Coach Fitzgerald on Wednesday formally announced NU football's class of 2012, describing the 20 incoming students who that morning signed letters of intent.  The commitments came from players spanning nearly every position.  The current slate of recruits is split nearly evenly between offense and defense; among the 11 or so offensive players, at least five are on the line.  There were, however, no recruits devoted specifically to special teams.  The players come from across the country, but there is a concentration (at least six) of Illinois players. 

As he announced the class, Coach Fitzgerald praised his current players for their role in the recruiting process, by the way in which they represented the program and the school.  Coach Fitzgerald also mentioned the recruiting advantage NU has because of its national exposure: "[NU football] is on the Big Ten Network or it's on ESPN, and that marketibility gives us the opportunity to go out and recruit young men throughout the country."  Click here for NU's official announcement, and here for the running blog that NUSports.com posted during the morning of signing day.

As of February 6 Scout.com ranks Northwestern's incoming class 68th in the nation (down from a 60th ranking on Jan. 8), just above Duke.  Scout ranks NU last in the Big Ten, and it puts OSU, Michigan and Illinois at the top of the conference.

Rivals has NU at 10th in the Big Ten, ahead of Indiana.  Rivals ranks OSU, Michigan, and Minnesota (Minnesota?) at the top.  Rivals has the 'Cats 72nd nationally (down from 64th on Jan. 8), behind Duke.

The following table shows the list of recruits who signed with NU on February 6, as confirmed by NU.  The comments on the list are compiled from material taken from PurpleReign.com, Rivals.com, ESPN, and The Sporting News. 

Please note that HailToPurple.com does not follow recruiting efforts, nor do I have interest in the recruiting process, crucial though it is-- for more detailed info and analysis, be sure to check out Lou V.'s work at Rivals and NU fan Turk's commentary on The Turk Report.

Congratulations and good luck to this promising group of soon-to-be Wildcats!