Wildcats Daily

Northwestern Wildcats Receive Commitment From Highly Ranked Kicker

The five-star is a local product.
Ryan Cole|
Nov 11, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; General view of a Northwestern Wildcats helmet on the sidelines during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Nov 11, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; General view of a Northwestern Wildcats helmet on the sidelines during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

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Northwestern Wildcats

Northwestern made a big splash on special teams yesterday, securing a commitment from 2026 kicker Noah Sur, an Oak Park, Ill native. The five-star is the No. 2 kicker in the nation, according to Chris Sailer Kicking, the go-to option for special teams rankings.

Sur is also the top kicker coming out of his home state, and he's decided to stay local. He announced his commitment on X yesterday.

According to Wildcat Report, Sur attended Northwestern's specialist camp earlier in the month on June 6 before securing an offer from the program this week. He didn't take long to accept.

The 'Cats have been investing in special teams in recent recruiting cycles, a theme that fits with David Braun's hard-nosed, high-effort, emphasis-on-the-little-things coaching style. Last year, they brought in Niki Dugandzic, the nation's No. 1 punter.

Before Braun's tenure began in earnest after the interim tag was dropped, Northwestern had some issues kicking the football. Punts were falling well short of where they needed to be to flip field position. Long field goals weren't realistic to attempt.

For a program like Northwestern in a conference like the Big Ten, gaining an edge in any small way matters. Being able to come away with three points on a drive that previously would have resulted in a punt is a big deal.

The 'Cats will hope that, in due time, Sur can help them do just that. Analytics might say to go for it on fourth down more often than not, but that doesn't mean it isn't helpful to have a guy you can count on to boot it through the uprights.

With Sur's commitment, Northwestern's 2026 recruiting class is now up to 14 players. It's ranked No. 58 in the nation, according to Rivals.

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Ryan Cole
RYAN COLE

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.

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