Carsello makes it official

You didn't have to be Nostradamus to predict that Jackson Carsello would commit to Northwestern. It just made too much sense.

The three-star interior offensive lineman from Northbrook (Ill.) Glenbrook North picked up his offer from the Wildcats on June 18. Since then, his commitment seemed like a foregone conclusion, like it would just be a matter of time until he pulled the trigger and made it official.

This was a player, after all, who called Northwestern his dream school. Who lived just 20 minutes away from Evanston. Who became a fan as a kid, going to Northwestern games with the Glenbrook Jr. Spartans football program. Who had a 3.96 GPA at Glenbrook North and appreciated the athletic and academic value proposition that Northwestern offered.

He spelled out the reasons for his commitment in no uncertain terms in a WildcatReport story just yesterday.

"It's close to home, they have one of the best educations in the world, and it's Big Ten football, as well," he said. "It's an amazing opportunity."

An opportunity that was too good to pass up, he decided. He just waited until Wednesday to announce it on Twitter.

Carsello is the 13th member of the Wildcats' Class of 2021, a group that was ranked 32nd in the nation by Rivals before his commitment. He is also the third offensive lineman of the class, and you can expect the program to add one more before the class is complete.

Carsello was a late bloomer who played left tackle on the varsity at just 195 pounds as a sophomore at Glenbrook North in 2018. That's when he started eating better and working out "five or six times a week," often until coaches had to chase him out of the high school gym.

By the start of the 2019 last season, Carsello, now a junior, was up to 235 pounds, and he began attracting recruiters' attention. Now, he measures in at 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds, 75 pounds heavier than he was less than two years ago.

Northwestern offensive line coach Kurt Anderson reached out to Carsello for the first time in January, just about the time the offers started to roll in. Carsello picked up his first offer, from Ball State, on Jan. 28. He had five by the end of February, and then landed 11 in both March and April.

By the time Northwestern and Duke offered last week his total had grown to 30, including five each from the Power Five and Ivy League.

The Wildcats had been focused on tackles and didn't decide they needed an interior guard or center prospect until earlier this month. Carsello, who already had a strong relationship with Anderson, was the target they immediately honed in on.

Carsello now joins a pair of Michiganders as offensive line commits in the 2021 class. Caleb Tiernan is a 6-foot-7, 280-pound tackle from Detroit Country Day and one of three four-stars in Northwestern's class. Josh Thompson, from Fenton, is a 6-foot-5, 305-pounder with a long wingspan who could play on the inside or outside but will come in as a tackle.

Northwestern is also hoping to bring in one more tackle, most likely Jack Leyrer of Dallas (Texas) Highland Park or Joe Alt of Fridley (Minn.) Totino Grace. Both are 6-foot-7 prospects with impressive offer lists.

Anderson has remade the offensive line room in just his second year in Evanston. Last year, he brought in guard/center Peter Skoronski, the lone four-star prospect in the 2020 class, as well as guard/tackle Josh Priebe and tackle Ben Wrather, and he beat the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame and Penn State to land them. This year, he aims to bring in four more linemen, including another four-star in Tiernan.