Offensive lineman Julius Tate commits to Northwestern

Northwestern is in good shape with its 2024 offensive line.

Guard Julius Tate committed to the Wildcats on Tuesday to become the fourth offensive lineman in the Wildcats' seven-member class, and the fourth blocker to commit within the last nine days.

The 6-foot-3, 310-pound unranked prospect said that offensive line coach Kurt Anderson, the people and the education made Northwestern an easy pick for him.

"Coach Anderson is a great coach and extremely similar to my offensive line coach," said Tate, who visited NU in April for a spring practice. "The view at Northwestern University is beautiful, the people I met up there are amazing and helpful, and a degree from Northwestern University is hard to beat. I felt comfortable around the players and staff as a whole."

Comfortable enough that Tate committed before his scheduled official visit to Northwestern on June 2-4. He was so certain that the program was the right fit for him that he decided to pull the trigger before his return trip to Evanston.

Tate, a 6-foot-3, 310-pounder, chose Northwestern over 18 other offers. Northwestern, however, was his lone offer from a Power Five program.

Anderson has gotten his work done early with his 2024 class. Tate joins offensive linemen Idrys Cotton, Payton Stewart and Gabe VanSickle, all three-star prospects who pledged to the program since May 14.

Tate has the frame and strength to play on the interior at the next level. Stewart and VanSickle project as tackles, while Cotton is a "swing" who could play either inside or outside for the Wildcats.

Tate also has a connection with incoming Northwestern freshman offensive lineman Jordan Knox, who helped him in the recruiting process. The two grew up in the same area of South Carolina and trained together at Trainbuilt Performance, an offensive line training program run by Tate's uncle.

Northwestern's 2024 class, which now has seven members, was ranked 39th in the nation by Rivals before Tate's commitment.