Three Northwestern Basketball Targets Earn 4-Star Recruiting Rankings

The Wildcats' Class of 2026 targets are rising up national big boards.

Nov 22, 2024; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Chris Collins gestures to his team against the Pepperdine Waves during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Chris Collins has been known for recruiting diamonds in the rough. Boo Buie, Northwestern's all-time leading scorer, was unranked with zero stars when Collins first saw him at a high school tournament. Nick Martinelli, who led the Big Ten in points per game last season, was originally committed to play at Elon when Collins offered him.

In the 2026 recruiting class, Collins and his staff's scouting prowess has already taken shape. Of the seven rising seniors that Northwestern has offered, several of them have seen their rankings rise significantly in recent weeks.

The Wildcats offered 6-foot-8 power forward Colin Rice on April 27, becoming the first high-major program to do so. The Waukee, Iowa, product has picked up offers from the Hawkeyes and Nebraska since then, climbing from No. 181 on 247 Sports' recruiting boards to his highest ranking yet on Wednesday: No. 129. The jump rewarded Rice with a four-star label.

One of Northwestern's top targets is shooting guard Jasiah Jervis, who plays at Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, New York. The Wildcats offered Jervis in early December, when he was outside of 247's top 100, but his stock has now risen to the No. 62 player in the nation. The No. 8 ranked SG in his class has also received offers from schools such as Rutgers, Villanova, North Carolina State and Wake Forest.

The biggest leap, however, came from 6-foot-10 big man Quinn Costello. The Boston native was ranked No. 221 on 247's big board a week ago, but picked up 12 offers from schools that included Northwestern, Virginia, Texas, Purdue, Michigan and Texas A&M after a strong weekend at the NBPA Top 100 Camp. By the time Wednesday's 247 ranking was published, Costello had ascended 147 spots to become a four-star recruit and the No. 74 player overall.

NU has also offered Florida small forward Jayden Hodge (No. 48 nationally) and Ohio power forward TJ Crumble (No. 115 nationally), both of whom are four-stars.

As each of the aforementioned recruits garner more attention and eyes from the nation's top programs, it'll become harder for the Wildcats to sign the highest-ranked players. However, as Collins has shown time and time again, the number of stars a player has matters less than the potential that his coaching staff sees in them. Regardless of whether NU lands any of its four-star targets, Collins will almost certainly be able to find the hidden gems.