Texas RB commits to Northwestern

Chalk another big recruit up for the Northwestern Wildcats.

Cypress (Texas) Cy-Fair running back Omar Conteh, a three-star prospect, committed to Northwestern earlier tonight. A weekend visit to Evanston sealed his commitment, which he made to head coach Randy Walker and the coaching staff on Tuesday, one day after returning late Monday evening.

“I just committed to Northwestern like 20 minutes ago,” Conteh said. “I was glad to get it over with. I just got back last night, and it was real nice. The players up there were real nice. I was just surprised the way they acted and the way they, I just don’t know how to put it in words. It’s like a family. They all acted that way, together as a unit.”

Conteh was impressed with the Wildcats’ coaching staff, which he said did a good job of showing him how he would fit in to the offensive scheme.

“It was interesting and fun (talking to the coaches), because I got to talk with all the coaches,” he said. “They were real interesting, and they talked to me about things that could help me in football. I talked to the running backs coach and he convinced me that their offense really works with me. It meshes with my style.”

While football angles clearly lined up with what Conteh was looking for, he had made it perfectly clear that any school would need equally strong academics to get his commitment. With Northwestern’s engineering department, that pre-requisite was never in question.

“It was pretty much 50-50 with academics and football,” Conteh said. “I had to check if they had a good engineering program and that right there boosted it up and got me to go there. It’s a good academic school and then the fact that it’s a good team. They’re going to be real good next year, and the year after.”

Conteh also had a strong influence prodding him toward Evanston at home. He said that his mother has pushed for him to go to Northwestern since the Wildcats began recruiting him. Though he was hesitant to take her advice, Conteh's recent trip clearly answered his concerns. And yes, that includes worries about the weather.

“Yeah, it’s a little cold,” he said. “But I can still work with that.”

Conteh picked Northwestern over scholarship offers from Duke, Houston and TCU.