With the commitment of four-star, Rivals250 defensive end Anto Saka on Saturday afternoon, Pat Fitzgerald landed the 16th four-star recruit of his tenure in Evanston.

The head man notoriously hates recruiting rankings, but we're still going to take a look back and see how the four-star Wildcats with the most hype before coming to Evanston have fared in purple.

Justin Jackson, Class of 2014

Jackson is unquestionably on the Wildcat football "Mount Rushmore." He finished his career with 5,440 yards on the ground — the 11th-most in the history of college football when his career came to an end — on 1,142 carries, and he found the end zone 42 times. He also threw for a touchdown in his career for good measure.

Northwestern's offense was completely centered around Jackson for four years. He was the definition of a workhorse and never let the Cats down. Consistency is really what defined his game; Jackson always found a way to get positive yards and keep the offense moving. The entire stadium knew he was getting the ball most plays, and he still dominated. "The Ballcarrier" left Northwestern better than he found it, and the program would not be where it is today without the efforts of one of the greatest Wildcats ever.

Jackson is one of seven players in Big Ten history to top 5,000 career rushing yards, and he and Wisconsin Heisman winner Ron Dayne are the only Big Ten players to run for 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons. JJ holds program records in five categories: carries, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, yards from scrimmage and total touchdowns from scrimmage.

Peter Skoronski*, Class of 2020

Skoronski is only one year into his career, but there’s no doubt that he is well on his way to being a superstar.

As a true freshman in 2020, with little to no offseason thanks to COVID-19, Skoronski was named second-team All-Big Ten while playing the most demanding position on the offensive line, left tackle. He came in with high expectations and managed to exceed them by starting every game and being named a Freshman All-America.

Despite the fact that he may ultimately play inside at the next level, Skoronski has shown the strength and athleticism to be a dominant force as a college lineman. The sky is the limit for the Rising sophomore from Park Ridge (Ill.) Maine South.

* Projected

Clayton Thorson, Class of 2014

Clayton Thorson started a Big Ten record 53 straight games, even though he suffered a torn ACL during his career. He completed 58.4% of his passes for 10,731 yards and 61 touchdowns. He ran for 408 yards and an additional 27 touchdowns. He also had one catch for 24 yards on a trick play.

Thorson was a winner, plain and simple. Even if the game wasn't going his way, he stepped up and made plays when his team needed it the most. Take the 2018 Nebraska game for example. He had thrown two interceptions and NU looked like they were left for dead, trailing by 10 points with less than five minutes left. But when he got the ball on his own one-yard line with two minutes left and no timeouts, he marched the Cats right down the field to tie the game, and they eventually won it in overtime, 34-31. That drive changed the tone of Northwestern's season and helped cement Thorson's status as a Wildcat legend.

Thorson won three bowl games as Northwestern's quarterback, the same number as every other quarterback in program history. He also got the program to the Big Ten Championship Game for the first time in school history. The local product holds program records in starts, wins, completions, attempts, passing yards and passing touchdowns.

Garrett Dickerson, Class of 2014

Dickerson was recruited by several top programs to play defensive line, but he came to Northwestern for the chance to play superback (read: tight end). He played as a true freshman as an in-line tight.

A strong blocker, Dickerson never seemed to fully get a chance to showcase his abilities as a receiver. He split time with Dan Vitale in his first two years, then, during his junior year, Austin Carr had one of the best years a Northwestern wide receiver has ever had. In his senior year, he split time with Cameron Green.

Still, he finished his career with 88 catches for 896 yards and nine touchdowns and was a productive red-zone producer.

Ifeadi Odenigbo, Class of 2012

An Ohio native, Odenigbo could always get to the quarterback. He had 5.5 sacks in his freshman season. But it took him until his senior year to really round out his game so that he could also anchor the edge against the run.

In his senior year, 2016, his production took a leap as Odenigbo was finally on the field for every down. He set career highs that season in tackles and tackles for loss, and he finished tied for second in the Big Ten with 10 sacks. He was named first-team All-Big Ten by the coaches in 2016.

Four of Odenigbo’s sacks came in Kinnick Stadium during the Wildcats' win over Iowa that season. For his career, his 23.5 sacks are the third-most in program history.

Patrick Ward, Class of 2009

Ward was the first four-star prospect that Fitzgerald signed. He was a solid contributor right out of the gate and became the bell cow of the offensive line during his four years in Evanston.

Ward played in 12 games as a true freshman. He then started the next 39 straight games, showing off his versatility by starting at both tackle spots (26 on the right side, then 13 on the left).

As a senior in 2012, he was named honorable mention All-Big Ten.

Matt Alviti, Class of 2013

Alviti dealt with injuries throughout his career, but timing is really what did him in.

Only one quarterback sees the field; it's not like other positions, where guys can rotate in and out. If you aren't the starter, you don't play. Alviti had the misfortune of being a quarterback recruited one class before the most successful quarterback in school history (Thorson).

Alviti rarely played behind the ironman Thorson, but he did score a rushing TD during NU's upset win over Notre Dame in 2014 and also closed out the 2017 Music City Bowl win. He completed 15 of 30 passes for 169 yards and one score while running for 144 yards and a pair of scores during his Wildcat career.

Roderick Campbell Jr., Class of 2016

Campbell, a prospect who famously turned down Notre Dame to play for Northwestern, just could not stay healthy. He only played in eight games over three seasons at Northwestern, racking up 12 tackles.

Campbell played as a true freshman but then missed the entire 2017 season with a shoulder injury, and he never fully recovered.

After getting his degree from NU, Campbell transferred to Southern Illinois, where he played in nine games and totaled 14 tackles and an interception.

Devin O'Rourke, Class of 2018

O'Rourke still has a chance to change his fortunes and end up in a different spot on this list, but so far he has been hampered by injuries and has seen limited playing time.

He played in three games while redshirting as a freshman in 2018, but was limited to two games because of injury the next season. Last year, he played in all 12 games in a reserve role.

O'Rourke has produced very little statistically, with four career tackles and no sacks through two-plus seasons.

Greg Kuhar, Class of 2012

Kuhar tore his ACL before he arrived in Evanston and then suffered another one early in his career as a Wildcat. As a result, he never lived up to his expectations coming out of Ohio powerhouse Cleveland St. Edward.

Kuhar only played in 26 games over four seasons, recording 55 tackles and two TFL.

Parrker Westphal

Another player who couldn’t stay healthy, Westphal played in 15 games over two seasons before he was forced to retire for medical reasons.

He was primarily a special teams player in the two years he saw action and made 10 career tackles.

Almost one-third (five of 16) of Fitzgerald’s four-star recruits have come in the last two classes. They have yet to play a down for the Wildcats but expectations are high that they will one day soon become studs.

Reggie Fleurima, Class of 2022

Fleurima is a local product who has taken on the role of recruiter since becoming the Cats first commit for the class of 2022. He is a talented receiver who will add explosiveness to an NU offense that desperately needs it.

Anto Saka, Class of 2022

Saka is the newest Wildcat, but one fans and opposing quarterbacks will be very familiar with quickly. He possesses a rare combination of size and speed that will make him a nightmare for opposing offenses.

Caleb Tiernan, Class of 2021

Tiernan chose Northwestern over an impressive list of other suitors, including home-state Michigan. He has ideal size to play tackle, but probably needs to add some weight before seeing consistent playing time.

Anthony Tyus III, Class of 2021

Tyus is a powerful runner who dominated opponents his senior year of high school. He enrolled early at Northwestern and went through spring practice. He is expected to be a part of the Wildcats' offense as a true freshman in 2021.

Mac Uihlein, Class of 2021

Uihlein was the top-ranked player in the state of Illinois for the class of 2021. He was also an early enrollee at Northwestern this spring and has a chance to get on the field early in his Wildcat career.