DeKALB | In the spring time, a gentle rumble of thunder in the distant horizon signals a thunderstorm approaching.

The clashes of cold and hot air will grow incrementally louder until the full-fledged epicenter of the storm arrives with a crashing crescendo.

Almost like the gradual arrival of that spring-time phenomenon, the day for high school athletes around the country to declare their college of choice is almost upon us.

The regional recruiting battles can be fierce. NIU faces stiff competition from the tradition-laden schools that encompass our geographic setting.

“This last week is always a tense time,” NIU coach Joe Novak said. “The bad part about losing a recruit is that we had told other kids that we weren’t going to take them.”

Sitting on the NIU door step are the Big Ten and Notre Dame, ready to pounce on any player that would fit into their systems.

NIU must search through the morsels the larger universities decide to leave behind.

Even faced with that daunting task, Novak and company managed the 22nd best record in all of Division I football since 2000.

“We don’t want to lose a MAC recruit to another MAC school,” Novak said. “The secret to recruiting is to make good evaluations about kids with potential and then get them in here and develop them.”

A recent in-state coups has developed since Ron Zook took over at Illinois. The renowned recruiting master has managed to bring in a bumper crop of a recruiting class, despite posting a 2-10 record last season.

Zook has nabbed seven athletes ranked with four starts or better by Rivals.com.

Seven players are from Illinois, and several others come from Ohio and Florida, states usually owned by this year’s national title game participants Florida and Ohio State.

Zook’s emergence would seem to result in even fewer players available for NIU.

Rivals.com ranks Notre Dame as having the fourth-best recruiting class in the country. The Fighting Irish recruited the best class of all Midwest schools, followed by the Big Ten-leading Illini at No. 12, and the Buckeyes at No. 13.

Akron is the first Mac school to appear on the Rivals.com list at No. 82. The Zips have collected four three-star recruits, and 16 two-star recruits in what is shaping up to be a 20-player class.

Central Michigan, Ball State and Toledo also appear on the list before NIU finally arrives at No. 95. The Rockets have a MAC-high five three-star commitments.

NIU has filled 19 of its 20 scholarships thus far, and according to Rivals, has 16 players ranked with two stars.

NIU has stayed in the state for 11 of its recruits, and is quarterback-heavy with three players that were signal callers in high school.

With signing day on Feb. 7, all the buzz and rumors about who is headed where will finally be answered. Just like a “November Surprise” in a presidential election, there always seems to be a last-second defection that sparks some drama.

Stay tuned for a full regional breakdown and a player spotlight as signing day approaches.