Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Ink Best Recruiting Class In Program History
12/18/2019 2:37:00 PM | Football
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern welcomed17 new Wildcats who signed National Letters of Intent as a part of the NCAA early signing period, Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach Pat Fitzgerald announced this week. The class is ranked as the best in program history by 247Sports.
"Today is a culmination of months and years of diligent work by our staff to put together this group of younng men who will undoubtedly make an impact on our program on the field, in the classroom and in our community," Fitzgerald said. "We are thrilled to welcome the 16 newest Wildcats and their families to our Northwestern Football family."
The 17-member signing class features six student-athletes on offense and 10 on defense. The class includes Jordan Butler (North Las Vegas, Nev./IMG Academy), Jaiden Cameron (Clayton, Ohio/Northmont), Cullen Coleman (Port Chester, N.Y./Rye Country Day), Te-Rah Edwards (Groveport, Ohio/Groveport Madison), Garnett Hollis, Jr. (Nashville, Tenn./Battle Ground Academy), Jaheem Joseph (Miami Gardens, Fla./Monsignor Edward Pace), Marshall Lang (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier), Gunner Maldonado (Chandler, Az./Chandler), Sean McLaughlin (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East), Xander Mueller (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North), Cam Porter (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle), Josh Priebe (Niles, Mich./Edwardsburg), Carl Richardson (Salinas, Calif./Sallinas), Peter Skoronski (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South), Hunter Welcing (Deer Park, Ill./Lake Zurich), Nigel Williams (Richmond, Va./Collegiate School) and Ben Wrather (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty).
Complete Bios on the incoming class are below
Jordan Butler • Defensive Tackle • 6-2 / 310
North Las Vegas, Nevada / IMG Academy (Fla.)
Committed to Northwestern on Dec. 10, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect and a Top-50 defensive tackle in the nation by 247Sports … Attended IMG Academy for his final two seasons of high school competition … Recorded a monster senior season with 41 tackles, five sacks, 16 tackles for loss, one interception and one touchdown … Totaled 21 tackles in his first season with IMG … Finished his sophomore campaign at Desert Pines High School with 55 tackles and 5.5 sacks before transferring to IMG … Earned First-Team All-Conference, All-Region, All-Division and All-City honors as a sophomore … Honored as a CBS Sports Preseason All-American in 2018 … Competed in the FBU Freshman All-American game … Helped Desert Pines earned back-to-back Nevada 3A State Championships as a freshman and sophomore … IMG Academy finished 2018 ranked No. 3 in the country and 2019 as the No. 6 nationally … Volunteers annually with Special Olympics … Chose Northwestern over offers from Vanderbilt, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Oregon, Pittsburgh and USC … Anticipated major is business.
Jaiden Cameron • Defensive End • 6-3 / 225
Clayton, Ohio / Northmont
Committed to Northwestern on July 23, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports … Two-time letter winner at Northmont High School … Compiled 50 tackles over two seasons … Competed in just four games his senior season, averaging 5.3 tackles per contest … Led Northmont to a 2018 GWOC championship … Chose Northwestern over offers from Cincinnati, Michigan State, Minnesota, Arizona State, Baylor, Georgia Tech, Indiana and Pittsburgh … Named the Northmont Rotary Athlete of the Month in September 2019 … Named the Penn State Athlete of the Month in November 2019 … Anticipated major is biomedical engineering.
Cullen Coleman • Linebacker • 6-3 /220
Port Chester, New York / Rye Country Day
Committed to Northwestern on July 6, 2019 … Rated a three-start prospect, the 35th-ranked outside linebacker in the nation, and the fifth-ranked player in the state of New York by 247sports … Four-year letter winner and 2019 team captain … Recorded 125 tackles, five sacks and five interceptions in 24 games over final three prep seasons … Also had over 2,200 all-purpose yards and 25 touchdowns on offense … Rushed for 996 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior before racking up 1,372 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior … Three-time First-Team All-League … Earned First-Team All-MIFL in 2018 and 2019 … Two-time First-Team LoHud All Star … Garnered All-State honors as a junior … Named Team MVP and earned the Westchester Golden Dozen Award as a senior … Led Rye Country Day to the 2018 MIFL title … Chose Northwestern over offers from Alabama, Cal, Purdue, Virginia, Baylor, Boston College, UConn, Maryland Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Penn State, Rutgers, Stanford, Syracuse and Wisconsin … Anticipated major is industrial engineering.
Te-Rah Edwards • Defensive Tackle • 6-2 / 315
Groveport, Ohio / Groveport Madison
Committed to Northwestern on April 13, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect and the 28th-ranked player in Ohio by 247sports … Three-year letter winner and 2019 team captain … Finished senior campaign with 53 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks to earn First-Team All-OCC, All-District, All-Metro, D1-All-State and All-Ohio honors … Named a Super-25 Finalist as a senior … Also earned First-Team All-OCC honors as a junior … Garnered Second-Team All-District and Special Mention All-Metro as a junior after finishing with 30 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks … Led Groveport to a 10-3 record, OCC Championship and Regional runner up finish … Also lettered twice in wrestling, earning a pair of OCC titles … Earned Honor Roll distinction all four years of high school … Competed against fellow Wildcats signee Ben Wrather … Chose Northwestern over offers from Indiana, Iowa State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
Garnett Hollis, Jr. • Cornerback • 6-1 / 185
Nashville, Tennessee / Battle Ground Academy
Committed to Northwestern on June 22, 2019 … Rated a three-start prospect, the 47th-ranked cornerback in the nation and 18th-ranked player in Tennessee by 247sports … Four-year letter winner and 2019 team captain … Finished prep career with 109 tackles, five tackles for loss and six interceptions … Also had 86 catches, 1,295 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns on offense … Three-time All-Region and All-State selection … Named 2019 Defensive Player of the Year … Selected as the Williamson County Male Athlete of the Year as a junior … Selected to the Dandy Dozen as a senior … Also earned All-District honors three times in basketball … National Honor Society Member … High Honor Roll … Murphy Fair Academic All-State honoree … Chose Northwestern over offers from Purdue, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Indiana, Louisville, Rutgers, South Carolina and Virginia … Anticipated major is business.
Jaheem Joseph • Cornerback • 6-0 / 175
Miami Gardens, Florida / Monsignor Edward Pace
Committed to Northwestern on Dec. 10, 2018 … Rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports … Four-year letter winner and 2019 team captain … Finished prep career with 147 tackles, five forced fumbles, five interceptions and just seven receptions allowed … Also played baseball for two seasons and competed in track and field for two years … Named to the Honor Roll in every semester of high school … Attended the same high school as former Wildcats and current Indianapolis Colts linebacker Anthony Walker, Jr. … Chose Northwestern over offers from Vanderbilt, Louisville, Michigan and Syracuse … Anticipated major is computer science.
Marshall Lang • Superback • 6-4 / 225
Cincinnati, Ohio / St. Xavier
Committed to Northwestern on June 14, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect and the 54th-ranked player in Ohio by 247Sports … Three-year letter winner … Finished prep career with 117 catches, 1,097 receiving yards … Earned First-Team All-GCL and Third-Team All-State honors as a senior after making 86 catches for 1,012 yards … Set a school record with 86 receptions … Attended the same high school as Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly … Competed against fellow Wildcat signee Cam Porter … Foreign Language Honor Society member … Chose Northwestern over offers from Ball State, Kent State and Toledo.
Gunner Maldonado • Safety • 6-0 / 180
Chandler, Arizona / Chandler
Committed to Northwestern on June 13, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect, the 48th-ranked safety in the nation and 17th-ranked player in Arizona by 247Sports … Four-year letter winner and 2019 team captain … Posted 43 tackles and seven interceptions in his senior campaign to earn First-Team All-State and All-Region honors … Led Chandler High School to four-straight state championships … Attended the same high school as current Wildcats running back Drake Anderson … Chose Northwestern over offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Indiana, Iowa State and Memphis.
Sean McLaughlin • Defensive End • 6-7 / 225
Frankfort, Illinois / Lincoln-Way East
Committed to Northwestern June 7, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect, the 45th-ranked strong side defensive end in the nation and 16th-ranked player in Illinois by 247Sports … Three-year letter winner and 2019 team captain … Compiled 105 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 10 sacks over his final two seasons … Earned SWSC All-Conference, 22nd Century Media All-Area, Chicago Sun-Times All-Area, EDGYTIM/Rivals.com and IHSFCA All-State honorable mention honors … Led Lincoln-Way East to the 2017 and 2019 Class 8A State Championships … Also earned three letters in basketball and two letters in baseball … Grandfather Bill Deegan lettered for the Wildcats in 1960 … Attended the same high school as current Wildcats defensive end Devin O'Rourke … National Honor Society, Math Honor Society and Science Honor Society member … Member of Pi Sigma Pi and Mu Alpha Theta … High Honor Roll … Chose Northwestern over offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisville, Minnesota, Purdue and Syracuse … Plans to pursue a Pre-Med track.
Xander Mueller • Linebacker • 6-3 / 210
Wheaton, Illinois / Wheaton North
Committed to Northwestern on April 13, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect, the 56th-ranked outside linebacker in the nation and 15th-ranked player in Illinois by 247Sports … Three-year letter winner and two-time captain … Recorded 100-plus tackles in of his final two prep seasons … Finished 2018 with 109 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks and three interceptions to earn First-Team All-Conference, First-Team All-Area and Team Defensive MVP honors … Had 102 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception in his senior campaign to garner First-Team All-Conference, First-Team All-Area and First-Team All-State 7A honors … Also lettered twice in basketball and was a team captain … National Honor Society Member … Earned Gold Honor Roll accolades as a freshman, sophomore and junior … Brother Erik is a linebacker for the Wildcats … Attended the same high school of former Wildcat and current Dallas Cowboys quarterback Clayton Thorson … Chose Northwestern over offers from Air Force, Louisville, Bowling Green, Kent State, Ohio, Toledo and Eastern Michigan … Anticipated major is economics.
Cam Porter • Running Back • 6-0 / 210
Cincinnati, Ohio / LaSalle
Committed to Northwestern on December 8, 2018 … Rated a three-star prospect, the 42nd-ranked running back in the nation and 14th-ranked player in Ohio by 247Sports … Four-year letter winner and two-time team captain … Helped LaSalle earn the 2016 and 2019 Division 2 State Championships … Scored three touchdowns and was named the player of the game in the 2019 Ohio Division 2 state championship … Finished prep career with 2,285 yards rushing, 690 yards receiving and 34 touchdowns … Twice named GCL Running Back of the Year (2017, '18) … Three-time First-Team All-GCL honoree (2017, '18, '19) … Named the Co-GCL Player of the Year, earned First-team All-GCL, First-Team All-City, First-Team All-Southwest Ohio and First-Team All-Ohio as a senior … Max Preps Second-Team All-State … Attended the same high school as former Wildcats Jordan Thompson and Jeremy Larkin … Chose Northwestern over offers from Cincinnati, Iowa, Iowa State, Louisville, Minnesota and Purdue … Anticipated major is business.
Josh Priebe • Offensive Lineman • 6-4 / 280
Niles, Michigan / Edwardsburg
Committed to Northwestern on May 1, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect, the 21st-ranked guard in the country and 12th-ranked player in Michigan by 247Sports … Four-year letter winner in football and three-year letter winner in power lifting … Earned First-Team All-State and MHSFCA Dream Team honors as a junior … Garnered First-Team Associated Press All-State honors as a senior … Also earned Detroit News Dream Team, MHSFCA Dream Team and MLive Dream Team honors in final campaign … Led Edwardsbug to the 2018 MHSAA Division 4 State Championship … Edwardsburg offense set a MHSAA record for most touchdowns scored in a season in 2018 … Three-time scholar athlete and academic award recipient … Chose Northwestern over offers from Auburn, Boston College, Duke, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas State, Louisville, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Purdue, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
Carl Richardson • Quarterback • 6-4 / 210
Salinas, California / Salinas
Committed to Northwestern on Dec. 20, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect and a Top-100 prospect in the state of California by 247Sports … Led Salinas High to a third-consecutive division championship in 2019, the first three-peat in the 100-year history of the program … Piled up 3,800 total yards, a Cowboys-record 34 passing touchdowns, six rushing TD and one receiving TD in ten games as a senior … Monterey Herald Player of the Year … Gabilan Division Most Valuable Player … Set Salinas High School records with 7,178 passing yards and 59 passing TD … Threw for school-record and Central Coast Section-leading 3,606 yards with 24 TD, and added 598 yards on the ground as a junior, earning All-State, first team All-League, and team Offensive MVP honors … Chose Northwestern over offers from Washington State, Boise State, Colorado State, Nevada and more … Also played basketball, where he was named team defensive MVP, and ran track in high school … Father, Kevin, played linebacker for Stanford … Mother, Teresa, was a volleyball All-American for the Cardinal … Brother, Jack, was a walk-on quarterback at Stanford.
Peter Skoronski • Offensive Lineman • 6-4 / 275
Park Ridge, Illinois / Maine South
Committed to Northwestern on May 4, 2019 … Rated a four-star prospect, No. 4 center nationally and No. 2 player in Illinois by 247Sports … Rating of 0.9468 by 247Sports is the fourth highest by an NU signee in program history … Three-year letter winner and 2019 team captain … Recorded 173 pancakes in three seasons … Earned All-State honors in 2018 and 2019 … Three-time All-Conference and All-Area selection … Led Maine South to back-to-back-to-back CSL conference championships … Was a member of the 2016 state champion team … Also lettered three times in basketball and three times in track and field … Competed against current Wildcats Duke Olges and Devin O'Rourke in high school … National Honor Society member … Chose Northwestern over offers from Duke, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State and Stanford.
Hunter Welcing • Superback • 6-3 / 235
Deer Park, Illinois / Lake Zurich
Committed to Northwestern on March 9, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect and the 25th-ranked player in Illinois by 247Sports … Played three years of high school football after transitioning from hockey … Hauled in 200 receiving yards and four touchdowns in five games before missing the rest of his senior season … Earned All-Conference honors and was a Gazette News All-State honorable mention selection as a junior … All-Conference Academic Honor Roll … Chose Northwestern over an offer from Western Michigan … Anticipated major is biology.
Nigel Williams • Cornerback • 6-0 / 185
Richmond, Virginia / Collegiate School
Committed to Northwestern on October 15, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect and the 28th-ranked player in Virginia by 247Sports … Four-year letter winner and two-time captain … Played defensive back, quarterback, running back and wide receiver in high school … Finished prep career with 54 tackles and 11 interceptions … Scored 57 touchdowns … Had 1,300 yards passing and 600 yards rushing as a junior … Passed for 600 yards and rushed for 400 yards in just five games on offense as a senior … Three-time All-Conference selection … Two-time All-State honoree … Twice named team's Most Valuable Player … Also lettered five times in baseball as a shortstop … Attended the same high school of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson … Honor Roll all four years … Chose Northwestern over offers from Wake Forest, UConn, Navy, Rutgers, UCLA and Virginia.
Ben Wrather • Offensive Lineman • 6-6 / 285
Powell, Ohio / Olentangy Liberty
Committed to Northwestern on April 22, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect and the 32nd-ranked player in Ohio by 247Sports … Two-time letter winner … Named to the NBC4 Football Friday Nite Preseason Team … Led Olentangy Liberty to the Ohio Division 1 state semifinals in 2016, 2017 and 2018 … Competed against fellow incoming Wildcat Te-Rah Edwards … National Honor Society member … Chose Northwestern over offers from Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Penn State, Purdue, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Wake Forest and West Virginia … Anticipated major is industrial engineering.
"Today is a culmination of months and years of diligent work by our staff to put together this group of younng men who will undoubtedly make an impact on our program on the field, in the classroom and in our community," Fitzgerald said. "We are thrilled to welcome the 16 newest Wildcats and their families to our Northwestern Football family."
The 17-member signing class features six student-athletes on offense and 10 on defense. The class includes Jordan Butler (North Las Vegas, Nev./IMG Academy), Jaiden Cameron (Clayton, Ohio/Northmont), Cullen Coleman (Port Chester, N.Y./Rye Country Day), Te-Rah Edwards (Groveport, Ohio/Groveport Madison), Garnett Hollis, Jr. (Nashville, Tenn./Battle Ground Academy), Jaheem Joseph (Miami Gardens, Fla./Monsignor Edward Pace), Marshall Lang (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier), Gunner Maldonado (Chandler, Az./Chandler), Sean McLaughlin (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East), Xander Mueller (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North), Cam Porter (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle), Josh Priebe (Niles, Mich./Edwardsburg), Carl Richardson (Salinas, Calif./Sallinas), Peter Skoronski (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South), Hunter Welcing (Deer Park, Ill./Lake Zurich), Nigel Williams (Richmond, Va./Collegiate School) and Ben Wrather (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty).
Complete Bios on the incoming class are below
Jordan Butler • Defensive Tackle • 6-2 / 310
North Las Vegas, Nevada / IMG Academy (Fla.)
Committed to Northwestern on Dec. 10, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect and a Top-50 defensive tackle in the nation by 247Sports … Attended IMG Academy for his final two seasons of high school competition … Recorded a monster senior season with 41 tackles, five sacks, 16 tackles for loss, one interception and one touchdown … Totaled 21 tackles in his first season with IMG … Finished his sophomore campaign at Desert Pines High School with 55 tackles and 5.5 sacks before transferring to IMG … Earned First-Team All-Conference, All-Region, All-Division and All-City honors as a sophomore … Honored as a CBS Sports Preseason All-American in 2018 … Competed in the FBU Freshman All-American game … Helped Desert Pines earned back-to-back Nevada 3A State Championships as a freshman and sophomore … IMG Academy finished 2018 ranked No. 3 in the country and 2019 as the No. 6 nationally … Volunteers annually with Special Olympics … Chose Northwestern over offers from Vanderbilt, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Oregon, Pittsburgh and USC … Anticipated major is business.
Jaiden Cameron • Defensive End • 6-3 / 225
Clayton, Ohio / Northmont
Committed to Northwestern on July 23, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports … Two-time letter winner at Northmont High School … Compiled 50 tackles over two seasons … Competed in just four games his senior season, averaging 5.3 tackles per contest … Led Northmont to a 2018 GWOC championship … Chose Northwestern over offers from Cincinnati, Michigan State, Minnesota, Arizona State, Baylor, Georgia Tech, Indiana and Pittsburgh … Named the Northmont Rotary Athlete of the Month in September 2019 … Named the Penn State Athlete of the Month in November 2019 … Anticipated major is biomedical engineering.
Cullen Coleman • Linebacker • 6-3 /220
Port Chester, New York / Rye Country Day
Committed to Northwestern on July 6, 2019 … Rated a three-start prospect, the 35th-ranked outside linebacker in the nation, and the fifth-ranked player in the state of New York by 247sports … Four-year letter winner and 2019 team captain … Recorded 125 tackles, five sacks and five interceptions in 24 games over final three prep seasons … Also had over 2,200 all-purpose yards and 25 touchdowns on offense … Rushed for 996 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior before racking up 1,372 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior … Three-time First-Team All-League … Earned First-Team All-MIFL in 2018 and 2019 … Two-time First-Team LoHud All Star … Garnered All-State honors as a junior … Named Team MVP and earned the Westchester Golden Dozen Award as a senior … Led Rye Country Day to the 2018 MIFL title … Chose Northwestern over offers from Alabama, Cal, Purdue, Virginia, Baylor, Boston College, UConn, Maryland Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Penn State, Rutgers, Stanford, Syracuse and Wisconsin … Anticipated major is industrial engineering.
Te-Rah Edwards • Defensive Tackle • 6-2 / 315
Groveport, Ohio / Groveport Madison
Committed to Northwestern on April 13, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect and the 28th-ranked player in Ohio by 247sports … Three-year letter winner and 2019 team captain … Finished senior campaign with 53 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks to earn First-Team All-OCC, All-District, All-Metro, D1-All-State and All-Ohio honors … Named a Super-25 Finalist as a senior … Also earned First-Team All-OCC honors as a junior … Garnered Second-Team All-District and Special Mention All-Metro as a junior after finishing with 30 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks … Led Groveport to a 10-3 record, OCC Championship and Regional runner up finish … Also lettered twice in wrestling, earning a pair of OCC titles … Earned Honor Roll distinction all four years of high school … Competed against fellow Wildcats signee Ben Wrather … Chose Northwestern over offers from Indiana, Iowa State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
Garnett Hollis, Jr. • Cornerback • 6-1 / 185
Nashville, Tennessee / Battle Ground Academy
Committed to Northwestern on June 22, 2019 … Rated a three-start prospect, the 47th-ranked cornerback in the nation and 18th-ranked player in Tennessee by 247sports … Four-year letter winner and 2019 team captain … Finished prep career with 109 tackles, five tackles for loss and six interceptions … Also had 86 catches, 1,295 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns on offense … Three-time All-Region and All-State selection … Named 2019 Defensive Player of the Year … Selected as the Williamson County Male Athlete of the Year as a junior … Selected to the Dandy Dozen as a senior … Also earned All-District honors three times in basketball … National Honor Society Member … High Honor Roll … Murphy Fair Academic All-State honoree … Chose Northwestern over offers from Purdue, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Indiana, Louisville, Rutgers, South Carolina and Virginia … Anticipated major is business.
Jaheem Joseph • Cornerback • 6-0 / 175
Miami Gardens, Florida / Monsignor Edward Pace
Committed to Northwestern on Dec. 10, 2018 … Rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports … Four-year letter winner and 2019 team captain … Finished prep career with 147 tackles, five forced fumbles, five interceptions and just seven receptions allowed … Also played baseball for two seasons and competed in track and field for two years … Named to the Honor Roll in every semester of high school … Attended the same high school as former Wildcats and current Indianapolis Colts linebacker Anthony Walker, Jr. … Chose Northwestern over offers from Vanderbilt, Louisville, Michigan and Syracuse … Anticipated major is computer science.
Marshall Lang • Superback • 6-4 / 225
Cincinnati, Ohio / St. Xavier
Committed to Northwestern on June 14, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect and the 54th-ranked player in Ohio by 247Sports … Three-year letter winner … Finished prep career with 117 catches, 1,097 receiving yards … Earned First-Team All-GCL and Third-Team All-State honors as a senior after making 86 catches for 1,012 yards … Set a school record with 86 receptions … Attended the same high school as Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly … Competed against fellow Wildcat signee Cam Porter … Foreign Language Honor Society member … Chose Northwestern over offers from Ball State, Kent State and Toledo.
Gunner Maldonado • Safety • 6-0 / 180
Chandler, Arizona / Chandler
Committed to Northwestern on June 13, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect, the 48th-ranked safety in the nation and 17th-ranked player in Arizona by 247Sports … Four-year letter winner and 2019 team captain … Posted 43 tackles and seven interceptions in his senior campaign to earn First-Team All-State and All-Region honors … Led Chandler High School to four-straight state championships … Attended the same high school as current Wildcats running back Drake Anderson … Chose Northwestern over offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Indiana, Iowa State and Memphis.
Sean McLaughlin • Defensive End • 6-7 / 225
Frankfort, Illinois / Lincoln-Way East
Committed to Northwestern June 7, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect, the 45th-ranked strong side defensive end in the nation and 16th-ranked player in Illinois by 247Sports … Three-year letter winner and 2019 team captain … Compiled 105 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 10 sacks over his final two seasons … Earned SWSC All-Conference, 22nd Century Media All-Area, Chicago Sun-Times All-Area, EDGYTIM/Rivals.com and IHSFCA All-State honorable mention honors … Led Lincoln-Way East to the 2017 and 2019 Class 8A State Championships … Also earned three letters in basketball and two letters in baseball … Grandfather Bill Deegan lettered for the Wildcats in 1960 … Attended the same high school as current Wildcats defensive end Devin O'Rourke … National Honor Society, Math Honor Society and Science Honor Society member … Member of Pi Sigma Pi and Mu Alpha Theta … High Honor Roll … Chose Northwestern over offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisville, Minnesota, Purdue and Syracuse … Plans to pursue a Pre-Med track.
Xander Mueller • Linebacker • 6-3 / 210
Wheaton, Illinois / Wheaton North
Committed to Northwestern on April 13, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect, the 56th-ranked outside linebacker in the nation and 15th-ranked player in Illinois by 247Sports … Three-year letter winner and two-time captain … Recorded 100-plus tackles in of his final two prep seasons … Finished 2018 with 109 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks and three interceptions to earn First-Team All-Conference, First-Team All-Area and Team Defensive MVP honors … Had 102 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception in his senior campaign to garner First-Team All-Conference, First-Team All-Area and First-Team All-State 7A honors … Also lettered twice in basketball and was a team captain … National Honor Society Member … Earned Gold Honor Roll accolades as a freshman, sophomore and junior … Brother Erik is a linebacker for the Wildcats … Attended the same high school of former Wildcat and current Dallas Cowboys quarterback Clayton Thorson … Chose Northwestern over offers from Air Force, Louisville, Bowling Green, Kent State, Ohio, Toledo and Eastern Michigan … Anticipated major is economics.
Cam Porter • Running Back • 6-0 / 210
Cincinnati, Ohio / LaSalle
Committed to Northwestern on December 8, 2018 … Rated a three-star prospect, the 42nd-ranked running back in the nation and 14th-ranked player in Ohio by 247Sports … Four-year letter winner and two-time team captain … Helped LaSalle earn the 2016 and 2019 Division 2 State Championships … Scored three touchdowns and was named the player of the game in the 2019 Ohio Division 2 state championship … Finished prep career with 2,285 yards rushing, 690 yards receiving and 34 touchdowns … Twice named GCL Running Back of the Year (2017, '18) … Three-time First-Team All-GCL honoree (2017, '18, '19) … Named the Co-GCL Player of the Year, earned First-team All-GCL, First-Team All-City, First-Team All-Southwest Ohio and First-Team All-Ohio as a senior … Max Preps Second-Team All-State … Attended the same high school as former Wildcats Jordan Thompson and Jeremy Larkin … Chose Northwestern over offers from Cincinnati, Iowa, Iowa State, Louisville, Minnesota and Purdue … Anticipated major is business.
Josh Priebe • Offensive Lineman • 6-4 / 280
Niles, Michigan / Edwardsburg
Committed to Northwestern on May 1, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect, the 21st-ranked guard in the country and 12th-ranked player in Michigan by 247Sports … Four-year letter winner in football and three-year letter winner in power lifting … Earned First-Team All-State and MHSFCA Dream Team honors as a junior … Garnered First-Team Associated Press All-State honors as a senior … Also earned Detroit News Dream Team, MHSFCA Dream Team and MLive Dream Team honors in final campaign … Led Edwardsbug to the 2018 MHSAA Division 4 State Championship … Edwardsburg offense set a MHSAA record for most touchdowns scored in a season in 2018 … Three-time scholar athlete and academic award recipient … Chose Northwestern over offers from Auburn, Boston College, Duke, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas State, Louisville, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Purdue, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
Carl Richardson • Quarterback • 6-4 / 210
Salinas, California / Salinas
Committed to Northwestern on Dec. 20, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect and a Top-100 prospect in the state of California by 247Sports … Led Salinas High to a third-consecutive division championship in 2019, the first three-peat in the 100-year history of the program … Piled up 3,800 total yards, a Cowboys-record 34 passing touchdowns, six rushing TD and one receiving TD in ten games as a senior … Monterey Herald Player of the Year … Gabilan Division Most Valuable Player … Set Salinas High School records with 7,178 passing yards and 59 passing TD … Threw for school-record and Central Coast Section-leading 3,606 yards with 24 TD, and added 598 yards on the ground as a junior, earning All-State, first team All-League, and team Offensive MVP honors … Chose Northwestern over offers from Washington State, Boise State, Colorado State, Nevada and more … Also played basketball, where he was named team defensive MVP, and ran track in high school … Father, Kevin, played linebacker for Stanford … Mother, Teresa, was a volleyball All-American for the Cardinal … Brother, Jack, was a walk-on quarterback at Stanford.
Peter Skoronski • Offensive Lineman • 6-4 / 275
Park Ridge, Illinois / Maine South
Committed to Northwestern on May 4, 2019 … Rated a four-star prospect, No. 4 center nationally and No. 2 player in Illinois by 247Sports … Rating of 0.9468 by 247Sports is the fourth highest by an NU signee in program history … Three-year letter winner and 2019 team captain … Recorded 173 pancakes in three seasons … Earned All-State honors in 2018 and 2019 … Three-time All-Conference and All-Area selection … Led Maine South to back-to-back-to-back CSL conference championships … Was a member of the 2016 state champion team … Also lettered three times in basketball and three times in track and field … Competed against current Wildcats Duke Olges and Devin O'Rourke in high school … National Honor Society member … Chose Northwestern over offers from Duke, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State and Stanford.
Hunter Welcing • Superback • 6-3 / 235
Deer Park, Illinois / Lake Zurich
Committed to Northwestern on March 9, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect and the 25th-ranked player in Illinois by 247Sports … Played three years of high school football after transitioning from hockey … Hauled in 200 receiving yards and four touchdowns in five games before missing the rest of his senior season … Earned All-Conference honors and was a Gazette News All-State honorable mention selection as a junior … All-Conference Academic Honor Roll … Chose Northwestern over an offer from Western Michigan … Anticipated major is biology.
Nigel Williams • Cornerback • 6-0 / 185
Richmond, Virginia / Collegiate School
Committed to Northwestern on October 15, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect and the 28th-ranked player in Virginia by 247Sports … Four-year letter winner and two-time captain … Played defensive back, quarterback, running back and wide receiver in high school … Finished prep career with 54 tackles and 11 interceptions … Scored 57 touchdowns … Had 1,300 yards passing and 600 yards rushing as a junior … Passed for 600 yards and rushed for 400 yards in just five games on offense as a senior … Three-time All-Conference selection … Two-time All-State honoree … Twice named team's Most Valuable Player … Also lettered five times in baseball as a shortstop … Attended the same high school of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson … Honor Roll all four years … Chose Northwestern over offers from Wake Forest, UConn, Navy, Rutgers, UCLA and Virginia.
Ben Wrather • Offensive Lineman • 6-6 / 285
Powell, Ohio / Olentangy Liberty
Committed to Northwestern on April 22, 2019 … Rated a three-star prospect and the 32nd-ranked player in Ohio by 247Sports … Two-time letter winner … Named to the NBC4 Football Friday Nite Preseason Team … Led Olentangy Liberty to the Ohio Division 1 state semifinals in 2016, 2017 and 2018 … Competed against fellow incoming Wildcat Te-Rah Edwards … National Honor Society member … Chose Northwestern over offers from Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Penn State, Purdue, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Wake Forest and West Virginia … Anticipated major is industrial engineering.
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