Northwestern picked up its first wide receiver in its 2016 recruiting class, adding 6-foot-3, 195-pound Homestead High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana) product Ben Skowronek. Skowronek made the announcement Sunday.
Blessed to say I have committed to Northwestern University #NUSquad16 #B1GCats pic.twitter.com/1StOCAku4Z
— Ben Skowronek (@BSkowronek10) June 7, 2015
Skowronek chose Northwestern over a bevy of schools, including Indiana, Iowa and Purdue, who were his three other finalists.
Skowronek is rated as a three-star recruit by 247 Sports with a .8389 composite score. He is ranked as the 151st-best wideout available in the 2016 class nationwide. According to his 247 page, he held 14 total offers before narrowing it down to four on June 1.
His junior year highlights, courtesy of Hudl, are below:
From the video, which also has his basketball highlights, you can tell first and foremost that Skowronek is a tall, lanky guy. He towers over cornerbacks. He also shows good jumping ability, as he not only goes up and catches a few passes, but also throws down a couple alley-oops in the basketball highlights. He also shows the ability to beat defenders deep on straight-line routes-- his 40-yard dash was measured at a respectable 4.62.
The 247 article also mentions that Skowronek's cousin, T.J. Green, will walk on at Northwestern in 2015, which might have helped in the recruiting process. Skowronek is the sixth player to commit to the 2016 recruiting class.