College football: Key signees and takeaways from National Signing Day

Bears' health to be tested in momentous rivalry game against Packers | Toyota Talks

In this week's Toyota Talks, 670 The Score and CHSN's David Haugh stops by the FOX 32 Chicago studios to talk Bears with Lou Canellis. They look ahead to Sunday's game in Green Bay, and discuss the health and depth of the Bears defense, and the significance of Caleb Williams' low completion percentage.

Here are the key takeaways and one key signee for Notre Dame, NIU, Illinois and Northwestern from National Signing Day this week.

Northwestern: Future building blocks are in place

After a season of improvement in 2025, Northwestern still had some questions to answer. How can the ‘Cats replicate and build on their success in 2026 and beyond? The 2026 recruiting class is a good answer.

David Braun’s staff went out and signed 3-star Fremd quarterback Johnny O’Brien, 4-star wide receiver Jaden McDuffie and 4-star offensive lineman Owen Fors. That’s the future of the Northwestern offense. The future of the offensive line is set too, as 3-star offensive tackles Leighton Burbach and Jack Fuchs signed with the ‘Cats.

Key Signee: Johnny O'Brien, 3-star QB – Palatine, Ill.

Preston Stone’s lone year in Evanston was an example of how a quarterback with a high football IQ can thrive in offensive coordinator Zach Lujan’s offense. At Fremd, O’Brien was comfortable changing plays and using audibles. That’s why he finished with a career completion percentage just under 67 percent.

He threw 93 touchdown passes against just 11 interceptions for the Vikings. It’s fair to assume he’s the quarterback of the future for the Wildcats. Now, the NU staff has to develop him.

Northern Illinois: Skill players are coming to DeKalb

This 2025 season was difficult for NIU. So many young players took bruises as they learned how to play at the college level. Next season, those experiences and lessons should pay off. That’s why it’s key for NIU to add skill players into the fold.

The Huskies did that with three of their four highest-rated recruits being skill players: athlete Ross Ogden, running back Jaiduan Cranford and wide receiver CJ Harkins. These players could earn a chance to play after NIU graduates 12 redshirt-seniors after this season.

Key Signee: Jaiduan Cranford, 3-star RB – Metamora, Ill.

Chavon Wright rushed for 875 yards after transferring from Charleston. It’s a sign that any running back who comes to NIU will have a chance to be immediately productive, especially under head coach Thomas Hammock, who was a running back in DeKalb and coached running backs in the NFL.

Cranford is the highest-rated signee in the early signing period and is an indoor track and field state champion. During his senior year at Metamora, he rushed for 1,054 yards, 9.2 yards per carry and 19 rushing touchdowns. He’ll have a chance to come in and compete for reps alongside five running backs who were freshmen in 2025, and sophomore Telly Johnson Jr.

Illinois: The next wave of talent in Champaign

After a two-year run where the Illini won 17 regular-season games and won 11 Big Ten games, Bret Bielema’s program turned in the nation’s No. 22-ranked recruiting class. That’s tied for the highest in program history.

This class signed three 4-star players in Nasir Rankin, Micah Smith and Nick Hankins. Landing Smith was a massive recruiting win, as the Illini flipped him from UCLA on signing day.

Bielema was on the record saying this is one of the most talented recruiting classes of his career. If that pans out the way the Illini staff wants, then they should be competitive in the Big Ten on a yearly basis with the assistance of the transfer portal.

Key Signee: Nasir Rankin, 4-star WR – Chicago, Ill.

The question all last offseason was "who will be the Illini’s go-to receiver?" That proved to be Hank Beatty. Now, Rankin will have a chance to come in and stake his claim on the Illinois program as its next generation of playmakers.

At Morgan Park, Rankin played all over the offense. The Illini might simplify his role when he gets to Champaign, but they have the chance to develop Rankin into a versatile playmaker who should impact games as soon as he’s up to speed in the college game.

Notre Dame: The momentum keeps building

The Irish were bound to get a bump in recruiting after a run to the national title game last season. That materialized incredibly for Notre Dame.

The Irish signed four five-star prospects: tight end Ian Premer, pass rusher Rodney Dunham, safety Joey O’Brien and cornerback Khary Adams. Dunham, O’Brien and Adams are expected to enroll early.

On top of that, Notre Dame signed 19 4-star prospects and had the third-best recruiting class in the nation according to 247 Sports, behind Oregon and USC. None of the players verbally committed to Notre Dame de-committed or flipped to other schools on Signing Day. De-commits and flips are nuanced based on evaluations, developments and coaching changes, but it’s still a testament to Marcus Freeman’s ability to recruit that he retained all of the Irish’s verbal commitments in the early signing period.

Now, with 24 of the signees enrolling early, the coaching staff can get most of them on campus for the spring season and get a jump start in acclimating them into a national championship-contending program.

Key signee: Khary Adams, 5-star CB – Towson, Md.

Irish cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens is on a heater. He developed Leonard Moore into an All-American cornerback. Now, he has 4-star defensive backs Ayden Pouncey and Chaston Smith in the fold. In this class, 5-star cornerback Khary Adams could develop into an impact player immediately.

Adams is billed as a player with elite speed and impressive ball skills to pair with his ability to play in both man and zone coverage. If he can pick up defensive coordinator Chris Ash’s scheme right away, he could make some waves early for the Irish in a defensive backfield that includes Moore and underclassman star safety Tae Johnson.

College Football NCAA Northwestern Notre Dame Illinois Northern Illinois Sports