Breaking down Northwestern's Class of 2026
Northwestern secured its Class of 2026 on Signing Day, converting all 20 of their public commitments into signees, while also picking up a new player along the way that we weren’t expecting.
The 21-player class is Northwestern’s largest since the Class of 2003.
The class currently ranks No. 58 in the country per Rivals, an uptick from last cycle, when they ranked 65th. They are also 15th in the Big Ten, ahead of UCLA, Nebraska and Penn State, which is also up from last cycle, when they were 17th, ahead of only Purdue.
This marks a steady climb back to competitiveness for David Braun, whose first class, affected by a hazing scandal, the firing of Pat Fitzgerald and his interim status, ranked 73rd.
The headliner of the class is wide receiver Jaden McDuffie, a four-star wide receiver from Edgewater (Md.) South River. McDuffie is ranked as the No. 32 wide receiver and the No. 236 player overall in the Class of 2026 by Rivals. He is the first Rivals industry-rated four-star to commit to Braun in his three years as head coach. McDuffie’s industry aggregate and Rivals rating are the highest since four-star linebacker Nigel Glover in the Class of 2023.
MORE: NORTHWESTERN’S CLASS OF 2026
Flip-flop
Northwestern’s typical recruiting style has been to lock up 90-95% of their class before the summer, then round it out with a player or two during the fall. They sometimes find a late blossom or flip a player from an academy or a MAC program.
This cycle, though, the Wildcats got their elbows out and their hands dirty, landing seven of their 21 commits in September or later and prying four of them away from Arizona State, Kentucky, Penn State and Miami (Ohio).
| Player | Previous commitment | Commitment date |
| DL Tre Hoskins | Uncommitted | Dec. 3 |
| DL Ronald Derrick III | Arizona State | Dec. 2 |
| LB Amare Jordan | Uncommitted | Nov. 24 |
| LB Max Mohring | Kentucky | Nov. 17 |
| OT Jack Fuchs | Penn State | Nov. 11 |
| OT Jacob Miller | Uncommitted | Oct. 24 |
| OT Hayden Flavin | Miami (Ohio) | Sept. 14 |
The Wildcats didn’t win all of the flips. They lost the commitments of linebacker Brayden Reilly to Clemson and linebacker Jacob Curry to Oklahoma in the fall; both are ranked as four-star prospects by Rivals. Three-star safety Davis Kinney decommitted from Northwestern on Nov. 17 and committed to Arizona State on Signing Day.
Geography
Northwestern used their home state as the foundation of it class, getting nearly a quarter of its commits from the Land of Lincoln. Also of note in Illinois is that Owen Fors is the No. 15 prospect in the state per the Rivals Industry rankings, the highest by a Northwestern commit in the program’s home state since Damon Walters (No. 9) in the Class of 2023.
The Wildcats recruited players from 11 different states, hitting up hotbeds like Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania, while also stretching into some unusual locales like Nebraska, New Jersey and Tennessee.
| State | Number of commits | Players |
| Illinois | 5 | Owen Fors, Owen Jakubczak, Johnny O’Brien, Keaton Reinke, Noah Sur |
| Ohio | 3 | Gabe Davis-Ray, Calvin Lorek, Nick Zalewski |
| Texas | 3 | Ronald Derrick III, Amare Jordan, Jaden Vaughn |
| Missouri | 2 | Jacob Miller, Tre Hoskins |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | Tom McGlinchey, Max Mohring |
| California | 1 | Sean Morris II |
| Maryland | 1 | Jaden McDuffie |
| Michigan | 1 | Hayden Flavin |
| Nebraska | 1 | Leighton Burbach |
| New Jersey | 1 | Nick Costa |
| Tennessee | 1 | Jack Fuchs |
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Credit: Northwestern Athletics
Position
The Wildcats spread the wealth this cycle, landing players in almost every position group and specifically seeking to shore up their offensive line. They took only one tight end in this class, McGlinchey, but they took three in the Class of 2025, although Robby Preckel ended up a running back.
Northwestern also brought in kicker Sur from Oak Park Fenwick in Chicago’s western suburbs. It’s the second straight year that the Wildcats used a scholarship on a specialist, as they signed punter Niki Dugandzic in the Class of 2025.
| Position | Player(s) |
| Quarterback (1) | Johnny O’Brien |
| Running back (1) | Sean Morris II |
| Wide receiver (2) | Jaden McDuffie, Keaton Reinke |
| Tight end (1) | Tom McGlinchey |
| Offensive tackle (4) | Leighton Burbach, Hayden Flavin, Jack Fuchs, Jacob Miller |
| Interior offensive lineman (2) | Owen Fors, Owen Jakubczak |
| Edge rusher (2) | Nick Costa, Nick Zalewski |
| Defensive lineman (2)* | Calvin Lorek, Ronald Derrick III |
| Linebacker (2) | Amare Jordan, Max Mohring |
| Cornerback (1) | Jaden Vaughn |
| Safety (1) | Gabe Davis-Ray |
| Kicker (1) | Noah Sur |
Both Lorek and Derrick are listed as edges by Rivals, but will move to the interior at Northwestern
Rivals Industry Rankings
Rivals’ industry rankings are an aggregate of each recruits’ Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN rankings. Here’s how they break down:
Four-star
Wide receiver Jaden McDuffie is ranked No. 355 in the nation, No. 57 at wide receiver and No. 9 in Maryland.
Three-stars
Offensive tackle Jack Fuchs is ranked No. 476 in the nation, No. 38 at tackle and No. 13 in Pennsylvania.
Interior offensive lineman Owen Fors is ranked No. 544 in the nation, No. 50 at IOL and No. 15 in Illinois.
Offensive tackle Leighton Burbach is ranked No. 766 in the nation, No. 58 at tackle and No. 4 in Nebraska.
Tight end Tom McGlinchey is ranked No. 795 in the nation, No. 52 at tight end, No. 23 in Pennsylvania.
Edge Nick Zalewski is ranked No. 888 in the nation, No. 88 at edge, No. 44 in Ohio
Running back Sean Morris II is ranked No. 901 in the nation, No. 55 at running back and No. 69 in California.
Offensive tackle Jacob Miller is ranked No. 1042 in the nation, No. 77 at tackle and No. 18 in Missouri.
Safety Gabe Davis-Ray is ranked No. 1158 in the nation, No. 110 at safety and No. 53 in Ohio
Linebacker Max Mohring is ranked No. 1180 in the nation, No. 108 at linebacker and No. 32 in Pennsylvania.
Cornerback Jaden Vaughn is ranked No. 1302 in the nation, No. 129 at cornerback and No. 184 in Texas.
Wide receiver Keaton Reinke is ranked No. 1311 in the nation, No. 200 at wide receiver and No. 36 in Illinois.
Edge Ronald Derrick III is ranked No. 1324 in the nation, No. 113 at edge and No. 190 in Texas.
Quarterback Johnny O’Brien is ranked No. 1406 in the nation, No. 82 at quarterback and No. 38 in Illinois.
Interior offensive lineman Owen Jackubczak is ranked No. 1453 in the nation, No. 133 at IOL and No. 39 in Illinois.
Edge Nick Costa is ranked No. 1661 in the nation, No. 141 at edge and No. 42 in New Jersey.
Edge Calvin Lorek is ranked No. 1736 in the nation, No. 147 at edge and No. 98 in Ohio.
Offensive tackle Hayden Flavin is ranked No. 2067 in the nation, No. 163 at tackle and No. 40 in Michigan.
Kicker Noah Sur is ranked No. 2611 in the nation, No. 14 at specialist and No. 68 in Illinois.
Ranking pending
Linebacker Amare Jordan and defensive tackle Tre Hoskins are currently under evaluation and have not received a ranking by Rivals yet.
