After Nathan Hall's commitment on Monday, Northwestern has just three spots left for the class of 2014. The Wildcats have a lot of offers out, but the primary focus now shifts to defensive end and the secondary, and it's likely that the last three players in this class will be from those positions. We'll give you a rundown of who remains an option for NU, plus our prediction of who the final three will be. As always, stay updated with our 2014 football recruiting board.
Our Predicted Final Three
Ron Robinson, S: As first reported by Wildcat Report, Robinson was offered earlier this month and appears likely to take the Wildcats up on the offer. He was reportedly going to visit in June, and according to another potential NU recruit, the Wildcats' coaches are waiting on a player who recently visited to commit sometime in June. That's likely Robinson, and if he does commit, it can probably be expected within the next couple weeks.
Ladarius Wiley, S: Wiley has listed Northwestern as his top school for awhile now, and he reiterated to us this week that nothing has changed — NU is still his No. 1. Wiley originally said that he could potentially commit when he visits, and that possibility still stands. He's trying to arrange a visit during the recruiting dead period, and that trip could come as early as next week.
Noah Westerfield, DE: Westerfield was high on Northwestern even before he received an offer — he reached out to NU — and while he hasn't put out a formal "top 5" or anything, he considers the Wildcats one of this favorites. He originally had some reservations because NU wants him at defensive end, not outside linebacker, but he cleared up his role in the defense with Pat Fitzgerald and the rest of the coaching staff, and NU is still one of his favorites. He's visiting the first week of July, so there's the possibility of a commitment then.
Others to Consider
Bobby Okereke, DE: Okereke recently put NU in his top six, according to Wildcat Report (subscriber only), and he remains very interested in the Wildcats. He told us that he plans to visit campus, but considering how few spots NU has left, he may not be ready to make a decision by the time all the spots are gone.
Grant Blankenship, DE: Blankenship hasn't been very open about his recruitment to anyone, so he's a bit of a mystery. It's clear that he likes NU, but he also has a number of other solid offers and doesn't loom likely to commit somewhere anytime soon. Like Okereke, he's another guy that the Wildcats would have continued recruiting hard into the fall in any other year. This year, they might run out of time.
Parrker Westphal, CB: Westphal would be a big get for Northwestern, considering he's a four-star player who has offers from Florida, Ohio State and Michigan. He would also help fill a need at cornerback. He considers NU one his his favorite schools, and while he will likely decide before his senior season, that might not be early enough to get a spot with the Wildcats if he wants it.
Garrett Dickerson, DE: Northwestern made it into Dickerson's top three, beating out Alabama and Ohio State for that spot, but this one is pretty unlikely for a couple reasons: 1. The Wildcats are third in that top three, behind Michigan and Stanford, and 2. Dickerson likely won't make a decision for awhile. There's still a chance for NU, but it's not likely that Dickerson will end up in purple.
Noah Furbush, OLB/DE: Furbush is being recruited by most schools as an outside linebacker, but as one of our commenters pointed out, he does have the potential to be a defensive end, so we'll keep him on here. However, NU has some tough competition for Furbush — Michigan and Michigan State stand out — and there's no evidence that he's more likely to land with the Wildcats than anyone else on this list, except for maybe Dickerson.
Brandon Lee, OLB: While NU has technically filled its linebacker quota for this class, it wouldn't say no to Lee. The four-star linebacker recently cut his list to nine and kept the Wildcats in play. He said he wants to visit Evanston again, so he's clearly high on NU. However, the Wildcats have some tough competition for Lee, and he also isn't likely to make a decision for awhile, which means NU could be at 15 before Lee decides.