Northwestern Lands Massive Offensive Line Transfer from Minnesota

The Wildcats are building through the trenches.

Oct 17, 2015; Evanston, IL, USA; A general view of the Northwestern Wildcats logo at midfield before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-Imagn Images | Jerry Lai-Imagn Images

The Wildcats have hit the portal hard this offseason, and they're not done yet.

According to several sources, Northwestern is adding transfer offensive lineman Martes Lewis, a graduate student from Minnesota. CBS Sports and 247Sports' Chris Hummer and Matt Zenitz initially had the news on Wednesday night, with the reports being confirmed by Matt Fortuna.

Lewis will use his final year of eligibility after five seasons with the Golden Gophers.

The Merrillville, Indiana native stands at a towering 6-foot-7 while weighing in at 335 pounds. During the 2024 season, Lewis played in all 13 games, starting two at right tackle and one at right guard. The year before, he started all 13 games at right guard and played in each game during the 2022 season as well.

Per 247's rankings, Lewis was the top available interior offensive lineman in the transfer portal.

Lewis is the third offensive line transfer Northwestern has added this offseason, joining South Dakota State's Evan Beerntsen and Liberty's Xavior Gray. Those three graduate students will look to rebuild the Wildcats' offensive line with their 17 combined seasons of experience.

With the addition of Lewis, Northwestern has now added 10 transfers to its football roster. After a 4-8 campaign in 2024, the Wildcats appear unwilling to stay at the bottom of the Big Ten.

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