Northwestern will look to jump-start its 2026 class this weekend when they welcome their first batch of official visitors to Evanston.

The Wildcats were already behind the curve in this cycle and got some bad news on Thursday, when perhaps the best prospect of their 2026 class, three-star cornerback Joshua Sims, flipped his commitment to Tulane. That defection left Northwestern with just two commitments, the lowest number in the Big Ten and fewer than all but a handful of Power Four programs nationwide.

But this is the time in the recruiting cycle when they can make up ground. Official visits are traditionally when prospects commit in significant numbers. Last year, for example, 13 of the Wildcats’ 20 commitments pulled the trigger in May and June, when Northwestern held all of their official visit weekends.

At this point, many juniors already have their lists of favorites. They know what each school has to offer in terms of facilities, academics and player development. An official visit indicates that they are already very interested.

Now they are looking to further their relationships with players and coaches, as well as further narrow their choices – or perhaps make a verbal commitment.

MORE RECRUITING CONTENT:

Northwestern official visitors l Northwestern Class of 2026 commits l How Northwestern's class stacks up l Joshua Sims flips commitment to Tulane

One of this weekend’s double-digit visitors, three-star linebacker Brayden Reilly from Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier, will be on campus with his parents. They, like all of the visiting prospects, will get wined and dined courtesy of the football program, which foots the bill for the entire weekend.

“I want to get to know the players and [head] coach [David] Braun better. I want to get a feeling for the locker room,” he said.

“I know that NU has a great academic reputation and Big Ten football. I just want the locker room to be full of great teammates. These are the people I will spend most of my time with.”

TJ Umenyiora, a three-star cornerback from Atlanta, says that the highlight for him will be “getting to interact with some of the players and seeing the facilities/campus.” His eventual school of choice will be “a place where I can develop to become the best cornerback in the country.”

Umenyiora will provide some entertainment value for the other visitors on campus, too – he is bringing along his aunt, as well as his father, former NFL defensive end Osi Umenyiora.

Jaden McDuffie, a wide receiver from Maryland visiting with his mother and stepfather, also said that interacting with Northwestern’s players and coaches would be his primary focus for the weekend.

“Looking forward to getting to meeting the whole coaching staff and the players!” he said. “Also getting a feel for the campus as well.”

He said the goal is to see whether he would fit in at NU.

“Just talking to some players, and picturing myself in their shoes,” he said. “And also talk about their experiences at Northwestern.”

The same goes for three-star tight end Tyler Ruxer, who is making the trip from Lincoln City, Ind., with both of his parents.

“I’m trying to evaluate if Northwestern is a good place for me as a player and if they run a system that develops me.”