Northwestern 2012 Recruiting

Northwestern Wildcats 2012 ... Head Coach: Pat Fitzgerald

Northwestern Wildcats

2011 Record: 6-7

Sep. 3 at Boston Col W 24-17
Sep. 10 Eastern Illinois W 42-21
Sep. 17 at Army L 21-14
Sep. 24 OPEN DATE
Oct. 1 at Illinois L 38-35
Oct. 8 Michigan L 42-24
Oct. 15 at Iowa L 41-31
Oct. 22 Penn State L 34-24
Oct. 29 at Indiana W 59-38
Nov. 5 at Nebraska W 28-25
Nov. 12 Rice W 28-6
Nov. 19 Minnesota W 28-13
Nov. 26 Michigan State L 31-17
Meineke Car Care Bowl
Dec. 31 Texas A&M L 33-22

2010 CFN Prediction: 7-5
2010 Record: 7-5

Sept. 4 at Vanderbilt W 23-21
Sept. 11 Illinois St W 37-4
Sept. 18 at Rice W 30-13
Sept. 25 Central Mich W 30-25
Oct. 2 at Minnesota W 29-28
Oct. 9 Purdue L 20-17
Oct. 16 OPEN DATE
Oct. 23 Michigan St L 35-27
Oct. 30 at Indiana W 20-17
Nov. 6 at Penn State L 35-21
Nov. 13 Iowa W 21-17
Nov. 20 Illinois L 48-27
Nov. 27 at Wisconsin L 70-23
TicketCity Bowl
Jan. 1 Texas Tech L 45-38
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 The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Northwestern Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. LB Ifeadi Odenigbo
6-3, 217, Scout.com 5th ranked, four-star outside linebacker. He has as much upside as anyone in the state. He has so much that you can't teach. His explosiveness, his first step and closing speed are all special, and the fact that he's barely played the game is scary. I believe he'll grow into a true defensive end, but think he'd be best as a stand up OLB in a 3-4. That said, there's a spot for a kid this long, athletic and straight up fast in any defense. Needs to get bigger and stronger.

2. OG Adam DePietro
6-4, 275, Scout.com 10th ranked, four-star guard. DePietro plays tackle, but we like him as an interior lineman at the next level. He has very good footwork and is very good in space, pulling or pass blocking. He may be the most fundamentally sound lineman in the state. He has a good frame just needs to fill out physically.

3. RB Malin Jones
6-0, 207, Scout.com 42nd ranked, three-star running back. Started as a sophomore on varsity and rushed for 1143 yards on 142 carries and 19 touchdowns. Also caught nine passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns.

4. RB Traveon Henry
6-1, 200, Scout.com 43rd ranked, three-star running back.

5. DT Greg Kuhar
6-3, 260, Scout.com 51st ranked, three-star defensive tackle.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... Offensive linemen. The last three classes have tried to improve the skill spots, and they’re going to need time to work. Led by a great get out of Pennsylvania – guard Adam DePietro – this could be Pat Fitzgerald’s best class of linemen yet. He’s also getting the best linebacker prospect in his era with Ifeadi Odenigbo out of Ohio, but 2012 is about an O line that should be ready to roll in three years.

Team Concerns For 2012: The defensive line loses both starting tackles, but the big hit comes in the secondary with safety Brian Peters done along with corners Jordan Mabin and Jeravin Matthews. QB Dan Persa might have been special, but Kain Colter got in enough work last year to be ready to go. However, he’ll be missing key targets Jeremy Ebert, Charles Brown, and Drake Dunsmore.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: Is Kain Colter ready to be the full-time quarterback without Dan Persa done? He’ll be the star of the running game, but help is on the way with top recruits Malin Jones and Traveon Henry ready to help out Treyvon Green. The real star on the way is linebacker Ifeadi Odenigbo, but the corps is already going to be the team’s biggest strength with three promising young starters returning. They need to shine with three starters gone from the secondary and both starting tackles done. The O line needs to give Colter time to work with top targets Jeremy Ebert and Drake Dunsmore both finished, but Demetrius Fields has the look of a go-to receiver.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … Skill players. The Wildcats always get some decent misfits, like Dan Persa, who have the talent but seem to have one minor thing missing. This year, the program got some real, live talents including Zack Oliver, a quarterback out of Baton Rouge with the talent to be the best of the latest strong run of quarterbacks. Running back is a need, and Jordan Perkins, Nick VanHoose, and Trevyon Green will all get their chances right away. Receives Christian Jones and Cameron Dickerson are big targets who’ll be major factors in a few years.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 59. That Class Was Heavy On ... Receivers. Northwestern doesn't always get the superstar talented, but it upgraded the receiving corps with three good prospects who should shine in the system. Tony Jones is a speedy target out of Michigan, while Rashad Lawrence and Venric Mark can also move. The coaching staff isn't looking to Trevor Siemian and Kain Colter to replace Mike Kafka at quarterback right away, but the opportunity will be there this fall to take the gig. This was a small class of defensive prospects, but there are some good ones including linebacker Chi Chi Ariguzo, an all-star name if nothing else.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 69. That Class Was Heavy On ... running backs. It’s never a positive to recruit to fill an immediate need, but that’s exactly what Northwestern had to do with Tyrell Sutton gone and Omar Conteh hurt. The Wildcats need running backs, and it got them led by Arby Fields; a speedy, shifty back who should fit the offense to a T. Mike Trumpy and Davion Fleming might be relied on right away if injuries hit the backfield.

Texas Bowl
Texas A&M 33 … Northwestern 22
- CFN Thoughts on the Meineke

Texas A&M: The Aggies held NU to 52 rushing yards. … Ryan Tannehill completed 27-of-40 passes for 329 yards and a score with a pick. … Ben Malena ran 23 times for 77 yards and two scores. … Jeff Fuller caught seven passes for 119 yards and a score, and Ryan Swope caught eight passes for 105 yards. … LB Jonathan Stewart made nine tackles a sack and a forced fumble, and DE Damontre Moore made nine tackles with a sack, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.

Northwestern: The Wildcats kept A&M to 80 rushing yards. … Dan Persa completed 25-of-37 passes for 213 yards. … Kain Colter ran 17 times for 65 yards and as score. … Demetrius Fields caught seven passes for 73 yards. … Jeravin Matthews made 12 tackles.

(AP) HOUSTON -- Ryan Tannehill threw for 329 yards and a touchdown and Ben Malena ran for two more scores to lead Texas A&M to a 33-22 win over Northwestern on Saturday in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

Northwestern led 7-3 early in the second quarter before A&M reeled off 27 straight points to take a decisive lead and then fight off a late rally to capture its first bowl victory since 2001.

Texas A&M broke a five-game bowl losing streak in a win the team dedicated to fired coach Mike Sherman and offensive lineman Joseph Villavisencio, who was killed in a car accident last week.

Malena ran for 77 yards, filling in ably for Cyrus Gray, who missed his second straight game with a stress fracture in his left shoulder.

Northwestern hasn't won a bowl game since the 1949 Rose Bowl, a span of nine losses.

A&M won a bowl for the first time since a 28-9 victory over TCU after the 2001 season. That also came in Houston, when this game was called the Galleryfurniture.com bowl and played next door at the Astrodome.

The Aggies were up 30-7 before Brian Peters intercepted Tannehill early in the fourth quarter and the Wildcats took advantage of that mistake when Kain Colter scored on a 1-yard run for Northwestern's first points since early in the second quarter. The 2-point conversion left A&M ahead 30-15.

Colter found Tim Riley in the corner of the end zone for on a 2-yard touchdown pass to get Northwestern within 30-22 with less than six minutes remaining.

A&M responded with a clock-eating drive capped by a 31-yard field goal to secure the win. Senior Jeff Fuller, who has had a disappointing and injury-plagued year, had a key third down catch for 29 yards on that drive and finished with a season-high 119 yards receiving.

The Aggies were led by interim coach Tim DeRuyter in his last game at Texas A&M before leaving to become Fresno State's coach. The Aggies hired former Houston coach Kevin Sumlin earlier this month to replace Sherman, but he wasn't involved in bowl preparations.

Texas A&M wore helmet decals honoring Villavisencio, who died Dec. 22. The black and white decal, which says `Joey V.,' had his No. 67 and the Texas A&M logo. There was a moment of silence for Villavisencio before the game and fellow offensive lineman Danny Baker wore his number and greeted his father before the game.

Texas A&M erased a 7-3 second quarter deficit thanks to touchdowns by Malena and Fuller and a field goal by Randy Bullock to lead 20-7 at halftime.

Malena's second touchdown came on a 19-yard run early in the third quarter that made it 27-7. Another field goal by Bullock, this one from 47 yards, pushed A&M's advantage to 30-7.

The Wildcats alternated quarterbacks for much of the day with Dan Persa leading the more traditional offense and Colter directing the wildcat offense. But neither player could generate much offense while often under heavy pressure from the Aggies, who finished with eight sacks.

Texas A&M's offense got rolling in the second quarter when Tannehill found Ryan Swope, who was a high school running back, on a short pass that he took 37 yards to the 1. Swope tight-roped the sideline and avoided a half dozen tacklers before he was brought down.

Malena scored a play later to put A&M on top 10-7.

Northwestern took a 7-3 lead in the second quarter when Venric Mark scored 2-yard option run.

Mark provided another highlight for the Wildcats on a nifty 47-yard punt return where he spun away from a pair of tacklers before hurdling another one before being pushed out of bounds in the second half.

Nov. 26 Michigan State 31 … at Northwestern 17
CFN Analysis: Dan Persa closed out his home career with a nice 23-of-32, 245-yard, two score performance, but he didn’t get any help from the running game and he didn’t get the offense in the end zone in the first half. He came out hot to start the second half, but the defense didn’t get the ensuing stop it needed. … Kain Colter only ran four times for 18 yards and caught six passes for 44 yards. Northwestern’s best weapon was kept in check. … The Cats should go bowling, but it’s not a given with so many bowl eligible Big Ten teams. 

Nov. 19 at Northwestern 28 … Minnesota 13
CFN Analysis: With its fourth straight win, Northwestern is bowl eligible. However, it’s going to take a win over Michigan State to assure a post-season spot with so many Big Ten teams likely eligible. Fortunately, the Spartans have already clinched the Legends and might be looking ahead to the Big Ten championship. … The NU offense got up early and Minnesota didn’t have the offense to make any sort of a comeback. Dan Persa spread the ball around well and finished with 216 yards and two scores. … The special teams came up with a big day. Brandon Williams averaged 58.3 yards per punt, while Venric Mark came up with two huge kickoff returns. … The run defense was way too soft. It did a lot of bending, but didn’t do much breaking. Brian Peters and Bryce McNaul combined for 22 tackles, but that’s not a plus. The line didn’t do enough to stop the Gopher runners before they could get room to roam.  

Nov. 12 at Northwestern 28 …. Rice 6
CFN Analysis: Jeremy Ebert picked up where he left off after his big touchdown catch to help put away Nebraska. He caught seven passes for 208 yards and two scores, putting Rice away in the first quarter with a 90-yard play to break the offense out of the early doldrums. … Dan Persa did his part, completing 25-of-32 passes for 372 yards and four scores, but with two picks, in a terrific game. He was in total command. … Rice rolled at will against UTEP last week, but was stuffed cold by a Wildcat defense that came up with its second straight strong game allowing just 254 yards. … After losing five straight, NU has won two in a row and now has Minnesota coming to town. With a win in one of the final two games, with Michigan State to close, the Cats will go bowling.  

Nov. 5 Northwestern 28 … at Nebraska 25
CFN Analysis: Northwestern picked a perfect time to come up with its best game of the year. Dan Persa was fine before getting knocked out with a shoulder injury, and Kain Colter filled in and threw a terrific pass to Jeremy Ebert for an 81-yard score and ran for 57 yards and two scores to keep the foot on the gas. After struggling against Army in a loss against an option offense early, and losing to Denard Robinson and Michigan, it was as if the Wildcats figured something out with Jordan Mabin making 12 tackles and Ibraheim Campbell coming up with 13 helping to keep the Huskers to 122 rushing yards. A bowl game is still back in the mix with three straight home games to close out against Rice, Minnesota, and Michigan State. The Cats can win at least two of the three if they keep playing like this defensively, and if Colter and the offense can be opportunistic again. 

Oct. 29 Northwestern 59 … at Indiana 38
CFN Analysis: Northwestern needed this. It might have only been against Indiana, but the offense finally started to blow up with Dan Persa coming up with a brilliant game, completing 16-of-20 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns, while running for 41 more, and Kain Colter completing two passes for two touchdowns. Drake Dunsmore was unstoppable, catching seven passes for 112 yards and four scores in an onslaught that’s been way overdue. Finally, finally, there was a running game with 317 yards and three scores. The defense is never going to be a rock, but it didn’t need to be this week. The trip to Nebraska next week won’t be like playing in Bloomington.  

Oct. 22 Penn State 34 … at Northwestern 24
CFN Analysis: Dan Persa did what he could to keep pace, throwing the ball well and spreading the ball around to a slew of receivers, but he couldn’t play run defense. Northwestern might not have a great ground game, but it’s getting enough production to get by. The problem continues to be a shockingly bad defense with an awful year from the secondary and a defensive front that’s not getting into the backfield. If Matt McGloin is looking like Tom Brady against your D, there’s a problem. Now it’s condition critical time with a five game losing streak and road games against Indiana and Nebraska up next. However, as bad as things have been, NU can beat IU, Rice, and Minnesota, but it’ll take a win over the Huskers or Michigan State to go bowling. If the defense can’t be night-and-day better and far more physical, that’s not going to happen. 

Oct. 15 at Iowa 41 … Northwestern 31
CFN Analysis How did Northwestern blow this? Dan Persa was terrific, completing 31-of-40 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown, but he threw a key pick. The running game got good performances out of backup quarterback Kain Colter and Adonis Smith, 12 different players caught passes, and Jeremy Ebert caught 13 passes for 107 yards and a score, but it was a strange loss with key mistakes and just enough defensive lapses for a fourth straight loss. The season is slipping away, but if the Cats can beat Penn State, Indiana is up after to go ona decent run to turn things back around.
 
Oct. 8 Michigan 42 … at Northwestern 24
CFN Analysis: There’s the Dan Persa everyone’s been waiting for … sort of. He completed 32-of-44 passes for 331 yards with a pick, but he wasn’t running like the pre-injury version. He wasn’t as mobile, was tentative when he had his chances to take off and make something happen, and that means Kain Colter will need to be a part of the rotation. With Mike Trumpy out for the year, the Wildcats don’t have a reliable running back, although the three-headed monster of Adonis Smith, Venric Mark, and Jacob Schmidt gave it a try, and if the quarterback isn’t taking off, not much is happening on the ground. It’s a danger time now for the Cats at 2-3 with three road games in the next four to come. With home games against Rice and Minnesota still to play, there are more wins out there, but a loss at Iowa next week would out NU on a four-game losing streak and in big trouble for a bowl game.
 
Oct. 1 at Illinois 38 … Northwestern 35
CFN Analysis: The return of Dan Persa made a huge difference, but he was banged up a bit, the defense and the secondary couldn’t handle A.J. Jenkins and the Illini passing game, and this was a second straight disappointing loss. The Wildcats were given every break and had a big lead, but the offense couldn’t go on any big marches to put the game away in the fourth quarter. Persa was excellent, completing 11-of-15 passes for 137 yards and four scores, but he couldn’t find any running room. Even so, the Wildcat offense still moved well Treyvon Green coming up with 85 yards and Mike Trumpy adding 60 more. With Michigan up next followed up by a trip to Iowa, getting a win next week is vital or the season could start slipping away. With No. 7 back, through, the offense should be able to hang around with anyone.

Sept. 17 at Army 21 … Northwestern 14
CFN Analysis: Kain Colter wasn’t as bad as he said he was. He didn’t come through in the clutch, but he was the only part of the ground game that worked running for 57 yards, but it was Trevor Siemian that made the passing game fly with 105 yards on 5-of-7 completions, with Jeremy Ebert doing well with both passers catching six balls for 108 yards and two scores. Northwestern’s defense couldn’t get off the field and couldn’t seem to get a third down stop against the Army ground game, but now it gets two weeks to prepare for the Illinois attack and it gets the time to make sure Dan Persa is ready to go. He was dressed for Army, but the coaches are letting him rest a little longer before the Big Ten opener. 

Sept. 10 at Northwestern 42 … Eastern Illinois 21
CFN Analysis: Dan Persa is supposed to be ready soon, but Kain Coulter has been more than fine as his replacement, completing 10-of-13 passes for 104 yards, and running for 109 yards and three touchdowns in the layup over Eastern Illinois. It would’ve been nice to have gotten a bit more out of the running backs, but the team ran for 320 yards and five scores, spreading the ball around well. However, it was Colter who carried the offense. The passing game has to start clicking a little better, and while it’s been efficient, the yards aren’t there. That’ll change once Persa is back. Defensively, there weren’t any problems and the linebackers are doing a great job over the first two games. Up next is Army and its running game followed up by Illinois; the Wildcats will have to be extra disciplined against the mobile quarterbacks. 

Sept. 3 Northwestern 24 … at Boston College 17
CFN Analysis: Northwestern came up with a … running game? Without Dan Persa, whose Achilles heel just isn’t quite ready yet, the Wildcats had to rely on more players and more diversity to get the offense moving, and while Kain Colter did his part completing 17-of-24 passes for 197 yards with a pick, and he ran for 71 yards and a touchdown, Mike Trumpy and Adonis Smith helped the cause. After so many problems against the run late last year, holding BC to 104 yards was a plus, even with Montel Harris out. With Eastern Illinois and Army up next, 3-0 is a must before getting an offweek to prepare for Illinois.

The 2011 Recruiting Class Is Heavy On … Skill players. The Wildcats always get some decent misfits, like Dan Persa, who have the talent but seem to have one minor thing missing. This year, the program got some real, live talents including Zack Oliver, a quarterback out of Baton Rouge with the talent to be the best of the latest strong run of quarterbacks. Running back is a need, and Jordan Perkins, Nick VanHoose, and Trevyon Green will all get their chances right away. Receives Christian Jones and Cameron Dickerson are big targets who’ll be major factors in a few years.

Five Northwestern Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. QB Zack Oliver
6-3, 214, Scout.com’s 50th ranked quarterback. Oliver has a lot of what you want in a field general as he makes quick decisions and gets rid of the ball quickly. He is good at feeling pressure before it gets to him and although he isn't a dual-threat type he can run for positive yards when he has to. Putting the ball where only his receivers can get to it is another strong suit for Oliver. Playing under center and making his drops is something he will have to work on in college.

2. RB Jordan Perkins
6-0, 180, Scout.com’s 35th ranked running back.

3. OG Geoff Mogus
6-5, 280, Scout.com’s 38th ranked guard.

4. RB Nick VanHoose
6-0, 170, Scout.com’s 84th ranked running back.

5. OG Matt Frazier
6-3, 281, Scout.com’s 68th ranked guard.

2011 Entire Recruiting Class
Max Chapman DL 6-3 230 Ponte Vedra, Fla. Nease
Cameron Dickerson WR 6-3 200 New Milford, N.J. Bergen Catholic
Matt Frazier OL 6-4 285 Bourbonnais, Ill. Bishop McNamara
Deonte Gibson DL 6-3 220 Lakewood, Ohio St. Edward
Treyvon Green RB 5-10 200 Mesquite, Texas Rowlett
Christian Jones WR 6-3 205 Houston, Texas Westfield
Jack Konopka OL 6-5 265 Inverness, Ill. Palatine Fremd
Shane Mertz OL 6-8 285 Hazlet, N.J. Raritan
Geoff Mogus OL 6-5 285 Lorain, Ohio St. Edward
Zack Oliver QB 6-4 225 Baton Rouge, La. Catholic
Jordan Perkins RB 6-0 180 Lodi, Calif. Lodi
C.J. Robbins DL 6-5 255 Peru, Ill. LaSalle-Peru
Drew Smith LB 6-1 200 Cincinnati, Ohio Colerain
Mark Szott SB 6-4 230 Naperville, Ill. Waubonsie Valley
Nick VanHoose DB 6-0 170 Urbana, Ohio Graham
Jarrell Williams DB 5-11 170 Robbins, Ill. Oak Lawn Richards
Pierre Youngblood-Ary WR 6-3 185 Orlando, Fla. Lake Brantley