Dylan Senda was an ideal first commit for Northwestern's 2023 class
It’s important to get a strong first commit when building a recruiting class. Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald calls that first pledge "a catalyst."
You want an outstanding player, certainly, but also one that will be a leader, someone that other players will want to follow.
Fitzgerald couldn’t have asked for a better first commit for the class he signed on Wednesday than Dylan Senda. He’s the poster boy for the Wildcats' 2023 class.
The three-star center sent a powerful message with his commitment to the Wildcats last December, exactly one year and one day ago.
Senda, who played at Dearborn (Mich.) Divine Child, outside of Detroit, had offers from both of his home-state, Big Ten schools. Michigan had just won the Big Ten title and was preparing for a College Football Playoff game. Michigan State had a breakout season that earned head coach Mel Tucker the Big Ten Coach of the Year award.
Yet Senda turned down both of those schools to commit to Northwestern, a team coming off of an ugly 3-9 season. And this was after he attended Michigan’s historic win over Ohio State last November at the Big House, a game that featured what broadcasters called one of the best atmospheres in college football history.
Less than one month after that game, Senda committed to Fitzgerald, in person, when he and his family took a clandestine visit to Evanston. He announced his decision to the world a few days later on Twitter.
Even though Senda says that he didn’t feel any pressure from coaches, friends or classmates at Divine Child, it still took courage to turn down Michigan for Northwestern – especially for a player in the heart of Wolverine country, about 40 minutes east of Ann Arbor.
When you ask Senda why he picked Northwestern, he doesn’t think it was any big deal. He was just staying true to himself. Northwestern is a perfect fit for Senda because his values are the same as the program’s. It was really that simple.
Senda said that when he started the recruiting process, he sat down with his parents and made a list of the things he was looking for in a school. He wanted strong academics. He wanted to have a great relationship with the coaching staff – not just the head coach, but his position coach and the entire staff.
He wanted a place that could develop him both on and off the field, and one that could help him reach his goal of playing in the NFL. Finally, he wanted to play in a competitive conference like the Big Ten.
What he soon realized, after visiting the campus several times, seeing the facilities and meeting the coaching staff, is that Northwestern met all of those criteria. Even exceeded them.
“Northwestern is second to none,” said Senda. “It really blew me away. It really stuck out from all of the other schools. It checked all my boxes. Once I realized that, I asked myself, ‘Why am I waiting?’”
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That’s when he committed, turning down programs from four of the Power Five conferences.
“Despite their record, I knew that Northwestern was the school for me,” he said. “It fits all of my values and beliefs as a person.”
Over the last 13 months, Senda has proven that, with his words and his actions. He’s like a spokesperson for the program. He tweets to prospects after they get offers or make commitments. He spearheads the class’s group chat. He shows people around when he’s on campus.
That's what Fitzgerald appreciates about Senda. He said the No. 4 center in the nation has "just an incredibly bright future" on the field. But he's thankful "more importantly for us, selfishly, building relationships with his classmates."
Senda sees it all as part of his job as a leader of the class.
“When I reach out to prospects, I tell them my story, and why I committed here…,” he said. “I want to make sure they know everything that’s special about Northwestern. I want to influence guys to commit here, despite the record.”
Ah, the record. That’s the other thing. Not only did Northwestern go 3-9 last season, before Senda committed. The Wildcats followed that up with a 1-11 disaster this past season. All while Michigan won back-to-back Big Ten titles and posted a combined record of 25-2.
Senda says he never wavered or had any doubts about his decision, even after a few schools reached out to him during the season. You might be realizing by now that he is just about as purple as they come.
“I never had any second thoughts,” he said. “I go back to my roots. When I committed to Northwestern, I knew what the reasons were. They haven’t changed. Northwestern is the school for me.”
It’s easy to see why Senda is the center prospect for Northwestern. He’s got great size at 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, but he also has flexibility and quick feet, the reasons that 22 schools offered him a scholarship. He made everybody’s all-state first team this season while leading Divine Child to a 9-3 record, matching the school’s win total from the previous three years’ combined.
Now he hopes to help lead a similar turnaround in Evanston next season. Not surprisingly, Senda is one of the five early enrollees of this class. He’ll start classes at Northwestern in January, and take part in winter workouts and spring practice before the rest of his class arrives in June.
Senda thinks that his class is special, one that will be able to get things back on track quickly. It's the best class in Fitzgerald’s 17-year tenure, according to Rivals. The Wildcats’ 19-member class is currently ranked 39th in the nation.
Senda has a message for NU fans about this new group of Cats.
“We’re all hungry to win a Big Ten championship,” he said. “We all believe we’re going to come in and shock the world.”