Northwestern reportedly will give interim head coach David Braun the full-time role

Northwestern is giving interim head coach David Braun the full-time job with the Wildcats sitting at 5-5 and just one win away from bowl eligibility, according to ESPN.

Braun was promoted to the interim role after longtime head coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired in July amid accusations that he knew of alleged hazing within the Northwestern football program. Fitzgerald is suing the school for wrongful termination.

Shockingly, Northwestern has seen a four-win improvement over a 1-11 season in 2022, when the Wildcats’ only victory was a Week 0 win in Ireland over Nebraska. Northwestern also only won three games in 2021. This season, Northwestern has wins over Big Ten foes Minnesota, Maryland and Wisconsin, and nonconference opponents UTEP and Howard.

Braun is the first Northwestern coach to win five games in his first season since Walter McCornack in 1903, per ESPN. It’s a stunning rise for Braun, who was handed his first FBS job in January when Fitzgerald hired him as Northwestern’s defensive coordinator.