Northwestern Receives First Commitment From Recent Visit Weekend

A three-star safety in the 2026 class is headed to Evanston.

Sep 21, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach David Braun watches pregame warmups against the Washington Huskies at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Northwestern welcomed another group of potential 2026 recruits to campus this weekend for its second mass visit weekend in the past month. Today, the results are starting to roll in.

The 'Cats landed their first commitment from the weekend this morning after three-star safety Davis Kinney announced his decision on X.

#AGTG Committed! Go Cats!@NUFBFamily @HarlonBarnett @NUFBRecruiting @TheProtectUCrew @MickensJay @coachsis pic.twitter.com/VyR9m1VXDK

— Davis Kinney (@htxdavis) June 2, 2025

Kinney is the No. 72 player in the class from his home state of Texas and the No. 48 safety, according to 247Sports. There were other power-conference programs interested in his services which is always a good sign.

Oregon State, Arizona State and Minnesota all submitted offers to Kinney, but he chose Northwestern after having a chance to talk with head coach David Braun and tour the campus.

Kinney becomes Northwestern's third safety in its 2026 class and its eleventh player overall. The 'Cats are clearly looking to boost their secondary in future years since their recent core has started to break up.

Standing at 6-feet tall with a weight of 185 lbs, Kinney is already in good shape physically to compete in the Big Ten. He still has more time to get ready before his career begins in earnest.

Kinney was also a dual-sport athlete in high school, playing center field in baseball for Fort Bend Travis High School. Now that we've seen Jack Lausch play both football and baseball at Northwestern, there is a blueprint for that.

David Braun and co. needed to address the defense in this recruiting class, and they are continuing to do so after this visit weekend. Kinney is a good start as the 'Cats likely expect more commitments in the coming days.