Commitment Impact: LB Cullen Coleman

Northwestern got some much needed good news on the recruiting front when three-star outside linebacker Cullen Coleman committed on Saturday afternoon.

After missing out on several high-profile targets over the last couple weeks, the Wildcats landed Coleman, a two-way star from Rye (N.Y.) Country Day School who had a star-studded, 28-school offer list that included Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State.

He chose Northwestern over Cal, Purdue, Stanford and Virginia, the other four finalists in the Top 5 he announced earlier this week.

Coleman took an official visit to Northwestern on June 19-21. That was one of three officials Coleman took that week, as he arrived in Evanston after visiting Purdue, and then went straight from NU to Virginia. He took an official to Cal on May 31 and visited Stanford unofficially earlier in the spring.

Coleman is the 15th member of Northwestern's 2020 class, which is currently ranked 30th in the nation by Rivals. He is the second linebacker of the group, joining Xander Mueller. He is rated as the No. 4 prospect in New York and the No. 55 outside linebacker in the nation.

WildcatReport looks at what the addition of Coleman means to Northwestern.

The Wildcats needed a recruiting win: It's been a rough couple weeks for Northwestern recruiting, as they lost five consecutive targets to Big Ten heavyweights Michigan and Ohio State.

Offensive lineman Jeffrey Persi, athlete AJ Henning, linebacker Kalel Mullings and defensive end Kris Jenkins Jr. all committed to Michigan over Northwestern (and others) between June 25 and July 3. All were four-star prospects, except for three-star Jenkins, and all had visited NU either officially or unofficially this spring.

Then, on Independence Day, four-star athlete Cameron Martinez, who had visited Northwestern five times in all, including an official in May, announced his commitment to Ohio State, with Northwestern again as the runner-up.

Getting Coleman eases the sting from losing those high-stakes battles.

Coleman has a four-star offer list: Rivals ranks Coleman as a three-star prospect, but his offer list suggests that he may be underrated.

It's not too often that Northwestern lands players with offers like Coleman's. He may not have been a top-priority target for all of those programs, but it's a feather in the program's cap whenever they can beat out Alabama for a commitment.

What's more, it's an added bonus to get some payback against recruiting nemeses like Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Stanford.

He's a rare athlete: Big, fast and athletic, one source told us that Coleman is "built different than anyone we have" and has a tremendous upside. He was regarded by the program as every bit the prospect that the higher-rated Mullings is.

A 6-foot-3, 220-pounder, Coleman plays both linebacker and running back at Rye Country Day, and even had some offers as a running back. He may be a little raw -- he was a man among boys in the New York private school league that Country Day plays in -- but there's no denying Coleman's high ceiling as a player. He has the size to play against the run and the speed to play in space and cover receivers. He could also be a matchup challenge blitzing off the edge.

He fills out the linebacker position: Just a couple years ago, linebacker was one of the thinnest position groups on the team after a rash of injuries. Not anymore.

Coleman is the seventh linebacker the Wildcats have added in the last three classes. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald has built a deep, athletic and young stable of LBs -- there's not a single senior in the room this year -- that, as a whole, is probably the fastest one he's had.

Here is a look at the position by class. One note: Chee Anyanwu, an outside linebacker who would have been a sophomore this season, is no longer on the roster.