The odds seemed stacked against Northwestern from the beginning in the recruitment of Jacob Gill.

The Wildcats didn't reach out to the three-star wide receiver from Raleigh (N.C.) Cardinal Gibbons until about a month ago. They weren't just late to the party; they were the last ones to arrive. they didn't offer Gill a scholarship until June 24, after all nine of the other schools on his offer list had already done so.

Compounding matters, the school sits more than 800 miles from Gill's home and, because of the corona pandemic, he couldn't even visit the campus.

Yet, against all odds, Gill committed to the Wildcats on Wednesday to become the 14th member of the 2021 class. He said the main reason was his trust in Northwestern's coaches.