Vandy DT commit Butler one of four NU official visitors this weekend
It's December, which means it's the holiday season in Evanston. It's also the official visit season for Northwestern.
The Wildcats will welcome four official visitors this weekend: three commitments and, the main focus for recruiting watchers, three-star defensive tackle Jordan Butler.
Butler is an intriguing prospect not only because he's an explosive 6-foot-4, 300-pounder who drew offers from Notre Dame, Oregon and USC during his recruiting process. It's also because he happens to be a Vanderbilt commitment. He's one of three commits of other schools that the Wildcats have offered in recent weeks.
The Las Vegas, Nev., native and Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy product committed to the Commodores last June. However, when the Wildcats reached out to him in November, he said that he was interested in exploring the program. An offer followed on Nov. 21 and an official visit this weekend was arranged.
Why the interest? As Butler told WildcatReport last week, "Coach (Pat) Fitzgerald has had a lot of success and it’s a prestigious university."
The Wildcats have one defensive tackle in this class, three-star Ohioan Terah Edwards. They see Butler as a partner for Edwards to strengthen the interior D-line.
Butler says that he will choose between finalists Northwestern and Vanderbilt and make his decision soon. He plans to sign later this month and then enroll in January at whichever school he chooses.
Butler had 41 tackles, including 11 TFL and 5 sacks, for IMG last season.
Accompanying Butler will be three members of the Wildcats' Class of 2020, which is currently ranked 43rd in the nation by Rivals:
- DE Jaiden Cameron of Clayton (Ohio) Northmont: The three-star prospect committed to the Wildcats in July and missed most of the 2019 season after suffering a knee injury in Week 4.
- SB Marshall Lang of Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier: The three-star earned his offer at a one-day NU camp in June and committed to Fitzgerald later the same day. Lang had 73 catches for 820 yards and 8 TDs for the Bombers this season.
- CB Nigel Williams of Richmond (Va.) Collegiate, the same school that produced NU basketball freshman Robbie Beran. Williams was the last player to join NU's class, in October. He plays both quarterback and cornerback at Collegiate but will be a defensive back for the Wildcats.