Northwestern picked up its 11th commitment for the class of 2014 yesterday from three-star DT Fred Wyatt. Wyatt joins a class that is ranked in the top 15 in the country by many recruiting services, leaving just four empty spots left in this class. There are a number of players who could potentially snatch up those spots, and we'll run through them here. As always, stay updated with our 2014 recruiting board.
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Ladarius Wiley
School: Los Angeles, Cathedral (CA)
Position: CB
Stars: 3
Other offers: California, Cal Poly, Fresno State
Profiles: Scout, Rivals, ESPN
What to know: Wiley has had Northwestern listed as the top team on his list for awhile now. He and his mom are both very high on NU, in part because of the location, which actually gives the Wildcats a leg up on his home-state California schools. Wiley has yet to visit Evanston, but will do so in late June or early July this year, and there's definitely the possibility that he could commit on that trip.
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Parrker Westphal
School: Bolingbrook (IL)
Position: CB
Stars: 4
Other offers: Cincinnati, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Purdue, West Virginia
Profiles: Scout, Rivals, ESPN
What to know: Westphal has long been considered a tough get because of how strong his other offers are. However, he considers NU one of his favorite schools. He considers the Wildcats "on the rise," and since going to a winning program is his top priority, the Wildcats' recent football surge has clearly been important. NU also may have gotten some help from Michigan recently, as top cornerback recruit Jabrill Peppers committed to the Wolverines, possibly making them less attractive to Westphal. It will still be tough for NU to lure Westphal away from so many other top offers, but tis' definitely possible. He plans to commit before his senior season, so stay tuned this summer.
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Noah Westerfield
School: Wakeland (TX)
Position: DE
Stars: 3
Other offers: Boise State, Duke, Fresno State, Navy, New Mexico, SMU
Profiles: Scout, Rivals, ESPN
What to know: Westerfield is an interesting offer in that he initially reached out to NU. He currently has the Wildcats in his top two along with SMU, and with Boise State close behind. He's being recruited as a defensive end by Pat Fitzgerald and his staff, and since he wants to play outside linebacker, that could have been a problem. However, he talked it over with the NU coaches, and since he'd still be able to rush the passer, he'd be okay with playing defensive end. Westerfield plans to visit NU around July 1, so not much is likely to change until then.
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Brandon Lee
School: Lawrence Central (IN)
Position: OLB
Stars: 4
Other offers: Ball State, Cal, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, Missouri, NC State, Purdue
Profiles: Scout, Rivals, ESPN
What to know: Northwestern has some solid competition of Lee, but he seems to like the Wildcats and has been up to Evanston to visit. However, he doesn't plan to commit anywhere until after his senior season, according to Scout (insider only), and NU's class could very well be filled up by then.
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Jimmy Swain
School: Lee's Summit (MO)
Position: OLB
Stars: 3/4
Other offers: Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas State, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska
Profiles: Scout, Rivals, ESPN
What to know: Lee and Swain have similar situations. Both have very good offers, but have visited NU and shown the Wildcats serious consideration. There's potential that one of them could take NU's final outside linebacker spot. However, don't expect a decision soon.
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Garrett Dickerson
School: Bergen Catholic (NJ)
Position: DE/TE
Stars: 4
Other offers: Alabama, Arizona, Boston College, UConn, Florida State, Maryland, Michigan, NC State, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Carolina, Stanford, Syracuse, Tennessee, Toledo, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin
Profiles: Scout, Rivals, ESPN
What to know: Dickerson would classify as a "tough get," but it isn't out of the realm of possibility that he would come to Evanston. He has the Wildcats in his top five, along with Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Stanford. However, NU has a few "ins" with Dickerson. His brother, Cameron, is currently a wide receiver on the team, while his Bergen Catholic High School teammates Kyle and Cameron Queiro are members for the Wildcats' classes of 2013 and 2014, respectively. Don't expect a commitment soon, but there's the possibility — albeit fairly slim — that Dickerson could be one of NU's final commitments to put a cherry on top of an outstanding recruiting season.
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Antonio Woods
School: Summit Country Day (OH)
Position: ATH
Stars: 3
Other offers: Akron, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Indiana, Kent State, Miami (OH), Toledo, West Virginia
Profiles: Scout, Rivals, ESPN
What to know: Woods has NU in his top five, according to Rivals (insider only), and has already visited campus. The Wildcats are already loaded with skill position players in this class, but there's still the chance they could get more. However, Woods doesn't just have to pick a school, he also has to pick a sport, since he has some mid-major basketball offers.
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Tori Millender
School: Belleville West (IL)
Position: MLB
Stars: 2
Other offers: Purdue offer, other Big Ten interest
Profiles: Scout, Rivals, ESPN
What to know: Millender doesn't have an offer yet, but there's a chance he could earn one at NU's camp in June. The Wildcats have one spot reserved for an outside linebacker in this class, and NU's coaches are "holding" it for Millender, so he'll have a chance to earn that spot on his camp visit. Considering how fast spots are filling up, he understands that he would have to commit pretty quickly if offered. Keep an eye on him this month.
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Derek Kief
School: La Salle (OH)
Position: WR
Stars: 3/4
Other offers: Alabama, Boston College, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Kent State, Kentucky, Maryland, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Toledo, Vanderbilt
Profiles: Scout, Rivals, ESPN
What to know: Kief is another "tough get," but he recently announced that NU is in his top five, along with Ohio State, Alabama, Notre Dame and Kentucky — oh, and he announced it in the most unique way possible. NU made Kief's original top five, but he decided to drop that group and reevaluate once he started getting more offers. Now that the Wildcats have made the second round, they have steep competition, but they've been there as long as anyone else. Don't expect a decision soon, and considering how loaded NU already is at the offensive skill positions in this class, this would be another "cherry on top" pickup, not a necessity.
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Grant Blankenship
School: The Colony (TX)
Position: DE/SB
Stars: 3
Other offers: Arkansas, Baylor, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas State, Ole Miss, North Texas, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, San Diego State, SMU, TCU, Texas Tech, Tulsa, Utah, Wake Forest, Washington, Washington State
Profiles: Scout, Rivals, ESPN
What to know: There's not tons here, other than the fact that Blankenship has an NU offer and the Wildcats are focused on defensive players for the rest of this class. There's a long way to go in his recruitment, but he's definitely one to keep an eye on.