Three-star Texas LB Justin Cryer is a Wildcat
NORTHWESTERN’S NEW COMMITS: DT Tyler Gant l OL Jordan Knox l DT Dylan Roberts l DE Michael Kilbane l OL Alex Doost l CB Cole Shivers l CB Joshua Fussell
Northwestern has landed yet another commitment from an official visitor. This time it is three-star linebacker Justin Cryer.
The Texas native is the seventh official visitor to publicly announce his commitment to Northwestern. There were 13 uncommitted prospects who visited Northwestern officially last weekend, so the Wildcats have now landed more than half of them.
And more could be on the way. Cryer visited Northwestern with his cousin, four-star defensive end Ashton Porter, and the two of them have talked about playing together in college.
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Cryer is the second linebacker in the class, joining Nigel Glover, and the eighth defensive player. The red-hot Wildcats have now landed a total of eight commitments in the last seven days.
The Cats' 14-member Class of 2023 was ranked ninth in the country prior to Cryer's commitment.
Northwestern's coaches view Cryer as someone who can take over the MIKE role in the middle of the defense, and be one of the leaders of the unit. Coaches compare him to another Texan who played middle linebacker for the Cats: four-year starter Paddy Fisher.
Last season, Cryer had 103 tackles, 19 TFL and 5 sacks for Pattison Royal High School, located on the outskirts of Houston.
Cryer’s official visit to Evanston is what sealed the deal. He told WildcatReport that he wasn't sure if he'd need any additional visits after seeing Northwestern. It turns out that he didn’t.
"As of right now, Northwestern's No. 1, definitely," he said after the visit. "I don't know if I'm going to see anything better. Just the system, the family, the community, Evanston, is all just next level."
Cryer never publicly announced finalists, and he didn't visit anywhere besides Northwestern. In addition to NU, he held Power Five offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Florida State and Georgia Tech.
Cryer is the first Texan to announce his commitment to Northwestern, but Porter, running back Parker Jenkins and tight end Chico Holt are among NU's top remaining targets.