Two new Northwestern signees fill a glaring need on the O-line
The two prospects Northwestern added to its Class of 2024 on National Signing Day won’t knock anyone’s socks off. One is a former Yale commit, and the other had one other Power Four offer.
But say this about them: they both addressed a glaring need. Both of the prospects are offensive linemen, and the Wildcats need them as much as they need a home field for next season.
And they both offer potential as the type of developmental prospects that Northwestern has built its reputation as a program that has discovered quite a few diamonds in the rough over the years.
After losing four offensive linemen prematurely since the end of the 2023 season, the Wildcats signed three-star guard Ezomo Oratokhai and two-star tackle Dennis Rahouski on Wednesday’s “second” signing day.
In addition to those two scholarship prospects, they also added preferred walkon tackle Jace Borcherding, who the staff plans to move to center, to help build depth in a suddenly depleted room. Add December signee Idrys Cotton to the mix and Northwestern has at least replaced the number of players they lost.
Of course, replacing their skill and experience is a different story.
Northwestern lost two starters, one valuable depth player and a promising freshman since December. That’s significant for a line that was often a weak link for the Wildcats and allowed 51 sacks, by far the most in the Big Ten and fourth-most in the nation. Some defections were also expected after head coach David Braun decided to part ways with popular offensive line coach Kurt Anderson.
Guard Josh Priebe was the most experienced lineman on the roster with 28 starts, and arguably its best. He entered the transfer portal right after the season finale against Illinois and, in a sign of his value, was quickly snapped up by Michigan, the national champions and his home-state school.
The other starting guard, Dom D’Antonio, also elected to bypass his final year of eligibility. But his reason was one you don’t see every day: he took a job as the offensive line coach for the Lazio Marines in the Italian Football League. Buona fortuna!
Reserve tackle Zachary Franks, who started the 2023 season before being replaced by Josh Thompson halfway into the Week 2 matchup with UTEP, joined Priebe in the transfer portal after the Las Vegas Bowl. A coveted recruit out of high school, Franks played in 24 games but made just two starts in his career.
Finally, true freshman Alex Doost decided to transfer back home to Arizona. Doost was an unknown but at least looked the part with prototypical tackle size at 6-foot-7 and 295 pounds.
Neither Oratokhai nor Rahouski project to make an immediate impact, so Northwestern will no doubt try to add more offensive linemen in the portal this spring. But both could make an impact at some point down the road.
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MORE ON THE NEW CATS:
Weekend official visitor Ezomo Oratokhai commits to Northwestern l Northwestern flips 2024 OT Dennis Rahouski from Yale l Connection to OC Zach Lujan brought Dennis Rahouski to Northwestern
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The portal has proven exceptionally difficult for anyone, let alone a school with Northwestern's restrictions, to count on multiple, if any, incoming linemen that can make an immediate impact. It's better to get developmental players in the building long-term than try to wring one-year players out of an increasingly scarce market.
Rahouski was a former Yale commit. Northwestern was not only his only Power Four offer; it was his only FBS offer, period – though he did tell WildcatReport that Minnesota and Army showed interest.
But one reason to be optimistic is that new offensive coordinator Zach Lujan recruited Rahouski heavily when he was at South Dakota State and lost out to Yale's academics. He obviously saw enough to offer the big Minnesotan a scholarship once he got the job at Northwestern as a sleeper prospect. Rahouski has a good frame at 6-foot-6, though, at 260 pounds, he’ll need to spend some time at the training table and the weight room.
Oratokhai had an offer from Houston out of the Big 12, as well as Northwestern, in terms of Power Four programs. What’s intriguing about him is that he played for Texas 6A powerhouse Austin Lake Travis. He was the starting left tackle for a Cavaliers team that won three playoff games and finished 11-3 in the state’s highest division. He’ll play inside at the next level, but he has the athleticism and strength to make the transition.
Cotton, who committed to Northwestern way back in May and signed in May, stuck with the Wildcats through the firing of head coach Pat Fitzgerald in July and departure of Anderson in December. He had four other Power Four offers and is the type of mauler who should make an impact on the interior.
The signing of Oratokhai and Rahouski won’t make much of an impact to Northwestern’s Rivals ranking. The Wildcats’ 17-member class was ranked 77th in the nation on Wednesday morning. It’s the program’s lowest-ranked class since 2011, and the third-lowest since Rivals started national rankings in 2002.
The group is also ranked last in the Big Ten. In case you were wondering, that ranking is not just due to the size of the class, a factor that usually weighs down Northwestern’s classes in a system that dings classes for having fewer than 20 members. This year, the Wildcats’ 2.59 average star rating is also lowest in the league.
But given where the class stood over the summer, after seven players decommitted due to Fitzgerald’s firing, it’s certainly better than expected. Add in the fact that this is head coach David Braun’s first class, and he didn’t even have the permanent job until November, it’s impressive in many ways.
And if Oratokhai or Rahouski develop into starters one day, no one will care about where they, or this class, ranked.