‘Cats Land ESPN 4-Star Godwin Igwebuike For 17th Pledge For 2013!

If you’re in to assessing Northwestern recruits by the LTP favorite metric of “chose Northwestern over…” then you’re going to love our latest 2013 commit. Godwin Igwebuike, a 4-star RB (if you subscribe to ESPN, if you’re a Rivals/Scout guy, he’s a 3-star) from Pickerington (North), Ohio – the same town as Brian Peters – announced via Twitter today that he has committed to Northwestern. It’s pronounced Ig-way-boo-kay and our pronunciation guide for next year’s roster will be a fun one, but you get the sense we’ll be fluent in Godwin’s name quickly. He chose Northwestern over more than 20 other schools including Nebraska, Wisconsin, Pitt, NC State and several other Big Ten schools including Illinois, Minnesota and Indiana. Igwebuike rushed for more than 1000 yards last year and averaged a silly 9.0 ypc as he racked up 14 TDs on the ground. Northwestern is considering him as a safety for next season and WildcatReport’s Louie Vaccher had him leaning towards the ‘Cats back in May after he was so impressed by the campus, the coaches and the academic offering. However, with schools like Wake Forest, BC and Duke all in the mix along with, let’s face it, Nebraska and Wisconsin from a top 25 standpoint, nothing was a given.

According to ESPN, here was Godwin’s line of reasoning:

“It’s the best fit for me. They have everything I wanted academically and as a program. I always wanted to play in the Big Ten, loved the campus and players and had a nice connection with the coaches. And they fit my morals and values.”

This continues the incredible two month run of Northwestern and the momentum keeps on keeping on. Here is a link to his highlight page from last season. Northwestern fans are hoping that Louisiana WR Taijuan Thomas pulls the trigger next as we’re closing in on closing out our 2013 recruiting class.  I’m trying to get the exact number of scholarship slots left, but my hunch is we are down to one hand. Welcome aboard Godwin! We’re thrilled to have you.