QUICK HITS
POSITION: Offensive guard
HEIGHT: 6-5
WEIGHT: 270
HOMETOWN: Beverly Hills, Michigan
HIGH SCHOOL: Orchard Lake St. Mary's Prep
247 COMPOSITE RATING: ★★★ (.8529)
NATIONAL RANK: 779
POSITION RANK: 38
STATE RANK: 21
OTHER OFFERS: Arkansas, Cincinnati, Illinois, Illinois State, Michigan, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Toledo, Vanderbilt, Western Michigan
MORE: 247 Profile | Hudl | Twitter
BACKGROUND
Kolwich was Northwestern's fourth member of the the class of 2016 and will provide some much-needed depth on the offensive line. He declined an offer from in-state Michigan in favor of Northwestern, against the predictions of many experts. Kolwich also received offers from Purdue, Illinois, Missouri and Vanderbilt.
He's the sixth-best recruit in the class of 2016 for Northwestern and the best offensive lineman, according to 247 Sports' rankings. He was one of NU's first recruits to commit and primarily played tackle in high school, but expects to switch to guard once he arrives at Northwestern.
Kolwich's junior season highlight video shows that he's an athletic offensive lineman and can effectively run and pass block. Kolwich is quick for his position and certainly has the ability to play on Northwestern's offensive line, even though he mostly dominates smaller players in the video.
He will have to add some weight, but Kolwich could become the typical Northwestern three-star offensive line recruit that becomes a starter down the road. His 247 Sports rating fell in recent months, but he is still Northwestern's most talented offensive line recruit who could also play his high school position of tackle if needed.
OUTLOOK
Last season, Northwestern's offensive line battled injuries and was not very effective. The left guard position was a revolving door of players who lacked consistency. However, Kolwich will probably redshirt next season to bulk up and gain experience before potentially taking a starting role at some point. Unless NU has another injury-riddled campaign at offensive line, which is certainly possible, Kolwich won't see the field in his freshman year. However, with Matt Frazier, Adam DePietro and Geoff Mogus graduating, and Shane Mertz moving on next year, the Wildcats will have a dearth of options at guard.
With that said, it's likely that Kolwich follows a similar path to Blake Hance and Tommy Doles, who both redshirted before coming into the regular offensive line rotation as second-year freshmen. Northwestern's volatile offensive line should give him plenty of chances to play as he develops.