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Four-star DE Anto Saka never wavered on his commitment to Northwestern

At No. 179 nationally, Anto Saka is the highest-ranked signee in Northwestern's 2022 class.
At No. 179 nationally, Anto Saka is the highest-ranked signee in Northwestern's 2022 class. (@ant.saka)

MORE ON SIGNING DAY: Northwestern's 2022 signees l Breaking down the Class of 2022 l Himon brings championship pedigree to Northwestern l Evan Smith is ready to get to work


The Northwestern Anto Saka committed to in July and the Northwestern he signed with on Wednesday morning are very different.

Saka gave his verbal pledge after the 2020 Wildcats had just appeared in the Big Ten championship game and earned a final ranking of 10th in the AP poll. They seemed like a worthy destination for a four-star, Rivals250 prospect like Saka.

But the 2021 season was a free fall for NU, which went from first to worst in the Big Ten West and finished with a dismal 3-9 record. That's the program with which he signed his national letter of intent.

Despite the sudden and severe downturn in the team's fortunes, Saka says that he never had any second thoughts about his decision. It didn't bother him at all, even if he had offers from 34 other schools and turned down finalists Penn State and USC to pick Northwestern.

What's more, Saka said that people didn't start questioning him about why he wanted to be a Wildcat, either. Why not? Because, he said with a booming baritone laugh, people had been asking him that question all along.

"Everybody was asking me that since I first committed, and that's when they were coming off the Big Ten championship [game] and being ranked No. 10," said Saka. "People asked, 'How can you turn down illustrious Penn State and USC? California and white-out games. You're going to pass that up?'"

But for Saka, the decision to forego those two traditional power programs for Northwestern wasn't that difficult. Ask him what stands out about Northwestern and he details the three reasons that pointed him to Evanston.

"First of all, the school is amazing. It's one of the most beautiful campuses I've ever seen," he said. "It's a Top 10 academic school, and I pride myself on my education. I want a degree to mean something when my career is over. And last, it's Big Ten football. I've always been a Big Ten fan."

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Saka knows that those qualities about Northwestern won't change, no matter how they do on the field from year to year. They were also the things that were most important to him when he was evaluating schools.

That's why he isn't too concerned about Northwestern's record this past season. To him, it was just a blip. He has faith that head coach Pat Fitzgerald -- along with Saka's Class of 2022 -- will bring the Wildcats back.

"I know that Coach Fitz has done it in the past, and me and the rest of the guys in the class are going to come in and change that," he said. "They've been to two Big Ten championship games in the last four years. He's got a proven method. I chose the school for the school."

On the other end of this relationship, it's easy to see why Northwestern chose Saka.

A 6-foot-3, 240-pounder, Saka shows incredible get-off on the line of scrimmage on his highlight tape. He is a fast, explosive pass rusher who can blow by blockers on the outside, or blow through them on the inside. At some points, it looks like he is moving at a different speed than everyone else on film.

Those are coveted skills in today's college football. And while Northwestern has had a steady stream of impressive players at defensive end in recent years, they haven't really had a quick-twitch talent like Saka on the edge.

As Northwestern's signing day tweet said, "[Saka] is a BALLER."

"I will bring speed and intensity to Northwestern," said Saka. “I'm a pass rusher who can get to the quarterback, and I can also hunt down running backs in the open field."

Saka doubles as a track athlete at Loyola Blakefield. One of his events is the 100-meter dash, and he has a personal best of 11.1 seconds, an eye-opening number for a 240-pounder who dwarfs his competitors. But he isn't satisfied; he wants to get that number under 11 this spring.

Saka said that signing day represented a new beginning for his career, and his life.

"One chapter closes and another one opens," he said. "I'm excited to officially become a Wildcat. It's a first step."

And if Saka’s tape has proven anything, it’s that his first step is a killer.

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