Even in the era of NIL collectives, Northwestern continues to get their commitments the old fashioned way.

Northwestern head coach Braun proudly proclaimed on National Signing Day that the Wildcats' class came together on the strength of the advocacy from and connection to the program for each player, not NIL dollars.

"I think myself and our staff really pride ourselves on genuinely getting to know the young men that we're recruiting, being very transparent and honest," Braun said. "Something that I'll brag about is that we work to educate them in terms of what's on the horizon in college football.

"But in terms of our recruiting process, not a single one of these young men was induced to come to Northwestern through NIL dollars. There wasn't a single cent of NIL committed to these young men. They made this decision because Northwestern was the right fit for them to reach their full potential. They believe in the staff, they believe in the institution, they believe in the program."

Braun has been open about embracing NIL as a means of rewarding on-field production or accolades like an all-conference nod, but has maintained Northwestern's pragmatic approach on avoiding the high-risk bets on high school players. He continued, saying that while NU wasn't extending cash, almost all of the players coming in turned it down elsewhere.

"This doesn't get out into the media, but there were big-time programs across the country that tried to come in on these guys late," he said. "The fact that we got to Signing Day and kept all our commitments, I think is a testament to the character of the young men that we're signing, their families, and also a credit to the job that our staff did throughout the process."

Braun also confirmed that even in a post-House settlement world with a 105-player roster limit, Northwestern will not hand out 105 scholarships, as other programs might. The number has not been specified or settled on internally, but he confirmed that walkon opportunities will remain in place.

"Walkons are really important to us," he said.

MORE ON THE CLASS OF 2025: Breaking down the Class of 2025

Braun standing pat with 2025 class: In the Class of 2024, Northwestern made two additions in the second National Signing Day window bolster their group up to 17 players they signed in December.

But for 2025, with 20 players already signed, Braun said they're all set on high school players and have already started to evaluate the roster and the transfer portal for next season.

Braun called his 2025 class "a foundation to long-term success" and it marks a significant step towards rebuilding the depth of a roster that has been depleted by subpar offensive recruiting and the impact of the hazing scandal in the summer of 2023.

That scandal and fallout from the firing of previous head coach Pat Fitzgerald, directly led to players and commitments leaving the program that summer, and more indirectly had an effect on the the Class of 2024, which was ranked 81st in the country by Rivals, a very low mark for the program.

This Class of 2025 is made up of 20 players, the highest number of players since NU signed 20 in their Class of 2016. Nineteen of the 20 are three-stars, compared to just 10 of 17 the year before.

The class also ranks 52nd in the country, returning Northwestern almost all the way back to the 50th-place average in the five years under Fitzgerald before Braun took over as interim and then long-term head coach in 2023.

Braun downplayed the star rankings, of course, saying that he pays those distinctions no heed. But while this class is significantly better than his first class in terms of rankings, he still thinks Northwestern's ability to scout and recruit high school talent has plenty of room to grow.

"I do think we can continue to hone and improve our process and continue to be more and more excited about the classes that we're bringing in, but we'll never use those rankings as a litmus to as to grade how we went about it," Braun said.

"I'm very proud of the 2024 class that we put together, but that was under unique circumstances. I think, with a coaching staff that had a chance to go through a full cycle together, and finding my rhythm as a head coach...

"I think there's only room for us to, while acknowledging how proud we are of the '24 and '25 classes, but to be able to identify ways to continue to be better moving forward."

Braun choosing to focus on players who stay: Signing Day turned a bit bittersweet after the Wildcats lost two starters to the transfer portal on the same day. Safety Devin Turner and right guard Josh Thompson.

Braun didn't address them by name but said he's focused on continuing to work with the players who stay.

"I'm not going to put any energy into being concerned about those that leave," Braun said. "I'm going to put all my effort and energy into the young men that want to be here, that understand the value of being here.

"And you know, I can just tell you that the Carmine Bastones, the Najee Storys, the Josh Fussells, the Ore Adeyis, and Ore is coming off an injury, and they are just full tilt and bought into what we're doing," he said. "The Anto Sakas of the world...

"I can just go on and on and on. Our staff is going to put all our effort and energy into those guys and make sure that we put together a plan to put this team in a situation to have a really exciting and successful 2025 season."

Braun avoided too many specifics but said that thanks to support in the athletic department and the higher-ups at the university itself, the winter window will be open for Northwestern to add transfers in time to be available for spring ball, an academic hurdle that had hamstrung many of their previous efforts to recoup their losses to the portal each season, let alone make the portal a net positive.

"There's still a lot to work through, and still a lot of conversations that need to be had, but there's also been an awareness that this landscape is changing and we need to be willing to adapt," he said.

Braun's Illinois ties led to foundation of class: Northwestern brought in five signees from Illinois, their most in a class since the Class of 2018.

"It's absolutely critical," Braun said about starting in Northwestern's home state. "I think one of the things I was most excited about when I took the job here as defensive coordinator was that I've recruited the Chicagoland area in the state of Illinois for over a decade.

"I have a lot of really strong relationships in the Chicagoland area. We will always prioritize in-state recruits."

Braun highlighted his relationships with coaches at Lincoln-Way East, Lincoln-Way West and Glenbard West in the recruitments of defensive end Caden O'Rourke, linebacker Josh Veldman and offensive tackle Michael O'Connell, respectively.

Lincoln-Way East and Glenbard West are coached by hall of famers Rob Zvonar and Chad Hetlet, respectively. Both have multiple state titles and have become veritable pipelines to the Wildcat program.

There were three of Zvonar's Griffins on last year's team: AJ Henning, Sean McLaughlin and Jack Florentine; and two of Hetlet's: Greyson Metz and Will Halkyard.

Braun also highlighted Luke Lokanc, the coach at Lincoln-Way West, his former college teammate that led the Warriors to a quarterfinal this season and helped in the recruitment of Veldman.

"We're going to trust our evaluations, trust our opportunities to get in these schools and trust these high school coaches, especially in the state of Illinois," Braun said.

More to come from WildcatReport on the Class of 2025.