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In news that can be described as really bad for Northwestern but not entirely unpredictable, Rowan Brumbaugh — the crown jewel of Chris Collins’ upcoming recruiting class — has decommitted from NU.
Stadium’s Jeff Goodman tweeted the announcement of Brumbaugh’s decision on Monday afternoon, with Goodman attributing a quote to the four-star guard from Massachusetts, who said, “I love Chris Collins and the staff at Northwestern and appreciate everything they have done for me.”
Brumbaugh, who committed to the Wildcats on August 30, started to worry ‘Cats fans in November when he shared with ESPN that he would not sign a National Letter of Intent with Northwestern during the early signing period.
ESPN 100 guard Rowan Brumbaugh doesn’t plan to sign an NLI with Northwestern during the early signing period.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) November 11, 2021
“I don’t think the contract is fair for the student-athlete and is one-sided for the university,” he told ESPN.
Remains firmly committed to Northwestern.
A month and a half after that announcement, which was accompanied by the assurance from ESPN’s Jeff Borzello that the prized recruit was “firmly committed” to NU, Monday’s news of a decommitment has come. Brumbaugh was joined by only Luke Hunger — a three-star forward and his teammate at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts — in the Wildcats’ 2022 recruiting class. For the time being, Hunger remains committed to the Wildcats and Collins, making him the lone prospect set to join the ‘Cats ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Brumbaugh is ranked 85th nationally among all players in the Class of 2022 by 247Sports, which listed him as NU’s second highest rated commitment ever — trailing only current Wildcat Pete Nance — prior to Monday’s announcement.