Wildcats Daily

Four-Star Texas EDGE Sets Northwestern Official Visit

San Antonio Alamo Heights four-star edge Drake Carroll announced that he will return to Evanston the weekend of May 8 for his official visit with the Wildcats.
Julio Gonzales, Jr.|
Drake Carroll and Northwestern head coach David Braun
Drake Carroll and Northwestern head coach David Braun | @Drake_Carroll27/ X.com

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The latest recruiting rankings were released last week, and one recruit who has seen his recruitment heat up recently is San Antonio (Alamo Heights) edge rusher Drake Carroll, who went from an unranked prospect to a four-star. Rivals now has him rated as the No. 284 overall prospect nationally, the No. 29 edge rusher, and the No. 35 player in Texas.  

“My recruiting has definitely taken a jump, and it is very exciting. It’s going smoothly, and I'm excited to get on as many campuses as I can,” Carroll said. “Going from unranked to a four-star was an unreal feeling and definitely made me happy, as I have been working toward this my whole life.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Carroll now has 17 scholarship offers and has begun to set up some official visits, with the first being to Northwestern on the weekend of May 8-10.

Thoughts on Northwestern

Carroll was in Evanston on October 18, for the Wildcats 19-0 win over the Purdue Boilermakers, when he received his offer from head coach David Braun. He was also there for an unofficial visit on January 30 and is looking forward to going back, so he can get to know the coaching staff better, which includes new defensive line coach Ross Kolodziej.  

“I received my offer from Coach Braun on my gameday visit. He is a great coach and a great man. We keep in constant contact,” Carroll said. “The visit was great. The atmosphere was good, and the energy there was high. Getting the one-on-one time with the coaches is what I am looking forward to the most on my official visits.”

Northwestern finished the 2025 season 7-6 and beat Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl. By already having been to Evanston a couple of times, Carroll has become somewhat familiar with the Wildcats program and sees them as a team to watch in the Big 10 moving forward.

“Northwestern is a program that is definitely building something special. They are a locked-in program that I believe is gonna shock some people.”

Other schools in the mix

Carroll also has offers from Texas State, UTSA, Incarnate Word, Washington State, Navy, Duke, Minnesota, TCU, California, Colorado State, North Texas, Western Kentucky, Michigan State, Wake Forest, Louisville, and UTEP.

In addition to Northwestern, he has official visits set up with TCU, Duke, Minnesota, and Michigan State. But the Horned Frogs, Spartans, and Golden Gophers are the schools that are currently standing out. He was at TCU on February 1 for their Top Target Day and has developed a good relationship with Horned Frogs defensive coordinator Andy Avalos. That also applies to the Spartans' rush ends coach Andrew Bindelglass.

“Right now, TCU, Minnesota, and Michigan State are standing out to me because of their defensive schemes. I have developed good relationships with Coach Avalos of TCU and Coach Bindelglass from Michigan State. They are constantly calling me and asking about my family and me.”

What he is looking for in a program

Carroll has been hard at it this offseason, looking to improve upon an excellent 2025 season, where he finished with 50 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, seven sacks, and an interception at Cornerstone Christian High School. Yesterday,he competed at the Under Armour Dallas camp, where he did well.  

“Last season went well, and I was able to showcase my skills and my versatility. As a team, I think we shocked a lot of people in Texas, especially our defensive line. The offseason is going great. I am playing lacrosse and lifting weights.”

With over 15 offers and now rated a four-star prospect, Carroll has plenty of interest, and he will add plenty more offers in the near future. But when the time comes to commit, he knows what he will be looking for in a program.

“I will be looking for a football home where I fit into the system and a great winning culture where the whole program is working toward one goal.”

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Julio Gonzalez Jr.
JULIO GONZALES, JR.

Julio Gonzales Jr. is from Lubbock, Texas, and graduated from Lubbock Christian University. He is a writer for Northwestern On SI. He has previously written for Mike Farrell Sports and Rivals. There, he covered recruiting for JUCO Football, UTSA, Texas Tech, and SMU. He continues to cover recruiting on his Sports Madness page on Substack. You can reach him at:jrgonzales213@gmail.com.

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