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Big Ten Roundup (July 18): Northwestern Loses Highest-Ranked Recruit to Transfer Portal

Three-star offensive lineman offensive lineman Ryan Howerton committed to Maryland and coach Mike Locksley, while former Northwestern four-star linebacker Nigel Glover entered the transfer portal after one season in Evanston following the firing of head coach Pat Fitzgerald.

Daniel Olinger

Big Ten Roundup (July 18): Northwestern Loses Highest-Ranked Recruit to Transfer Portal
Big Ten Roundup (July 18): Northwestern Loses Highest-Ranked Recruit to Transfer Portal /
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Ryan "Mountain" Howerton is staying in-state, as the 2024 three-star offensive lineman and Maryland native committed to the Terrapins on Saturday to play for coach Mike Locksley. 

In other Big Ten news, Northwestern linebacker Nigel Glover announced his decision to enter the transfer portal on Monday. Glover was Northwestern's highest-rated player in its 2023 recruiting class, but he now leaves the program without playing a single game following the Northwestern hazing scandal that ended with the firing of coach Pat Fitzgerald.

Here's everything you need to know in today's Big Ten Roundup:

Howerton Commits to Maryland

After keeping 2024 four-star running back DeJuan Williams in-state last week, Locksley and Co. did it again, as three-star offensive lineman Ryan "Mountain" Howerton committed to Maryland on Saturday. 

Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 295 pounds, it's not hard to see how Howerton got the nickname "Mountain." He's the Terrapins' 15th overall commit in the class of 2024 and their 14th three-star in the class, according to 247 Sports. 

Maryland's 2024 class ranks 50th overall in the country and 13th overall in the Big Ten, only ranking ahead of Indiana, UCLA and Northwestern's classes in 2024, according to 247.  

Glover Leaving Northwestern

While Glover is the first Northwestern player to leave in the wake of Pat Fitzgerald's firing, he likely won't be the last. 

The former four-star linebacker put his name in the transfer portal on Monday, according to Matt Zenitz of On3. This is a major loss for the Wildcats, as Glover was one of the top talents on the roster. 

Glover was Northwestern's highest-ranked player in its class of 2023, being the only four-star commit and the seventh-overall ranked player in the state of Ohio, according to 247 Sports. 

Additionally, the Glover news came after ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reported that eight former Northwestern players have retained legal counsel and will bring a lawsuit for "physical, sexual and emotional abuse" against the university in relation to the allegations of hazing within the football program. 

"There's remarkable consistency in both the reports given to us by our clients and others, and it's corroborated by the Northwestern report itself," the players' attorney Steve Levin told Rittenberg in a statement. "This is not a case about Coach Fitzgerald. This is a case about Northwestern as an institution."

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Daniel Olinger
DANIEL OLINGER

Daniel Olinger is a Sports Illustrated/FanNation reporter for HoosiersNow.com. He graduated from Northwestern University with degrees in both journalism and economics. 

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