Wildcats Further Improve 2023 Class with CB Cole Shivers

The dynamic defensive back becomes the 12th commit of the '23 class.

The Northwestern football program has been hard at work with recruiting for the Class of 2023 over the past week. They have signed six players since May 15 and have catapulted up to the No. 9 ranking in the country for the recruiting class. 

Committed!! #GoCats @CoachMohns @coachfitz51 @NUFBRecruiting @Coach_Smitty pic.twitter.com/H5EWdsEopk

— 5 ® (@coleshivers21) May 18, 2022

The most recent signing is Cole Shivers, a cornerback from Scottsdale, AZ. He is rated as a three-star prospect from both Rivals and 247 Sports and plays for Saguaro High School. He possesses a 5'10" frame and weighs in at 165 pounds. He ranks as the 951st overall player in the country, the 81st cornerback and the 18th rated player in Arizona.

Shivers received 14 offers and had narrowed his top three to Colorado, Arizona and Northwestern before committing to the Wildcats on May 18. He made an official visit to Evanston on May 13. 

As a junior, Shivers played in 11 games, notching 31 total tackles, 18 being solo and 13 assisted. He also recorded an interception during his freshman year of high school.

Where Shivers has shined thus far in his career is in coverage. In the 16 games he has played in since the start of his sophomore year, he has surrendered just 120 yards total, an average of about 7.5 yards per game. This is backed up by his highlight tape shown below.

Shivers is a battler. He engages physically without crossing a line, possesses the speed to match up with opposing receivers and shows strong football IQ through his play recognition. He also delivers punishing tackles, which is definitely an underrated aspect of his game. The opposing quarterbacks are continuously caught off guard by he sudden emergence and his strong tackling form allows him to use his shoulder to drive them into the turf.

With an extra year of development at the high school level ahead of Shivers, it will be interesting to see what he looks like when he arrives in Evanston in 2023,

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