Northwestern Wildcats Land Second 2026 Linebacker in Two Days

This three-star is another addition to the LB room.

Aug 31, 2024; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach David Braun gestures to his team 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

Yesterday, Northwestern received an official commitment from three-star 2026 linebacker Jacob Curry. Today, it's deja vu all over again, as three-star 2026 linebacker Brayden Reilly announced his commitment to the 'Cats on X.

Home. 🏡 #Committed @NUFBFamily @NUFBRecruiting @DavidBraunFB @Coach_McGarigle @Coach_Mulford@CSarkisianNU @On3Recruits @stxfb @Brodbeckj02 @COACHSPECHT28 @1coachmorrison @RUNBYU @ROCKYBOIMAN50 @tsfootball @AllenTrieu @OhioPrepsRivals @247Sports @thevandalorian @LemmingReport… pic.twitter.com/TXZgLvNrVu

— Brayden Reilly '26 ATH (@BraydenReilly25) May 15, 2025

Reilly is the No. 27 linebacker in his class and the No. 20 player out of Ohio, according to 247Sports. The site's composite rankings have him as the No. 1,008 overall recruit.

Reilly did have interest from some other power conference schools including a couple Big Ten programs. Northwestern beat out both Minnesota and Indiana for his services in the recruiting process.

Standing at 6-foot-3 with a listed weight of 200 lbs, Reilly likely needs to put on some pounds if he wants to be an effective linebacker in the Big Ten. But he's still in high school, and he has time for all of that.

From a Northwestern perspective, placing heavy emphasis on stocking the linebacker room with young talent makes sense. Now that Xander Mueller is off to the NFL, a once stacked position group is certainly looking thinner.

Northwestern will hope players like Reilly and Curry can be a part of the next stable of productive Wildcat LBs that work their way towards an opportunity at the next level.

Looking forward in the 2026 recruiting process, expect Northwestern to continue targeting defensive talent. Additionally, since the Wildcats hosted more than 10 members of the 2026 class over the weekend, expect more news to happen fast on that front.