Northwestern Wildcats, David Braun Land Intriguing 2026 Defensive Prospect

After hosting multiple prospects this past weekend, head coach David Braun and the Northwestern Wildcats received some excited news following the official visits.

According to a social media post on Sunday, 2026 three-star defensive lineman Nick Costa has announced his commitment to Northwestern.

After taking an official visit to the program on Jun. 20, Costa decided on the Wildcats over multiple division one programs, including the up-and-coming Syracuse Orange. Both programs made a late push for the talented defender, as they offered Costa and hosted him for a visit in the month of June. However, Braun was able to ultimately prevail as the winner.

As a junior at St. Augustine Prep in Richland, NJ, Costa finished with 38 total tackles, nine tackles for losses and three sacks in his nine games. At 6-foot-4, 230 lbs., the young prospect is a top-40 prospect in the state of New Jersey, according to 247Sports, which makes him an intriguing commit for the Wildcats.

With the recent news regarding Costa's recruitment, Northwestern now stands at 14 commits in the 2026 recruiting cycle. This includes three-star prospects Brayden Reilly, Davis Kinney and Leighton Burbach as the top recruits in Braun's current class. The third-year head coach's efforts so far on the recruiting trail puts the Wildcats as the No. 53 program in the 2026 cycle, according to 247Sports' Composite Ratings. Costa now joins Nick Zalewski and Calvin Lorek as the lone defensive lineman commits in the 2026 class.