Breakdown: Northwestern’s 2018 Recruiting Targets

On Thursday, Northwestern officially announced the addition of A.J. Turner, a Boston College transfer, to the 2017 class. With the addition of Turner, the 2017 class is now complete. Collins and his staff have now changed their attention to the 2018 class, where Northwestern will have roles to fill.

In the 2018 class, Northwestern will be recruiting for four scholarships.

Here is a look at offers that have been extended to guards in the 2018 class:

-Ayo Dosunmu- Point Guard, Morgan Park High School, Chicago, Illinois

Dosunmu is a guard that can shoot well from deep while getting crafty near the basket. Northwestern will need a strong sharpshooter on the roster when Scottie Lindsey leaves. Dosunmu is a Chicago native and he is being heavily recruited by Illinois and Brad Underwood as well. Northwerstern offered him in June of last year, but Illinois just extended an offer in April.

Dosunmu currently holds 20 offers, including one from the University of Illinois at Chicago. If his stock continues to rise in his senior season, his list could get even longer.

-Jahvon Quinerly- Point Guard, Hudson Catholic High School, Hackensack, NJ

Northwestern has had an offer out to Quinerly since January of 2016. Like Dosunmu, his list of offers is lenthy as well, including quite a few from the Big Ten. Penn State, Rutgers, Ohio State, and Maryland have offered Quinerly as well. He also holds offers from UCLA, Cal and Villanova among other schools.

Quinerly loves to go to the basket and he can make smart moves in transition. Collins constantly talks about Northwestern taking opportunities in transition and Quinerly does just that.

-Cormac Ryan- Point Guard, Milton Academy, New York

While Ryan’s list of offers is not as long as the other guards Collins has extended an offer to, he’s quite an athlete. He holds other Big Ten offers from Michigan and Indiana as well as a handful of other impressive schools. Ryan is a ball-handler, distributor, and sharp shooter. He has a similar skill set to Bryant McIntosh, which is exactly what Chris Collins needs coming in 2018. Northwestern extended an offer to him in July of 2016 and they have been keeping an eye on him.

Here is his highlight tape:

***

Outside of these three point guards, Northwestern has offered seven shooting guards, four forwards and a center in the 2018 class.

Northwestern now has an NCAA Tournament record and facilities coming to attract recruits in 2018. This class will be the first class to come to Northwestern that will play in the new facilities that are set to open before the season begins in the fall of 2018.

Collins now has the tools and the contract to show recruits that it can compete with other schools all over the country. Collins and his staff will continue to be on the recruiting trail this summer, as the summer circuits begin.

Ideally, if Collins can land his fist commit this summer, that would help the program. A.J. Turner will also play his first year of eligibility in 2018. Collins and his staff will also have the opportunity to explore the transfer market to add to the 2018 class as well.