NU ‘worthy of doing something great,’ coach says

Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior WriterAug 23, 2023, 03:28 PM ET
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- College football reporter.
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008.
- Graduate of Northwestern University.

EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern interim coach David Braun thinks the Wildcats are “worthy of doing something great” during the upcoming season after a challenging summer punctuated by coach Pat Fitzgerald’s firing July 10.

Braun, who was named interim head coach July 13, has been impressed by the Wildcats’ resilience and now wants to build more confidence heading into the Sept. 3 opener against Rutgers.

Asked why he felt Northwestern deserved success this fall, Braun noted the immediate response following Fitzgerald’s firing in the wake of hazing allegations against the program. More than 10 former players filed lawsuits against Northwestern that alleged hazing, but none named any players, and no current players are facing discipline heading into the season.

“They continued to show up, and then they chose to stay, and the way they show up every day,” Braun said Wednesday after a practice in extreme heat. “This group is worthy of success. Now it’s time to for us to go create confidence through our preparation.”

Northwestern had only a handful of players, mostly incoming freshmen, enter the transfer portal in the 30-day window afforded to teams that go through coaching changes. Wide receiver Cam Johnson, who went through coaching changes at both Vanderbilt and Arizona State earlier in his career, felt a “conviction that we’re going to get through this together.”

“That was something that I hadn’t seen at other schools,” Johnson said. “Sometimes whenever you go through a coaching change, people splinter. For any team I’ve been on in my six years, this team is as close as any I’ve been a part of, so for me, it was a no-brainer to stay and be with these guys.”

Braun has welcomed former Northwestern players to practices this month, and credited them for “unwavering support” toward the team. Two sets of former Northwestern athletes have issued open letters in the past week — one defending the school’s overall athletic culture amid the hazing allegations, and another sharply criticizing university administrators for how they approached Fitzgerald’s firing.

“In regards to statements, I’ll tell you exactly what I told our team today after practice: ‘That stuff is in the rear-view,'” Braun said. “We’re on to Rutgers, we’re looking through the windshield, it’s time for us to look straight ahead. And that road right now points to points to New Jersey. That’s where our focus is at right now.”

Braun is not announcing a starting quarterback for the opener, saying Ben Bryant and Brendan Sullivan both continue to receive significant snaps in practice. Northwestern will not rotate quarterbacks, as Braun said the team needs a definitive starter.