Sources: Wildcats DC Braun to be interim coach

Pete Thamel, ESPNJul 13, 2023, 07:34 PM ET

Northwestern defensive coordinator David Braun has been tabbed as the school’s interim head coach for the 2023 season, sources told ESPN.

Braun will serve as the interim coach in the aftermath of the firing of coach Pat Fitzgerald amid allegations of hazing in the Northwestern program.

Northwestern hired Braun as defensive coordinator in January, which means he arrived after the hazing investigation was already initiated. Braun came from North Dakota State, where he won FCS Coordinator of the Year in 2021. During his four seasons at North Dakota State, Braun served as the coordinator and defensive playcaller on two national championship teams.

Braun’s first task will be preserving the Northwestern roster, as many players and parents are upset at the handling of Fitzgerald’s departure. The Northwestern players have a window of nearly four more weeks in which they can transfer without penalty.

In a team meeting earlier this week, Northwestern players expressed to university president Michael Schill and athletic director Derrick Gragg that they wanted clarity on the program’s future and continuity in the coaching staff.

Braun had been essentially operating as the head coach since Fitzgerald’s firing Monday. Players had expressed in the team meeting that naming Braun the interim coach would help give them some of the clarity and continuity they were seeking.

Northwestern fired defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil in November as part of a staff shake-up following a 1-11 season.

This will mark Braun’s first season in FBS football, as he has worked at NDSU, Northern Iowa, UC Davis, Winona State and Culver-Stockton.