#88

Alex Lines

TE · Northwestern · Sr. · #88

Returning to Northwestern for 2026
This season's coverage starts August 26 — check back once kickoff hits.

Alex Lines

TE · Northwestern · Sr · #88

Limited signal — not enough coverage for a story yet.

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★
#1103 national
CFB
College
2 teams
2021–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Coaching Lineage · 2021–2025

2 coaches
2021
Northwestern
2022
Northwestern
2025
Northwestern
era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Pat Fitzgerald → David Braun. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2021Arizona1-11HC: Jedd Fisch · Balanced
2022Arizona5-7HC: Jedd Fisch · Pass-leaning
2025Northwestern7-6HC: David Braun · Run-leaning

Career stats

SeasonTeam
2025Northwestern4143.50--
2022Arizona188.00--
2021Arizona1013813.80--
Career1516010.70--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 7 · 2025

W 22–21

at Penn State

1 rec · 7 yds

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 1 on the road.

How he plays

Play style

Shows up in the passing game from any alignment.

CFB Index positional classification

2026 Outlook

Northwestern

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Tight end · Northwestern

Returning around him

  • 68% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
  • 2 Northwestern players drafted to NFL
  • Transfer portal: +9 net (17 in / 8 out)

2026 Award watch

No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)

Northwestern · Last season: 7-6 · Talent rank #57 · 2026 recruiting class #52

DNA match

Player DNA

Complete TE

No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.

TE

His 2021 production profile sits closest to Grayson Gunter’s 2020 season.

Southern Miss · 2020

#2

Luke Lachey

Iowa · 2021

NFL Rd 7
80%
#3

Joey Luchetti

Boston College · 2021

74%
#4

Jake Marwede

Duke · 2021

67%
#5

Luke Musgrave

Oregon State · 2021

NFL Rd 2 · Pk 11
66%

Matches Grayson on

Yards / reception
Reception volume
Weight

Differs from Grayson on

Recruiting rating (lower)

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Marlin Klein's sophomore season at Michigan (2024).

Marlin Klein

84%match

Michigan · 2024

NFL Rd 2 · Pk 27
#2

Zach Courtney

Coastal Carolina · 2025

83%
#3

Kyle Morlock

Florida State · 2024

80%
#4

Tre Watson

Fresno State · 2022

79%
#5

Jackson Hawes

Georgia Tech · 2024

NFL Rd 5
76%

Matches Marlin on

Total EPA (college ability)
EPA / play (adj)
Reception volume

Differs from Marlin on

Yards / reception (higher)

Heisman trajectory

Heisman Trajectory · 2025

Peak #2394

Final rank
#2941
Avg #2773.0
Finalist prob 0%

Peaked at #2394 this season.

Development

Development Trajectory · receiving yards

2021–2025
1382021
8.02022
14.02025

-90%

Sharp dropoff (-90%) — career inflection point.