As the fallout continues from a hazing investigation that led to the firing of football coach Pat Fitzgerald, another 2024 recruit decommitted from the school on Wednesday, announcing he was attending another Big Ten school.
Dillian Johnson, a three-star recruit who plays football and wrestles at Joliet Catholic Academy, announced he was decommitting from Northwestern on Wednesday and said he would instead attend Wisconsin:
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He is the third Northwestern recruit to decommit in the last two days. On Tuesday, Greenville, South Carolina offensive lineman Julius Tate was the first to announce that he was reopening his recruiting:
“I will reassess my collegiate decision, and hurts to say I will be decommitting from Northwestern University,” he said.
A short time later, Payton Stewart, an offensive tackle from Kelso High School in Washington, followed suit.
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“After talking with my parents and coaches about the news that has broke, I have reconsidered my decision and decided to decommit from Northwestern,” he said.
The decisions come amid the ongoing fallout from the hazing investigation at the school, which ultimately led to the firing of Fitzgerald amid increasing scrutiny of the program.
Nearly a dozen current and former players corroborated allegations of hazing and sexual abuse within the football program, and even though an investigation found insufficient evidence to prove that Fitzgerald knew about the hazing, he was found to have had “significant opportunity” to learn of the incidents.