Skowronek picks the Cats
It's not too often that Northwestern lands a commitment who pulls out a hat at a news conference -- especially in June. But that's exactly what happened today.
The Wildcats landed one of the top wide receivers in the Midwest when Ben Skowronek committed to their Class of 2016. The 6-foot-4, three-star wideout from Ft. Wayne (Ind.) Homestead announced his decision at the AWP R.A.S. Camp in Ft. Wayne.
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Skowronek chose the Wildcats over finalists Indiana, Iowa and Purdue.
Skowronek had seemed like a Northwestern lean for quite some time and WildcatReport had been predicting his commitment to the Wildcats for weeks. He visited Evanston three times and seemed like a perfect fit for the school's combination of elite academics and Big Ten football.
On top of that, he also had a strong family tie: Skowronek's cousin, T.J. Green, is walking on as a quarterback at Northwestern next fall, and his family said that they would like nothing more to see their two relatives play together in purple.
"It's pretty exciting," said Skowronek in April about the prospect of playing with Green. "It's something we dreamed about since we were little kids."
Beyond that, Skowronek valued Northwestern's degree, the connections that can be built in the Chicago area and head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
"Pat Fitzgerald is a great coach and a great man," he told WildcatReport. "He wants to develop me as a football player, and as a father who will provide for my family when I get older."
Skowronek is the sixth member of the Wildcats' Class of 2016 and its first wide receiver. Northwestern now has five three-stars and one four-star in a group that is currently ranked 50th in the nation by Rivals.
Skowronek caught 42 passes for 841 yards and 17 touchdowns for Homestead last season.
Blessed to say I have committed to Northwestern University #NUSquad16 #B1GCats pic.twitter.com/1StOCAku4Z- Ben Skowronek (@BSkowronek10) June 7, 2015