MORE: Northwestern's Class of 2024 l Northwestern in Big Ten battle for Hudkins l Ohio QB Brendan Zurbrugg flips from Syracuse to Northwestern

Monday turned out to be a heck of a day for Northwestern football.

After flipping quarterback Brendan Zurbrugg earlier in the day, the Wildcats beat out Big Ten West rivals Minnesota and Purdue for the commitment of three-star 2024 safety Ty Hudkins.

It was especially sweet for a Northwestern program that lost to both the Gophers and Boilermakers on the field last fall.

Hudkins, a standout from Grand Rapids (Mich.) Forest Hills Central, chose the Wildcats over those two finali schools, as well as seven others. He announced his commitment on Twitter on Monday evening.

The timing of Hudkins' announcement was not a coincidence; it came just four days after he finished up his official visit to Northwestern on June 20-22. It was the first and, as it turned out, last official visit of his recruitment.

An athletic 6-foot, 183-pounder, Hudkins was a first-team all-state selection as both a safety and wide receiver for Forest Hills Central last season. He racked up 96 tackles, 10 pass breakups and two interceptions defensively as FHC went 13-1 and lost the Division 2 championship game last season.

A 3.3 GPA student, Northwestern's academics were a key part of Hudkins' decision process.

"The coaches are great guys. They keep in touch a lot and showed a lot of love on my unofficial back in April," Hudkins told WildcatReport just a few days before his official visit. "And the academics. It's not just a four-year program, it's a 40-year [program]."

That last sentence happens to be one of head coach Pat Fitzgerald's favorite recruiting pitches.

Hudkins, who has run a laser-timed 4.5 40-yard dash, received his offer from Northwestern safeties coach Matt MacPherson on May 13. He announced his top three of Northwestern, Minnesota and Purdue in a tweet on Saturday.

Hudkins is the 13th commitment in Northwestern's 2024 class, and its first safety. The Wildcats' class was ranked 50th in the nation before his verbal pledge.