RB Caleb Komolafe signs with Northwestern after all

After committing to Northwestern, then getting denied by admissions and decommitting in the span of six days earlier this month, Caleb Komolafe is a Wildcat again.

And this time, it’s for good.

The two-star running back from Katy (Tex.) Tompkins signed his national letter of intent on Wednesday to officially become a member of Northwestern’s Class of 2023.

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MORE: Northwestern's Class of 2023 l Cats land verbal from Texas RB Caleb Komolafe l The story behind Caleb Komolafe's decommitment

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Komolafe rode a rollercoaster of emotions this month as his status with the program vacillated from on to off to back on again.

A former Memphis commit, Komolafe received his offer from Northwestern in November and took his official visit on Dec. 2-4. He committed to head coach Pat Fitzgerald that weekend and announced his commitment with a tweet on Dec. 8.

At that point, Komolafe couldn’t have been more thrilled with how things worked out.

"I was just really happy being there and that ability to see myself a place like that amazed me," he told WildcatReport.

But just six days later, on Dec. 14, Komolafe was forced to decommit because the admissions office refused to admit him. Despite what he said was a 3.35 GPA and 1100 SAT score, a subpar class rank did him in.

Now he would have to scramble to find a landing place just a week before the early signing period, or wait until February to sign with a school.

An in-home visit from running backs coach Lou Ayeni just a few days later gave Komolafe hope. The admissions office reviewed his file again and, with certain conditions in place, accepted him into school, opening the door to Wednesday’s signing.

It’s doubtful that any signee anywhere in the country was more relieved than Komolafe.

A 6-foot, 190-pounder, Komolafe is listed as a safety by Rivals and committed to Memphis in October at that position. But Northwestern saw him as a running back all along, and that's where he wants to play at the next level.

Komolafe is the only running back in the Wildcats’ class as the program tries to replace leading rusher Evan Hull and third-down specialist Andrew Clair.

Komolafe ran for 895 yards and a team-high 15 touchdowns for Tompkins last season, according to MaxPreps.com, averaging 9.6 yards per carry. He also returned kicks and played safety.

Komolafe is the 19th member of the Wildcats class, which got a bump from 42nd to 37th in the nation after he signed.