Amid fallout from the report of an outside investigation into hazing within Northwestern’s football program, recruits have started to reassess their commitments.
Northwestern fired football coach Pat Fitzgerald on Monday with a statement from university President Michael Schill. Fitzgerald originally received a two-week, unpaid suspension from the university July 7. After pressure that followed reporting from the Daily Northwestern student newspaper, Schill said he “may have erred” in his initial decision to suspend Fitzgerald, citing a “broken” culture in the program.
Advertisement
In the days since Fitzgerald’s firing, four three-star recruits from the initial 14 members of the 2024 class have reopened their recruitment.
Offensive linemen Payton Stewart and Julius Tate and wide receiver Brett Eskildsen announced on social media that they were decommitting. Defensive tackle Dillan Johnson, from Joliet Catholic, decommitted and flipped to Wisconsin.
Advertisement
The 10 remaining members of the 2024 recruiting class are committed to the Wildcats for now, but Allen Trieu, a Midwest sports analyst for 247Sports who has spoken with some of the players, said many are keeping their options and the lines of communication open with other programs.
Chicago Tribune Sports
Weekdays
A daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.
By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
>
“I imagine that some other schools are going to reach out,” Trieu told the Tribune. “College football coaches and teams are opportunistic. They’re going to see this as an opportunity to maybe come back in on some recruits that they missed the first time round or these are recruits they may now be interested in.
1/1 Skip Ad Continue watching after the ad Visit Advertiser website GO TO PAGE
PLAY Top Stories 01:06 Video Settings Full Screen About Connatix V296671 Northern lights unlikely for Chicago skies this week, scientists say
“When there’s a coaching change, (other universities) scan that school’s commit list to see if there are guys that they can recruit. And I’m sure that that’s happening with Northwestern right now. So these kids will have some new opportunities.”
[ [Don't miss] Fallout at Northwestern: What to know about football hazing scandal, Pat Fitzgerald’s firing, ‘bullying’ by baseball coach and what’s next ]
Northwestern’s 2024 class is ranked 62nd nationally and 16th (last) in the Big Ten, according to 247Sports.
Trieu added that a coaching change, regardless of the circumstances, has the potential to have long-lasting impacts on recruiting, but it ultimately depends not only on what the current staff and interim head coach do but how quickly the university is able to bring in a new coach.
“If we use Penn State as an example, after Joe Paterno, that could have really had a big impact on the next couple of staffs,” Thieu said. “And I think that Bill O’Brien and then James Franklin have done a really good job of recruiting through that and making that a thing of the past. Penn State recruiting is not currently affected by that. It’s up to whoever the next coach or coaches are, to be able to try to quickly move on from this and get the program and recruiting back on the right track.”
1/1 Skip Ad Continue watching after the ad Visit Advertiser website GO TO PAGE
PLAY Top Stories 01:06 Video Settings Full Screen About Connatix V296671 Northern lights unlikely for Chicago skies this week, scientists say
Northwestern football players have 30 days from Fitzgerald’s termination to enter the transfer portal with no penalty.
According to Schill’s statement, the external investigation found 11 current or former players who corroborated the hazing allegations, but no current players have officially entered the portal.
More on the fallout at Northwestern Pat Fitzgerald is fired as Northwestern football coach in the wake of a hazing scandal: ‘The culture ... was broken’ Column: Column: Does Pat Fitzgerald have a case? Should Ryan Field rebuild be put on pause? Unanswered questions for Northwestern. Northwestern dismisses Jim Foster as head baseball coach amid controversy What is athletic director Derrick Gragg’s role in this tumultuous period for Northwestern athletics? Northwestern had many anti-hazing tools in place before the football scandal. So what went wrong? Northwestern football hazing fallout brings calls to halt $800 million Ryan Field rebuild ‘Infuriating.’ Northwestern students, former players and Illinois leaders react to football program hazing reports. Column: Pat Fitzgerald’s coaching legacy is tarnished after a hazing scandal he refused to publicly acknowledge Timeline: Pat Fitzgerald’s Northwestern football career as a player and coach