Three-star 2018 OL Sam Stovall commits to Northwestern

Three-star offensive lineman Sam Stovall has committed to Northwestern, per his Twitter page.

Stovall, a tackle who stands at 6-foot-4, 285 pounds, is the 17th member of Pat Fitzgerald’s 2018 class, and the first commit since 16 players signed letters of intent on the first day of the Early Signing Period back in December.

Stovall committed to Western Kentucky last April but didn’t sign in the early period, and after receiving a Northwestern offer on Dec. 22, he de-committed on Jan. 4 and took less than two weeks to pledge to the Wildcats. Northwestern was his first Power 5 offer, although he held offers from notable Group of Five teams like Memphis, Southern Miss, and Florida Atlantic. Stovall goes to Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga, TN.

He joins Texas native Payne He’Bert as the two tackles in the 2018 class. Northwestern also signed two guards, Wyatt Blake and Charles Schmidt, in December.

Stovall is the lowest-rated player in the class, per 247’s composite, but we all know ratings don’t matter a ton at this point. Northwestern has already assembled a solid class and is looking for a few more players with potential to fill it out. Here is Stovall’s senior-year tape:

Fitzgerald usually signs 19 or 20 players per class, so look for a couple more commits heading into the traditional/later signing day on Feb. 7.