Northwestern to Host Four-Star Quarterback During 2025 Season

The 'Cats are fighting to keep Illinois native in the state.

Oct 5, 2024; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach David Braun takes the field against the Indiana Hoosiers at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

As David Braun works to turn Northwestern's football program into more than an afterthought in the Big Ten, his 2027 recruiting efforts are ramping up. The 'Cats seem to be taking a stab at attracting higher ranked recruits than their usual three-star range targets.

This week, On3's Rivals X account announced that 2027 four-star quarterback Israel Adams is taking a visit to Northwestern at some point this year. The specific details about which game he'll be attending aren't clear yet.

2027 4-star QB Israel Abrams has set multiple gameday visits, according to @SWiltfong_ 👀

Adams is the No. 6 QB in the class.

Intel: https://t.co/9vAFj2JpXU pic.twitter.com/QReZiy2axR

— Rivals (@Rivals) August 5, 2025

Alongside Northwestern, Abrams intends to visit with Tennessee, Iowa State, Wisconsin and Purdue, according to 247Sports' Allen Trieu. Those are all power conference programs that will be difficult to conted with for the Wildcats, but Abrams is an Illinois native. That might help.

“I’m excited to get up there for a game or two this year,” Abrams said of Northwestern in a Rivals article. “I like Northwestern. I went on my visit there. It was really cool. Coach (Zach) Lujan the quarterback coach there, [I] had a really good time spending time with them.”

Rivals has Abrams ranked as the No. 6 quarterback in his recruiting class and the No. 95 overall prospect. Suffice to say, he'd be a monster get for a Northwestern team starving for elite quarterback play.

The 'Cats have SMU transfer Preston Stone coming in this season to take over starting duties, hoping he'll provide a boost to an offense that averaged the least yards per game in the Big Ten last season. While early returns seem positive in spring ball and fall camp, regardless of how good he is, Stone is departing after this season.

In recent years, Northwestern has only been able to find success with grad-transfer quarterbacks. Two seasons ago, the 'Cats made a bowl game with Ben Bryant, but he was a one-year situation as well, and the offense immediately regressed.

Eventually, this program is going to need to find someone who can play at a high level for multiple seasons and develop in purple. Should Abrams choose to stay home, he could be that player.

While it isn't clear which game he'll be attending, perhaps Northwestern's greatest advantage in recruiting is its ability to put on a show no matter the game.

Weather can throw that off, of course, but all of the games this season will be played either at the lakefront stadium or at historic Wrigley Field in Chicago. It's hard to imagine a better one-two punch for hosting potential recruits.