Northwestern Wildcats Offer Hulking 2026 Defensive Line Prospect
Northwestern's pursuit of defensive talent in the 2026 recruiting class continued yesterday as the 'Cats extended an offer to defensive end Nick Costa. The New Jersey native is an unranked prospect, according to 247Sports.
Costa announced the news yesterday on X, saying he received the offer after a phone call with head coach David Braun.
After an excellent phone call with @DavidBraunFB, I am honored and excited to receive an offer from @NUFBFamily #GoCats @Coach_McGarigle @CoachSmith_9 @kevinquinn74 @HermitsFootball @Beastupacademy @PlayBookAthlete @RockPerkins52 @rickymremax pic.twitter.com/iJHmw0UbUl
— Nick Costa (@NickCosta2026) June 10, 2025
Northwestern and Syracuse are the only two power conference teams to offer Costa so far. But solid football programs like Army, Navy and Air Force are all also in the mix. As Costa starts to stack offers, it wouldn't be shocking to see him ranked in the future.
Despite his current ranking, one reason to believe in Costa is his sheer size as a high school defensive end. According to his X bio, Costa is 6-foot-4 with a wieght of 240 lbs. Those numbers could play right now in Division I ball, and he still has more time in high school to grow even more.
Given the projectable frame and other offers, it make sense why Braun and co. might be interested in getting Costa to come to Northwestern. As a group that believes in itself as a developmental program, Costa is the kind of player it wants to get its hands on.
The next step would be for Costa to commit to the 'Cats, potentially after taking an official visit to campus. He still has time to consider his decision, and Syracuse may be a difficult adversary depending on how much he values proximity to home. But the Wildcats seem to have a good shot as it stands.
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Ryan Cole is a writer for Northwestern Wildcats On SI covering every team on campus. He’s currently a junior at NU where he’s studying journalism and previously wrote and edited for Inside NU. He also studies business with an eye towards eventually helping develop business models to revive local news. In his free time, Cole enjoys watching sports, playing sports, reading the news and singing.