National Signing Day: Northwestern's Class Ranked 10th In Big Ten, Illinois' 11th
(CBS) A relatively small 15-player 2014 class did nothing to dull Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald's excitement on Wednesday's National Signing Day.
"I'm really excited about the guys we got," Fitzgerald said on The McNeil and Spiegel Show on 670 The Score.
"These guys are a great fit."
The Wildcats' class was pegged as the 10th-best in the Big Ten by Rivals.com, which only listed 12 teams even though for football the conference is for all intents and purposes now numbering 14 with the addition of Rutgers and Maryland for next season.
Ohio State had the top-rated recruiting class in the Big Ten. Illinois had the 11th-rated class by Rivals.com.
Northwestern's class was headlined by 6-foot-4, 240-pound Garrett Dickerson of Bergen Catholic in New Jersey. A four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Dickerson had offers to play for the likes of Ohio State and Alabama. A two-way star in high school, he'll play tight end for the Wildcats.
"He's a very dynamic football player," Fitzgerald said. "Very athletic."
To hear Fitzgerald's entire conversation on the McNeil and Spiegel Show, listen below.