After Northwestern flipped offensive lineman Zachary Franks from Penn State two weeks ago, the Wildcats found themselves in unfamiliar territory.
In the recruiting rankings, that is.
After Rivals updated its stats for the 2019 recruiting class, Northwestern ranked No. 43 in the nation, the highest the school has been since Rivals began its list in 2002. The mid-season rankings leave Northwestern sitting significantly higher than they finished with the class of 2018 (No. 60).
It’s important to note that Northwestern fills its recruiting class earlier than most other schools, thus the ranking could be overstating the strength of NU’s class.