a nice get and glad we are in the hunt, but based on the other schools on his list not feeling warm and fuzzy.

As has been discussed previously, I believe he is down to NU, Pitt and Penn State. The young man is very bright and so are his parents. If we lose him, I think it will be to Pitt, since he went to the same high school as James Conner, who is a local legend now with the Steelers. Pitt and Penn State are both good schools and are ranked tied for 57th in the U.S. news rankings, but they don't compare in that regard with NU at 9th. (Sorry to repeat that which I've posted previously.)

 

[Cats20]

I think we will lose him to Pitt. It's a shame because I think he will be a great player in college and definitely the type of kid that would've benefited from actually being able to see the campus.

 

[Katatonic]

As has been discussed previously, I believe he is down to NU, Pitt and Penn State. The young man is very bright and so are his parents. If we lose him, I think it will be to Pitt, since he went to the same high school as James Conner, who is a local legend now with the Steelers. Pitt and Penn State are both good schools and are ranked tied for 57th in the U.S. news rankings, but they don't compare in that regard with NU at 9th. (Sorry to repeat that which I've posted previously.)

Pitt seems like the favorite due to Capel having been on him the longest (and being a priority) and WJ likely wanting to stay close enough to his family (which is why don't think Stanford or Duke are really in the picture).

Think the 'Cats have a puncher's chance if they can get him to campus for a visit.

Pitt has the advantage of home games not being a far drive for his parents, plus a sibling also goes to school in Pittsburgh.

But the drive to Evanston is doable, and most games would be within driving distance (unlike for the ACC) - particularly PSU, UMD, dOSU, UM and MSU.

Not at 6'4", 205 lbs.........

Put Gaines on a weight-gaining program and can see him gain 25-30 lbs (he has a solid frame).

 

[freewillie07]

Jeffress will turn 17 in June. I would think his early leap into college would make him and his parents more likely to consider a comparatively smaller school like NU, where the lights aren't quite as bright, temptations aren't as prevalent, and academics are not just a platitude in comparison to Pitt or certainly Penn State.

Certainly, he is more "college ready" than Pete Nance was. But Nance is a good example of Collins successfully pitching to a high-character, high-upside guy that he could take him under his wing and develop him while at NU.

 

[willycat]

Pitt seems like the favorite due to Capel having been on him the longest (and being a priority) and WJ likely wanting to stay close enough to his family (which is why don't think Stanford or Duke are really in the picture).

Think the 'Cats have a puncher's chance if they can get him to campus for a visit.

Pitt has the advantage of home games not being a far drive for his parents, plus a sibling also goes to school in Pittsburgh.

But the drive to Evanston is doable, and most games would be within driving distance (unlike for the ACC) - particularly PSU, UMD, dOSU, UM and MSU.





Put Gaines on a weight-gaining program and can see him gain 25-30 lbs (he has a solid frame).

LB?

 

[No Chores]

As has been discussed previously, I believe he is down to NU, Pitt and Penn State. The young man is very bright and so are his parents. If we lose him, I think it will be to Pitt, since he went to the same high school as James Conner, who is a local legend now with the Steelers. Pitt and Penn State are both good schools and are ranked tied for 57th in the U.S. news rankings, but they don't compare in that regard with NU at 9th. (Sorry to repeat that which I've posted previously.)

In addition to what I've said in the above post, there are some other factors that I believe give NU a shot here. Some have suggested that Pitt should be favored due to proximity to home. I really don't believe that will be a factor since William's parents have the financial wherewithal to fly wherever they want. There are direct flights from Erie to Chicago which take 1 hour. Also, as Lou has pointed out, everyone in the Jeffress family is very bright, including William, who will soon graduate from high school at the end of his Junior year. Finally, there is the location issue. Chicago is a great city, Pittsburgh is OK and State College is in the middle of nowhere. Hopefully, there is no decision until we can get the Jeffress family to Evanston. As It stands right now, I think it's 50 - 50 NU vs .Pitt, but it's James Conner's influence that worries me most.

 

[Gocatsgo2003]

In addition to what I've said in the above post, there are some other factors that I believe give NU a shot here. Some have suggested that Pitt should be favored due to proximity to home. I really don't believe that will be a factor since William's parents have the financial wherewithal to fly wherever they want. There are direct flights from Erie to Chicago which take 1 hour. Also, as Lou has pointed out, everyone in the Jeffress family is very bright, including William, who will soon graduate from high school at the end of his Junior year. Finally, there is the location issue. Chicago is a great city, Pittsburgh is OK and State College is in the middle of nowhere. Hopefully, there is no decision until we can get the Jeffress family to Evanston. As It stands right now, I think it's 50 - 50 NU vs .Pitt, but it's James Conner's influence that worries me most.

What are the chances that the kid has even met James Conner, to say nothing of Conner's choice of schools having an impact?

 

[No Chores]

What are the chances that the kid has even met James Conner, to say nothing of Conner's choice of schools having an impact?

It is inconceivable to me that William has not met James Conner. I have met James Conner, and his mother and I knew his grandfather in high school. James and William went to the same high school, albeit a number of years apart. As we all know Jeff Capel is recruiting William very vigorously and James Conner is a legend here. If Jeff hasn't enlisted Conner's help, it would be stunning to me. Capel's an astute guy and a good coach.

 

[Cats20]

From what I've heard, he's not coming here and most likely going to Pitt. Cited not being able to visit campus to coaching staff. Who knows, but I doubt it

 

[Gocatsgo2003]

It is inconceivable to me that William has not met James Conner. I have met James Conner, and his mother and I knew his grandfather in high school. James and William went to the same high school, albeit a number of years apart. As we all know Jeff Capel is recruiting William very vigorously and James Conner is a legend here. If Jeff hasn't enlisted Conner's help, it would be stunning to me. Capel's an astute guy and a good coach.

Pesky recruiting rules might get in the way of that.

 

[Katatonic]

Some have suggested that Pitt should be favored due to proximity to home. I really don't believe that will be a factor since William's parents have the financial wherewithal to fly wherever they want. There are direct flights from Erie to Chicago which take 1 hour.

In this day and age, think many would rather avoid flying if they can, or at least limit it.

That shouldn't take NU out of the equation as Evanston is a doable drive from Erie and there are a good bit more away games (dOSU, UM, MSU, PSU, etc.) closer to home than there would be for the ACC; think this may take schools like Duke and Stanford out of the equation.

But Pitt would still be the easiest drive for home games and he has a sibling attending college in Pittsburgh..

The key is getting WJ and his parents to Evanston for a visit.

LB?

Yeah.

 

[No Chores]

Pesky recruiting rules might get in the way of that.

No

 

[No Chores]

In this day and age, think many would rather avoid flying if they can, or at least limit it.

That shouldn't take NU out of the equation as Evanston is a doable drive from Erie and there are a good bit more away games (dOSU, UM, MSU, PSU, etc.) closer to home than there would be for the ACC; think this may take schools like Duke and Stanford out of the equation.

But Pitt would still be the easiest drive for home games and he has a sibling attending college in Pittsburgh..

The key is getting WJ and his parents to Evanston for a visit.




Yeah.

Let's try this one ore time. William's mom will not be driving to Evanston anytime soon, She has a full time OB/GYN practice, so her only option would be to fly, assuming she can get another member of her practice to cover for her. As you have pointed out, other BIG locations are closer to Erie and would be much easier drives, particularly on weekends. Pittsburgh is a 4.5 to 5 hour roundtrip from here. and would again pose signicficant problems for Dr. Jeffress, but not so much for her husband. The more southern ACC schools would be an even more significant problem for practicing OB/GYN. Therefore, I remain of the opinion that distance from Erie will not be the deciding factor for William. Also, there is no evidence that Jeff Capel has been recruiting William longer and harder than anyone else. Therefore, I believe it will be Pitt for a couple of reasons, including no visit to NU and the James Conner influence.
Hope I'm wrong.

 

[Katatonic]

^ And like I had stated before, being a physician (and not a total kook like Dr. Oz), she likely isn't keen on flying unless it's absolutely necessary (at least not until a vaccine is available).

Didn't say that she would make it to all the games in Evanston (I'm sure her schedule wouldn't allow that, even if he stayed in the Erie/Buffalo area), but at the same time, I'll bet that her schedule will allow her to get to a few games in Evanston even if it is via the highway.

As for the other thing, how 'bout this?

Pitt was one of the first programs to start seriously recruiting Jeffress last year and Jeff Capel himself started personally making him a priority recruit, as Jeffress told PSN a couple Of weeks ago.

“When a coach shows that much interest in you and lets you know that they want you at their school and that they believe in you and your ability to the max, it leaves an everlasting impression.

 

[No Chores]

^ And like I had stated before, being a physician (and not a total kook like Dr. Oz), she likely isn't keen on flying unless it's absolutely necessary (at least not until a vaccine is available).

Didn't say that she would make it to all the games in Evanston (I'm sure her schedule wouldn't allow that, even if he stayed in the Erie/Buffalo area), but at the same time, I'll bet that her schedule will allow her to get to a few games in Evanston even if it is via the highway.

As for the other thing, how 'bout this?

Pitt was one of the first programs to start seriously recruiting Jeffress last year and Jeff Capel himself started personally making him a priority recruit, as Jeffress told PSN a couple Of weeks ago.

“When a coach shows that much interest in you and lets you know that they want you at their school and that they believe in you and your ability to the max, it leaves an everlasting impression.

There's no way Dr. Jeffress is chewing up a whole weekend on a road trip to Evanston. Besides, by the time basketball season rolls around, people will be flying all over the place, including me. I have 4 flights scheduled before BB season in June, July, August, and September. No idea what Buffalo has to do with anything since it's 100 miles further from Chicago than Erie Also, no doubt that Pitt was ONE of the first programs to start recruiting William - wonder who the others were? Anyway, still believe it will be Pitt, but fingers remain crossed

 

[CSCatFan1]

We’ll have our answer tomorrow!

 

[Katatonic]

There's no way Dr. Jeffress is chewing up a whole weekend on a road trip to Evanston.

How do you know that?

Know a good # of physicians who took roadtrips around that distance for their kids.

Not saying that she's going to make it every home game, but maybe 3-5.

Besides, by the time basketball season rolls around, people will be flying all over the place, including me. I have 4 flights scheduled before BB season in June, July, August, and September.

The vast majority of physicians and infectious disease experts would advise against it (esp. for people in Dr. Jeffress' age bracket); and like the 1918 flu pandemic, we're very likely to see an even (worse) 2nd wave (granted, in that case, there wouldn't be a BB season).

No idea what Buffalo has to do with anything since it's 100 miles further from Chicago than Erie Also, no doubt that Pitt was ONE of the first programs to start recruiting William - wonder who the others were? Anyway, still believe it will be Pitt, but fingers remain crossed

There are only a few flights to CHI from Erie and wouldn't be surprised if that gets chopped down to 1 or 2.

Regardless, it still takes time to get to the airport, check-in, etc., so the total travel time flying from Erie would be still be 3.5 to 4 hrs each way.

Well, it seems then that Jeffress is headed to Pitt.

 

[freewillie07]

We’ll have our answer tomorrow!

Thanks for the link. Unfortunately, this does not leave me optimistic. Has he physically visited the campus?

Aside from that, he really fits absolutely everything NU.

 

[No Chores]

How do you know that?

Know a good # of physicians who took roadtrips around that distance for their kids.

Not saying that she's going to make it every home game, but maybe 3-5.




The vast majority of physicians and infectious disease experts would advise against it (esp. for people in Dr. Jeffress' age bracket); and like the 1918 flu pandemic, we're very likely to see an even (worse) 2nd wave (granted, in that case, there wouldn't be a BB season).




There are only a few flights to CHI from Erie and wouldn't be surprised if that gets chopped down to 1 or 2.

Regardless, it still takes time to get to the airport, check-in, etc., so the total travel time flying from Erie would be still be 3.5 to 4 hrs each way.

Well, it seems then that Jeffress is headed to Pitt.

Most of this is utter nonsense. Obviously you know very little about Erie Pa.. The point being that if we lose Jeffress to Pitt, it won't be due to travel time to the campus.
We will see. 'Cats aren't out of this yet!

 

[haywood jahblowme]

Thanks for the link. Unfortunately, this does not leave me optimistic. Has he physically visited the campus?

Aside from that, he really fits absolutely everything NU.

i don't believe he has visited the NU campus

 

[EvanstonCat]

I don’t see how it’s possible that he would commit to NU without ever visiting.

 

[Gocatsgo2003]

I don’t see how it’s possible that he would commit to NU without ever visiting.

While rare, it does happen. QB commit Sullivan, for instance.

 

[Katatonic]

Most of this is utter nonsense. Obviously you know very little about Erie Pa.. The point being that if we lose Jeffress to Pitt, it won't be due to travel time to the campus.
We will see. 'Cats aren't out of this yet!

LOL!

What's there to know about Erie aside from travel time to Chicago and Pittsburgh and how the conditions are?

Like I had posted previously, Capel was in on WJ harder and earlier than CC and from all accounts, the Jeffress are a tight-knit family, so having a sibling attending school in Pittsburgh didn't help.

NU was in play, on the basis if the WJ (and his parents) placed a higher premium on education (Pitt is a fine school) and w/ the state of air travel being what it is today and for the forseeable near future, likely placed NU above schools like Dook and Stanford.

The drive to PSU, while a bit shorter is, imo, a bit more strenuous than the drive to Evanston as it requires going a good while on 2-lane highways which are more tiresome to drive.

What's utter nonsense is you thinking that air travel will get back to normal in the fall/winter, and even if Dr. Jeffress was willing to risk her health and that of her husband and other children, the total travel time is far greater than the 1 hr you made it seem.

And there's typically only 1 direct flt from Erie to CHI (in Nov.) being early in the morning, and it's 1 and 50 mins or so of flight time, so the actual total travel time via air is more like 4.5 to 5 hours.

 

[NJCat]

The drive to PSU, while a bit shorter is, imo, a bit more strenuous than the drive to Evanston as it requires going a good while on 2-lane highways which are more tiresome to drive.

Ha! Try 4.5 hours shorter if you go by Interstates. And the drive up thru Chicago is no picnic.

 

[No Chores]

You really don't know what you're talking about, and I do, having gone to both NU and Pitt. Your flight time from Erie to Chicago is ridiculous. The Jeffress family lives about 10 or 15 minutes from the Erie airport, where I never get to a flight more than a half hour before flight time. Wheels in the air until touchdown is just a little over an hour. Another popular option would be to drive to Cleveland (not Buffalo), stay at the Airport Marriott Hotel, and take any one of about 10 flights flights the next day to Chicago, no problem.If it's an afternoon game, you can come back the same day. You have no idea when Pitt and Capel started to recruit William, other than that he was ONE of the first. Pittsburgh round trip driving is at least 5-6 hours if you include parking at the Pete, which is named for John Peterson a former client of mine, now deceased. Penn State is a 3.5 hour drive from here mostly interstate, which has already been pointed out in this thread. I've driven it many times if you'd like directions. The bottom line is that you don't know what you're talking about. I don't know where you live, but I'll probably be flying over your place sometime soon if it's anywhere east of the Mississippi. Stay well.
William would have been a great fit at NU. Sorry we lost him.