Northwestern Football's 2026 Recruiting Class Continues to Climb Rankings

The Wildcats have another official visit weekend coming up.

Aug 31, 2024; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach David Braun on the field after a score against the Miami (Oh) Redhawks during the second half at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Earlier this month, Northwestern hosted a mass official visit weekend with a cohort of 2026 recruits. The endeavour netted seven new Wildcats, bringing Northwestern's class up to nine members as it currently stands.

As the 'Cats have secured more commitments, the class has climbed the rankings and now sits at No. 48 in the country, according to 247Sports. That's about in line with where you'd expect the find NU, but additional members of the class might be coming soon.

Northwestern is hosting a second visit weekend at the end of this week, and the program will likely add even more talent in its wake. If the first go-around was any indication, more players are certainly on the way.

The current class is comprised entirely of three-star recruits, and it's pretty balanced. Five of them play on the defensive side of the ball while four are offensive players. Earlier on, it seemed like the 'Cats were prioritizing defense, but they've added RB Sean Morris and WR Jaden McDuffie in the past week to even out the numbers.

Johnny O'Brien, who committed way back in the summer of 2024, is currently the only quarterback in the class. He's an Illinois native and ranked as the No. 60 QB in his class, according to 247Sports.

Northwestern's highest ranked commitment is linebacker Brayden Reilly who made his decision on May 15. Reilly is an Ohio native and the No. 27 linebacker in the 2026 class.

It will be interesting to see what becomes of this next round of visits. The Wildcats will almost undoubtedly add to their existing group of nine, but exactly how many players is up in the air. Regardless, Northwestern has hit the recruiting cycle hard this year, and its backing up everything the athletic department has been saying about wanting to acquire talent and be successful in the NIL era.