Northwestern landed the first commitment of its 2024 class on Sunday night when Patrick Schaller announced his commitment to the Wildcats.

A long, lanky, 6-foot-6 tight end from nearby Northbrook (Ill.) Glenbrook North, Schaller chose the Wildcats over offers from Boston College and Central Michigan.

Schaller first got tight ends coach Jeff Genyk's attention after a strong showing at a Northwestern camp last summer. Genyk and the coaching staff wanted to see some of his junior film before offering, so they kept in touch.

The Wildcat staff saw enough of what they wanted to see on Schaller's fall film. So when Schaller showed up in Evanston for a visit for the Wisconsin game on Oct. 8, head coach Pat Fitzgerald offered him a scholarship.

A little over a month later, Schaller decided to pull the trigger and become a Wildcat rather than to see what other offers might come his way.

"Northwestern is a Top 10 school academically along with just having a beautiful campus, amazing facilities and it's like 20 minutes from my house," Schaller told EdgyTim.com last month.

Schaller, who is also a standout basketball player for the Spartans, visited Central Michigan and Notre Dame in September, and Wisconsin in October. He also received recruiting interest several other Power Five programs, such as Indiana, Nebraska, Purdue and Utah.

Northwestern currently has six scholarship tight ends on its roster. Fifth-year graduate Charlie Mangieri; juniors Thomas Gordan, Marshall Lang and Hunter Welcing; sophomore Lawson Albright; and first-year Chris Petrucci.