Braun Signs 21 New Wildcats on National Signing Day

Photo by: Griffin Quinn / Northwestern Athletics

Braun Signs 21 New Wildcats on National Signing Day

12/3/2025 3:51:00 PM | Football

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern football signed 21 newcomers to the program on National Signing Day, Dan & Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun announced on Wednesday.

"Excited to celebrate this class of 21 Wildcats, a tremendous amount of work went into this 2026 group," Braun said. "We're excited about this group's talent, excited about this group's growth potential, but most importantly excited about the quality of football character in this group."

The Wildcats' incoming Class of 2026 features a collection of talent across 11 different states and 10 different position groups. The 'Cats' 21-member class marks its largest signing class since 2003.

The Wildcats' signing class includes six homegrown signees from the state of Illinois, the most of any state in the class. Additionally, the 'Cats welcome three signees from Ohio and Texas, as well as two from Pennsylvania.

10 members of the Wildcats' signing class plan to join campus in Winter quarter as early enrollees: (DL - Nick Costa, OL - Owen Fors, OL - Jack Fuchs, OL - Owen Jakubczak, DL - Calvin Lorek, LB - Max Mohring, RB - Sean Morris II, QB - Johnny O'Brien, WR - Keaton Reinke, DL - Nick Zalewski).

Complete biographical information on each of the Wildcats' signees can be found below.

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OL - Leighton Burbach
Norfolk Catholic
Norfolk, Nebraska
6'8, 275 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on May 11, 2025
As a member of the Norfolk Catholic Football team, won the Class C2 State Championship in three-consecutive years from 2022-24, posting a 39-0 record in that span
High school coach at Norfolk Catholic was Jeff Bellar
Chose Northwestern over Iowa State, Minnesota, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt

DL - Nick Costa
St. Augustine Prep
Mullica Hill, New Jersey
6'4, 240 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on June 22, 2025
Named First-Team All-Atlantic County as a junior in 2024, posting 65 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, six sacks, five forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and 10 passes defended
Earned a First–Team All-State (Non Public Schools) nod in his junior season
Helped guide St. Augustine Prep to a state semifinal appearance in 2024
High school coach at St. Augustine Prep was Pete Lancetta
Chose Northwestern over Syracuse, Navy, Air Force, Army

SAF - Gabe Davis-Ray
Columbus Academy
Columbus, Ohio
6'3, 200 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on May 21, 2025
Voted top high school football senior in Central Ohio in the Columbus Dispatch
Named District V Defensive Player of the Year as a senior
Two-time All-State honoree
High school coach at Columbus Academy was Robin Miller
Chose Northwestern over Stanford, Purdue, Kentucky, Minnesota, Michigan State

DL - Ronald Derrick III
Waco University
Waco, Texas
6'5, 260 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on Dec. 2, 2025
Lined up at defensive end, defensive tackle and tight end for Waco University High
Named District 10-5A DII Lineman of the Year in 2025, helping Waco University win its district championship
Also competes in basketball as a power forward
High school coach at Waco University High was Charles Foster
Chose Northwestern over Arizona, Air Force, Rice, Arkansas State, Arizona State

OL - Hayden Flavin
Clarkston High School
Clarkston, Michigan
6'7, 280 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on Sept. 14, 2025
Helped pave the way for a Division 1 District Championship and 10-2 record as a senior, making a regional final appearance
Also competes in basketball, hailing from the same program as former Wildcat center Matthew Nicholson
High school coach at Clarkston was Justin Pintar
Chose Northwestern over Miami (Ohio), Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois

OL - Owen Fors
Barrington High School
Barrington, Illinois
6'4, 295 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on June 12, 2025
Named a 2025 Army All-American
Two-time First Team All-State honoree
Also competes in track and field, became a state medalist in shot put
High school coach at Barrington was Joe Sanchez
Chose Northwestern over Illinois, Boston College, Cincinnati

OL - Jack Fuchs
Beech High School
Hendersonville, Tennessee
6'8, 290 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on Nov. 11, 2025
Ranked as the No. 9 prospect in the Nashville area on the Tennessean's Dandy Dozen List
Father, Scott, serves as the offensive line coach for the Tennessee Titans
Also competes in track and field, posting a discus throw of 116-9" as a sophomore
High school coach at Beech was Anthony Crabtree
Chose Northwestern over Penn State, Indiana, Kentucky

DL - Tre Hoskins
Hannibal (MO) High School
Warsaw, Illinois
6'5, 285 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on Dec. 3, 2025
Lined up at tight end, defensive end and long snapper in high school
Helped guide Hannibal to the Class 4A State Championship game in 2025
Also competes in track and field, posting a 17.96-meter shot put
High school coach at Hannibal was Jeff Gschwender
Chose Northwestern over Central Michigan, SIU, Air Force, South Dakota, Cornell

OL - Owen Jakubczak
William Fremd High School
Palatine, Illinois
6'4, 270 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on June 9, 2025
Named an IHSFCA All-State honoree in 2025
Played alongside quarterback Johnny O'Brien at Fremd
Lined up on both sides of the ball, playing offensive and defensive tackle
Helped guide Fremd to its first state semifinal appearance in program history
Did not allow a sack in 383 passing plays as a junior
All-Conference honoree as a junior
High school coach at Fremd was Lou Sponsel.
Chose Northwestern over Toledo, Ohio, Western Michigan, San Diego State

LB - Amare Jordan
Vista Ridge
Cedar Park, Texas
6'1, 210 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on Nov. 24, 2025
Posted 59 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks as a senior
Also competed in track and field
High school coach at Vista Ridge was Chad Scott
Chose Northwestern over Army, Navy, Rice, UTEP

DL - Calvin Lorek
Loveland High School
Loveland, Ohio
6'4, 255 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on May 15, 2025
Recorded 46 tackles, 7.5 sacks, three blocked kicks and an interception as a senior
Named First Team All-Conference, First-Team All-Southwest District in 2025
Tallied 26 tackles with a team-high 3.0 sacks as a junior
Brother, David, throws shot put for Miami (Ohio)
High school coach at Loveland was Bob Mullins
Chose Northwestern over Army, Navy, Kent State, Ohio

WR - Jaden McDuffie
South River
Edgewater, Maryland
6'3, 170 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on May 22, 2025
Hauled in 58 catches for a school-record 1,338 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior
Racked up 2,160 all-purpose yards as a senior, garnering First Team All-State honors
Guided South River to an Anne Arundel County Championship
Competed on both sides of the ball, recording five interceptions, three forced fumbles, 31 tackles, two tackles for loss and 12 pass breakups at cornerback
Also competed in basketball and is ranked the No. 3 combo guard in Maryland
High school coach at South River was Steve Erxleben
Chose Northwestern over Buffalo, Temple, Toledo

TE - Tom McGlinchey
William Penn Charter
Warrington, Pennsylvania
6'6, 230 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on June 24, 2025
Named first team all-conference in the Inter-Academic League as a senior
Lined up at tight end, outside linebacker and quarterback
Brother, Mike, plays offensive tackle for the Denver Broncos
High school coach at William Penn Charter was CJ Yespelkis
Chose Northwestern over Air Force, Duke, Syracuse

OL - Jacob Miller
Penney High School
Hamilton, Missouri
6'8, 250 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on Oct. 24, 2025
Lined up at tight end and defensive end in high school
Class 1 First-Team All-State and First-Team All-District honoree as a junior on the gridiron
Also competes in basketball, receiving offers as a power forward from Central Missouri and Nebraska-Kearney
High school coach at Penney High School was Keith Alberti
Chose Northwestern over Northern Iowa

LB - Max Mohring
Malvern Prep
Downingtown, Pennsylvania
6'3, 215 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on Nov. 17, 2025
Also competes in track and field and lacrosse
Clocked an 11.55 in the 100-meter
Helped lead Malvern to an 8-2 record in 2025
High school coach at Malvern Prep was Dave Gueriera
Chose Northwestern over Kentucky, UCF, James Madison

RB - Sean Morris II
Orange Lutheran
Compton, California
5'10, 205 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on May 22, 2025
Logged 21 rushes for 130 yards as Orange Lutheran launched a stunning upset of St. John Bosco
Two-time All-State honoree
Rushed for 1,762 yards and 16 touchdowns on 298 carries as a junior at Los Angeles Loyola
Lined up at running back and strong safety in high school
Ran track at Loyola, posting a 10.76 100-meter time
High school coach at Orange Lutheran was Rod Sherman
Chose Northwestern over Boise State, Washington, SMU, Arizona

QB - Johnny O'Brien
William Fremd High School
Palatine, Illinois
6'3, 205 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on June 15, 2024
Logged 8,395 total yards and 93 total touchdowns as a three-year starter at Fremd
Named the 2024 Cook County Player of the Year in both football and baseball by the Daily Herald
Helped guide Fremd to a program-record 11 wins and its first-ever state semifinal appearance as a senior
Tossed 306 yards and four touchdowns in victory over Lyons to seal Fremd's first quarterfinal appearance since 2009
Amassed 3,534 total yards and 41 touchdowns as a junior
Competed alongside offensive line commit Owen Jakubczak
High school coach at Fremd was Lou Sponsel
Chose Northwestern over Western Michigan

WR - Keaton Reinke
Saint Charles North
St. Charles, Illinois
6'3, 205 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on June 2, 2025
Recorded 80 receptions for 1,218 yards and 18 total touchdowns as a junior
Also competed in baseball, playing as both a pitcher and outfielder
Two-time All-State honoree, earning First-Team honors as a senior
Lined up at wide receiver and outside linebacker
High school coach at St. Charles North was Robert Pomazak
Chose Northwestern over Iowa, Minnesota, Stanford

K - Noah Sur
Fenwick High School
Western Springs, Illinois
6'0, 180 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on June 19, 2025
Named a Navy All-American as a senior
Played both kicker and punter at Fenwick
Kicked a go-ahead 31-yard field goal in the fourth quarter and went 5-for-5 on extra points in Fenwick's 38-28 win over East St. Louis in the 6A state championship.
Sealed Fenwick's ticket to the 6A title game team with a game-winning extra point against Nazareth in the state semifinals
Nailed a season-long 43-yard field goal as a senior
Ranked as the No. 3 kicker in the 2026 class by Chris Sailer Kicking
2025 All-State honoree
High school coach at Fenwick was Matthew Battaglia

CB - Jaden Vaughn
Cy Fair High School
Houston, Texas
6'0, 180 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on June 24, 2025
Logged a 97-yard kick return for a touchdown and an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown in a 52-32 victory over Cypress Creek as a senior
Returned an interception for a touchdown in a 41-16 win over Jersey Village in October
Recorded 22 tackles, three interceptions and 11 pass breakups as a junior, posting one kick return touchdown
Also competes in track and field, clocking a 10.87 100-meter
Ran a 4.45 40-yard dash
High school coach at Cy Fair High School was Jeff Miller
Chose Northwestern over Harvard, Yale, Washington State, San Diego State, Utah

DL - Nick Zalewski
Thomas Worthington
Worthington, Ohio
6'6, 225 lbs

High School:

Committed to Northwestern on April 16, 2025
Lined up at tight end and defensive end for Thomas Worthington
Named First Team All-Central District as a senior
Recorded 71 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception for a touchdown as a junior
High school coach at Thomas Worthington was Scott Gordon
Chose Northwestern over Kent State, Toledo