Northwestern continued to bolster its interior defensive line on Sunday when former Indiana State defensive tackle Henrik Barndt committed to the Wildcats as a grad transfer.
Barndt is eligible to play this season for the Wildcats and has one year of eligibility remaining. He took his official visit to Northwestern this weekend.
He is the second defensive tackle the Wildcats have landed since the end of the season, joining Taishan Holmes of UMass, who committed last week.
A 6-foot-5, 285-pounder, Barndt made 17 total tackles for the Sycamores in 2021, with five tackles for loss and two sacks. Northwestern coaches got a close look at Barndt last Sept. 11, when he made two tackles in the Wildcats' 24-6 win over the Sycamores.
Barndt redshirted his true freshman season at Indiana State in 2017. He played in five games in 2018 and then had his best season statistically in 2019, when, as a junior, he set career-highs in games (12), tackles (32), TFL (6.5) and sacks (4.5).
The addition of Barndt figures to help a Northwestern defense that struggled stopping the run in 2021. The Wildcats finished last in the Big Ten and 119th in the country in rushing defense, allowing 214.3 yards per game.
Northwestern also lost four members of its defensive tackle rotation: Trevor Kent, Jeremy Meiser and Joe Spivak, who all started games for the Wildcats in 2021, are graduating, while sophomore Te-Rah Edwards transferred to Illinois.
