Northwestern's first official weekend of 2025 was a rousing success as the Wildcats more than tripled the size of their 2026 class.
WildcatReport can confirm that at least five official visitors verbally committed to the program over the weekend.
Northwestern went into its May 9-11 official visit window with just two commits. They now have seven as of Sunday afternoon.
We will post updates below as the players publicly join the Class of 2026.
DL Calvin Lorek
Calvin Lorek is the fourth player to commit from Northwestern's May 9 official visit. Lorek is a 6-foot-4, 255-pound lineman that projects to play defensive tackle for the Wildcats.
Lorek is the second defensive lineman to commit to Northwestern, joining DE Nick Zalewski, who committed in April.
Lorek is currently unranked and the Wildcats' Class of 2026 ranks No. 63 in the nation after his commitment.
LB Brayden Reilly
Brayden Reilly, a three-star prospect from Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier, is listed as a safety in the Rivals database, but was recruited by defensive coordinator Tim McGarigle to bulk up and play linebacker at Northwestern.
He was the third player to announce his commitment from Northwestern's official visit.
MORE ON REILLY: Official visit made committing an easy decision for LB Brayden Reilly | Northwestern offer was no surprise for 2026 LB Brayden Reilly
Northwestern was a later arrival to Reilly's recruitment, offering on April 5. However, the Wildcats made Reilly a priority, with McGarigle visiting him in-person on April 30 and hosting him for an official visit shortly after to make up ground.
The Wildcats won this recruitment over 17 other offers, including Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri and Wake Forest.
He is the second linebacker in the recruiting class and the fifth player overall.
LB Jacob Curry
Three-star linebacker Jacob Curry from Ponte Vedra Beach (Fla.) Nease was the second player to commit from Northwestern's May 9 official visit.
Curry committed to Northwestern over 17 other offers, including Iowa State, Kansas State and Louisville.
Assistant head coach and safeties coach Harlon Barnett had visited Nease in January, but when defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Tim McGarigle came back out on May 1 to see him practice and extend an offer, it caught him off guard. The Wildcats got him up for an official visit last weekend and closed the deal.
Curry is the first linebacker to commit in this class, and the fourth player overall. As a 5.7-rated three-star, he is currently the highest-rated player in the class by Rivals.
OT Leighton Burbach
Three-star offensive tackle Leighton Burbach is the first official visitor to go public with his commitment, announcing on social media during the evening of May 11.
Burbach originally planned to take his official on the weekend of June 20, but ended up moving the date to this weekend. He committed during the visit.
The long 6-foot-8, 270-pound lineman has prototypical size and gave the Wildcats his verbal pledge over nine other offers, including Iowa State, Minnesota and Texas Tech.
Burbach is the first offensive lineman in the Class of 2026 and NU's third commit overall.
MORE OFFICIAL VISITOR CONTENT:
Cats hope to boost 2026 class on first official visit weekend l Northwestern official visitors l Northwestern Class of 2026 commits l How Northwestern's class stacks up
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