Northwestern Wildcats Land Intriguing 2026 Defender

After landing their second 2026 recruit last week in CB Joshua Sims, David Braun and his staff have officially brought in a third member from the class. Defensive end Nick Zalewski announced yesterday on X that he is committed to Northwestern.

Zalewski is unranked on 247Sports and had listed offers from three schools besides Northwestern: Kent State, Tiffin (D II) and Toledo. NU was the only power-conference school on the list which likely made it an attractive option.

The Ohio native went to Thomas Worthington High School and is listed at 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds. Zalewski was a play-maker on defense in high school. He posted an impressive 14 TFLs last season, finishing with 71 total tackles and three sacks. He also tacked on a pick six for good measure.

Zalewski is far from a finished product as a player, but adding a developmental piece to the defensive line is smart. The current unit is solid and has some younger talent already waiting in the wings, so Zalewski will have time to adjust to college ball and learn from current players.

After landing quarterback Johnny O'Brien last summer as the first member of Northwestern's 2026 class, Braun has adressed the defense with Sims and Zalewski. The class currently ranks No. 71 in the country on 247Sports, but there's time for teams to continue recruiting.

It looks like Braun and the Wildcats are looking at everybody, from higher ranked prospects to developmental players like Zalewski. Northwestern wants to be a program that is capable of developing talent, and Zalewski represents an opportunity to prove it.

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