Blake continues Northwestern's roll

Northwestern's basketball team is experiencing March Madness. So is the football program, which has landed five commitments this month.

Three-star guard Wyatt Blake became the latest Wildcat pledge on St. Patrick's Day, when he announced his decision at a press conference at Crystal Lake (Ill.) Central.

All five players that have joined the program in the last 12 days hail from Illinois. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald likes to say that Wildcat recruiting "begins and ends" in Chicago, and that's certainly been the case this year as four of the five new commits live in the greater Chicago area.

The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Blake joined four-star defensive end Devin O'Rourke of Frankfurt Lincoln Way, three-star superback Brian Kaiser of Winnetka New Trier and three-star offensive lineman Charlie Schmidt of Libertyville in Northwestern's Chicagoland contingent. Three-star superback Charlie Mangieri, the fifth new Wildcat, comes from downstate Dunlap.

It's a far cry from the 2017 class, which only had two in-state players among its 19 members.

Blake picked the Wildcats over runner-up Minnesota. He also considered Missouri and Virginia and had a total of 12 offers.

"My overnight visit (in early March) was a big factor in my decision," Blake told Rivals' Edgy Tim O'Halloran. "I knew after that weekend that I was ready to commit. I was able to get a better feel for the school, the coaches and the team and I was able to get answers for all of my questions."

Blake is the ninth-ranked prospect in Illinois. Northwestern now has five of the top 22 players in the state.

Northwestern's class, which now numbers seven, is ranked 11th in the nation by Rivals.