Howland DE Carnifax commits to Northwestern

June 13, 2015 at 12:08a.m.

Tiger verbally commits to Northwestern University

Howland senior Tommy Carnifax has been getting flooded with Division I college football scholarship offers for the past year.

On Friday morning, he gave Northwestern University a verbal commitment and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing at a swimming pool.

“It was nice to get the weight off my shoulders, knowing I’ll be going somewhere next year,” Carnifax said. “And somewhere good.”

Northwestern had been the favorite to land Carnifax since his visit May 18. But Duke University made a late push, hosting the highly-touted defensive end on Tuesday.

“I wanted to make sure I was making the best decision and choosing the right spot,” Carnifax said. “In the end, nobody really came close [to Northwestern].”

Carnifax, who graduates from Howland High School in 2016, is rated by most recruiting websites as a 3-star defensive end prospect. He’s 6-foot-4, 245 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds.

He received 18 Division I offers, including Cincinnati, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Purdue, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin.

“When the recruiting process began, I had no idea,” Carnifax said. “I had a lot of MAC [Mid-American Conference] offers. I thought I’d be a MAC player.

“Then I started getting Big Ten offers and realized that was a possibility. From there, I had to narrow it down to five or six schools.”

With a major emphasis on academics, Carnifax was able to narrow the list down to a final two. Ultimately, his existing relationship with the Northwestern coaching staff outweighed the new allure of Duke.

“The coaches were talking with me and talking with my coaches at Howland a lot,” Carnifax said. “They were trying to develop that relationship, which is important.”

Life outside of football is also important for Carnifax. While on his visit in Evanston, Ill., he made sure to explore all avenues of the university. His experience on campus was a big reason why Northwestern was at the top of his list from the start.

“It’s a beautiful place,” Carnifax said. “We were walking everywhere and it seemed like it was in a great neighborhood.

“It’s not much of a city, but it felt a lot like home. Plus, Chicago is right there for internships and stuff like that.”

His plan is to get an undergraduate degree in economics and a graduate degree in business finance. He’ll do so while keeping up with the rigors of a Division I college football program.

“Football doesn’t last forever,” he said. “And the average NFL career is only like three years, so you have to have a plan after that.

“I hope football is going to be a big part of my life, but I know that my education is the most important thing.”

He’s the second Tiger to choose the Wildcats in recent years. Former Howland standout Tyler Scott was a two-time all-conference defensive end at Northwestern from 2010-13. Carnifax said Scott has been helping to prepare him for what to expect.

“We talk a lot and he has me in the right mindset, doing the right things,” Carnifax said. “He’s also shown me some basic formations and how to lineup in a three-point stance and what not.”

A two-way player at Howland, Carnifax thrived on the defensive side of the ball. He recorded 65 tackles, six sacks, 19 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles as a junior. He also caught 10 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns from the tight end position.

He earned all-state honorable mention and first team all-northeast Ohio last season.