Recruiting Update: 7/2

by Chris Johnson (@chrisdjohnsonn)

Another week, another new commitment for NU, who got its 11^th pledge of 2013 Friday night in Warren Long, a three-star running back from Union City, CA. The 5-11, 195-pound Long joins Xavier Menifield, who committed less than two weeks ago, as the second running back of the class. Long, a speedy, 5-11, 200-pound sparkplug, drew interest from Oregon, Stanford, UCLA and Fresno State. Echoing the confident mindset adopted by NU’s latest batch of true freshmen, Long believes the Wildcats can win a Big Ten championship during his four years at the school.

Michigan has established itself as the flagbearer for recruiting success in 2013, having assembled a class that to this point trumps its Big Ten competitors in both quality and quantity. Ohio State, Penn State and Illinois are putting together nice classes of their own, with each picking up two more commits in the past week. NU now ranks sixth among Big Ten teams with its 11 commits, trailing Michigan (22), Iowa (15), Illinois (15), Ohio State (14) and Penn State (14).

The 2013 class, as it stands today:

Matthew Alviti–four-star QB, Park Ridge (IL)

Sam Coverdale–three-star OT, Chagrin Falls (OH)

Brad North–three-star OG, Allen (TX)

Kyle Quiero–three-star WR/S, Oradell (NJ)

Blake King–three-star OG, Minooka (IL)

Eric Joraskie–three-star DT, Mount Carmel (PA)

Tyler Lancaster–two-star OG, Planfield (IL)

Hunter Niswander–K/P, Peninsula (OH)

Xavier Menifield–two-star RB, Chatsworth (CA)

Macan Wilson–two-star WR, Houston (TX)

By now, the storyline need not be rehashed every week: Fitzgerald and staff are recruiting well, perhaps better than ever before. Long becomes the seventh prospect of 2013 to rate as a three-star or higher, which—on paper, at least—points to NU bringing in quality, impactful talent. The recruiting momentum may subside as we approach the fall, but there’s no denying the great work being done on the 2013 recruiting trail thus far.