Northwestern LB commit Mac Uihlein is the No. 1 player in Illinois

For the first time in the Pat Fitzgerald Era -- and the first time in Rivals state rankings history -- Northwestern has the No. 1 player in Illinois.

Four-star linebacker Mac Uihlein of Lake Forest is the state's top-ranked player in the state 2021 rankings just released by Rivals.

He replaces the former No. 1, Michigan quarterback commit J.J. McCarthy, who is playing at IMG Academy this year and is now the No. 7 player in Florida.

Uihlein, a 6-foot-3, 205-pounder, committed to the Wildcats in April. He chose NU over offers from Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin, among others. He is also ranked as the No. 171 overall player and No. 12 linebacker in the nation.

This is the first time Northwestern has gotten a commitment from the top player in Illinois according to the Rivals state ranking database, which goes back 16 classes to 2006. The Wildcats' previous highest-ranked player during that span was defensive end Devin O'Rourke, the No. 3 player in the 2018 class.

You might be wondering about former Wildcat wide receiver Kyle Prater, who was the No. 1 player in Illinois and No. 3 player in the entire country in 2010. But Prater committed to USC out of high school, only to transfer to Northwestern after two years in Los Angeles, so he doesn't count as a Northwestern commit.

Fitzgerald likes to say that Northwestern recruiting begins and ends in Illinois, but that really hasn't been the case this year. The Wildcats offered seven of the Top 35 players and landed just two: Uihlein and No. 33, interior OL Jackson Carsello.

Seven of the 35 prospects on the list remain uncommitted at this time, but Northwestern hasn't offered any of them.

Minnesota has pulled in more Illinois commitments than any other program this year. Head coach P.J. Fleck, an Illinois native and former Northern Illinois wide receiver, has five Land of Lincoln recruits. Iowa is next with three, while Boston College, Louisville, Northwestern and Notre Dame have two apiece.

Illinois, the other Power Five program in the state, is one of 12 schools to land just one of the Top 35.

Here's a look at the seven prospects the Wildcats offered, and where they ended up.