NU adds 'dominant' tight end, three tall WRs

Mark Szott didn't have to wait long to learn he passed the audition.

The Waubonsie Valley tight end and his high school teammates competed in Northwestern's 7-on-7 tournament on June 12 in full view of the coaching staff.

“The word: Dominant,” said NU coach Pat Fitzgerald, who compared Szott to current standout superback Drake Dunsmore.

“I thought he dominated while he was on the field. Guys were just in helmets, but he played with a very physical attitude and I thought caught the ball extremely clean. Effortless.”

Before the 6-foot-4, 235-pound Szott could get out of Evanston, Fitzgerald called him into his Trienens Hall corner office at and offered a scholarship.

“I committed right there,” Szott said. “Right away.”

While California running back Jordan Perkins was the only other member of NU's 17-freshman recruiting class to give Fitzgerald an answer on the spot, Szott was otherwise a typical member of the group unveiled Wednesday.

Eleven new Wildcats committed before the 2010-11 school year began. Six attended an NU summer camp.

Szott said the majority of the players who committed early deliberately planned their official visits for the first weekend in December. That way they could start the bonding process early.

“There were nine of us, I think,” Szott said. “Everyone was real cool, real chill, down to earth.

“We already have good chemistry. And our hosts, the guys on the team, they were real cool, real accepting. When we told them we were already committed, they were even nicer.”

That speaks to the fit that Fitzgerald always brings up on signing day. Moreso than before, Northwestern didn't look to fill positions as much as find the right players.

While the Wildcats certainly filled a niche by attracting three 6-foot-3 wideouts — they haven't had a tall target since Andrew Brewer graduated after the 2009 season — it was more coincidence than plot.

“We had Pierre (Youngblood-Ary) in camp,” Fitzgerald said. “He's an explosive athlete...I watched him on the basketball court this winter. (He had) one of the most explosive dunks I've ever seen in traffic. He's got a huge upside.

“We also had Cam Dickerson in camp. Another taller athlete that we thought caught the ball well — could go up and get the ball in traffic.”

Christian Jones, the third new wide receiver, is the class' top-rated recruit at No. 108 on ESPNU's Top 150 list. NU stuck by the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Houston, Texas, native after he tore his ACL last spring.

“The injury's just a speed bump,” Fitzgerald said.

NU didn't forget to bring in a top-flight quarterback to throw to all of its new receivers.

Offensive coordinator Mick McCall and the NU staff identified 6-4, 225-pound Zack Oliver early as a primary target, and the Baton Rouge, La., resident committed two weeks after Szott.

Oliver stacked up 5,411 passing yards and 743 rushing yards in three years as the starter for powerhouse Catholic High.

“We wanted Zack to be our quarterback,” Fitzgerald said. “There wasn't a hem or a haw. There wasn't a doubt in our mind ... he's got a bright, bright future.”

Northwestern also cleaned up on the offensive line where it signed four players. Fitzgerald indicated the Wildcats planned for just three offensive linemen but couldn't pass up a fourth when he wanted to commit.

That fourth lineman? Fremd's Jack Konopka, who played Wednesday in the “USA vs. The World” all-star game in Austin, Tex.