Every school says recruiting starts at home, but for Northwestern in Illinois, that's truly the case. Chicagoland is becoming one of the richest recruiting hotbeds in the country and the Wildcats are looking to capitalize.
However, after a difficult past year with the firing of longtime head coach Pat Fitzgerald and the turnover of all but one assistant coach in the last two years, the Wildcats have struggled to land top in-state targets in the Class of 2025. Illinois high school coaches told us that head coach David Braun has made impressive inroads in the state, but that hasn't translated to much success with Land of Lincoln recruits in this cycle.
The Wildcats landed three-star defensive end Caden O'Rourke, a Northwestern legacy and the 18th-best player in the state, but otherwise struck out on their three other offers to players in the state's Top 20.
In all there are nine offers out to in-state players; the Wildcats have landed three, missed on four and two are undecided. We broke down how Northwestern fared, or is faring, in the recruitment of each player.
MORE ON ILLINOIS RECRUITING: Braun and staff making a strong early impression on IHSA coaches
