Like a breakaway dunk to cap a big win, Northwestern topped off its program-defining 2025 recruiting class with a big man that has an exceptionally high ceiling.
Cade Bennerman, a 6-foot-11 power forward with a 7-foot-5 wingspan, announced his commitment to the Wildcats on Wednesday morning to become the fifth member of what may be head coach Chris Collins’ best recruiting class in his 12 years of leading the program.
Bennerman listed a final six of Northwestern, Michigan, Penn State, Cal, USF and Tennessee State in his X post on Monday announcing his commitment date. In a sign of how big a prospect the late bloomer became, Bennerman even drew a recruiting look from Duke.
But sources say that this came down to a Big Ten battle between Northwestern and Michigan. Bennerman took official visits to both campuses on consecutive week in September, and in early November wound up picking Northwestern.
Bennerman, who many scouting services rank as the No. 1 prospect in Tennessee, saw his value explode over the summer.
Last season, as a junior at Nashville Father Ryan High School, he put up rather pedestrian numbers, averaging 8.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game on 55% shooting. Even his numbers for his Game Elite 17U team on the Adidas 3SSB circuit, 5.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game, won’t raise eyebrows.
But it’s all about potential with Bennerman, a versatile big man who can run the floor, protect the rim and even handle the ball. He showed off his athleticism recently by setting the school record with a 60-inch box jump.
If that doesn’t adequately convey Bennerman’s ceiling as a player, there’s also this: they say a picture tells a 1,000 words, so the photo below of a leaping Bennerman soaring above the rim may be his magnum opus.
The addition of Bennerman turned Northwestern’s already strong class into most likely Collins’ finest. The big man joins point guard Jake West, shooting guard Phoenix Gill, wing Tre Singleton and forward Tyler Kropp to form a foundational five that should keep Northwestern competitive in the Big Ten and in the picture for NCAA Tournament bids for several years in the future.
Rivals has only ranked two of Northwestern’s five commitments so far, which is why the class is ranked in the 50s. Gill and West are both three-star prospects, with West just sneaking into the national rankings at No. 150.
However, Northwestern’s class was ranked 11th in the nation in the 247 composite rankings that take into consideration the ratings of several national scouting services. The addition of Bennerman, who is ranked 198th nationally, could vault the Wildcats into the Top 10 for the first time under Collins, and quite possibly the first time in program history. (For the record, the composite rankings have Singleton at No. 84, West at 200 and Gill at 236.)
The Wildcats are riding high right now, with a lot to sell recruits. They are coming off back-to-back March Madness appearances. Collins is locked up long-term and has expressed no desire to coach elsewhere. They play in a state-of-the-art facility. Student and fan support is at an all-time high and Welsh-Ryan Arena has become a difficult place to play for opponents.
Simply put, this is the Golden Age of Northwestern basketball, and this class shows that high-level recruits realize it.
Bennerman is not a finished product who will be productive on Day 1 in Evanston. He will require development. But that fits in well with Collins and his staff, who have drawn a lot of praise for forging star guards like Boo Buie, Chase Audige and Bryant McIntosh over the years, but also have had quite a bit of success with big men, including current centers Matt Nicholson and Luke Hunger.
Northwestern made the NCAA Tournament in 2017 under Collins, but then suffered through five straight losing seasons, in large part due to some recruiting misses. The addition of Bennerman to an already impressive class all but ensures that the Wildcats, after making the Big Dance in each of the last two seasons, won’t fall off the table again.
