Northwestern played the waiting game Thursday for one of its most important recruiting classes in the Bill Carmody era. With five seniors under scholarship, NU will have five roster openings after this season.

The Wildcats expect three players to sign National Letters of Intent. Jeff Ryan, a 6-foot-7 swingman from Glenbrook, Ill., sent his letter Wednesday – the first day of the one-week early signing period. Forward Kevin Coble of Scottsdale, Ariz. and guard Jeremy Nash of Chicago have orally committed and were expected to sign late Thursday or today.

Carmody said he would not comment on the recruits until all letters from the entire class had been received.

According to several recruiting services, Ryan is a versatile wing player with the ballhandling skills to play point guard. He also has 3-point range to go with his size, making him an ideal fit for the Cats’ offense.

Ryan was ranked the second-best small forward prospect in Illinois by ChicagoHoops.com. He led Glenbrook South High School to the Central Suburban League title as a junior last year and was an All-League selection. DePaul and Loyola reportedly offered him scholarships as well.

The 6-foot-8 Coble is another all-court forward who can shoot from the outside. He averaged 19.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and three blocks last season for Scottsdale Christian Academy, which has won two consecutive Arizona Class 2A state titles.

Coble is a two-time recipient of the Arizona Republic’s Small School Player of the Year award.