Wildcats coaches, players impress NJ LB

Three-star linebacker Nick Macaluso out of Middletown South, N.J. made the trek up to Chicago last weekend to check out Northwestern. The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder enjoyed his visit, but what exactly stood out to him from the trip?

"Going in I didn't know what to expect, but I fell in love with the coaches and players on the team," he said. "They are all great people and I really identified with them. I was hosted on the trip by Corey Wootton who went to Don Bosco. It was good and he was just like me. Mostly he talked with me about how close the team is and it's like a family there.

"I also did a lot of other stuff on my trip. I got there on Friday and met with the academic advisor. On Saturday, we went to Chicago and drove around seeing the sites and I ate at Mike Ditka's Restaurant which was cool. Finally on Sunday I met with coach Walker one on one. The conversation went really well and we discussed committing, the program and stuff like that. I wasn't close to making a decision as I still have to talk it over with my family."

The No. 39 inside linebacker in the country rated his trip an eight or nine.

"I liked the players and coaches a lot and could see myself going there," he said. "I liked Northwestern and Rutgers a lot. It's hard to compare the two schools and I know it's going to be a tough decision. I still haven't been out to Duke and Stanford yet either and I plan to head out there.

"Overall I think my decision is going to come down to a gut feeling where I know it is right. At Northwestern, I was overall very impressed with the school and program that's going on there."

Macaluso is headed to Duke next week followed by Stanford on January 20th. The No. 19 prospect in New Jersey confirmed that he expects to make a decision right around Signing Day.