Braun 'really proud of university leadership' for lakefront stadium
MORE ON LAKEFRONT STADIUM: Northwestern to build temporary lakefront stadium for 2024-25 seasons
On the heels of their 11th spring practice, and the momentous announcement of a temporary football stadium on the lakefront to host a majority of 2024 home games, head coach David Braun addressed the media for the first time since the team's Pro Day on March 7.
"The task of figuring out where we're going to play for two years in between [now and the new Ryan Field] is no easy task," Braun said. "I don't envy those that had to go through that process. There are a lot of factors in my role that I don't understand, but what I can say is I'm really proud of university leadership."
Braun was ecstatic about the potential the facility brings to the table. He admitted to being relieved that an on-campus solution was found after options throughout the Chicagoland area and even out-of-state were bandied about earlier this year.
"I try to stay narrowly focused on wherever we end up playing, my job is make sure that our team is ready to go," he said. "But as that first game approached and got closer and closer, there are things that start to run through your head. To know where a majority of our home games will be played is something that really allows us to start planning and be intentional about what type of rhythm we want to create for our guys as we approach games."
Northwestern's press release said that a majority of the football team's scheduled home games will be played at the temporary facility. That likely means four games, as an email sent to season ticket holders stated that the venue will host the non-conference slate, plus at least one conference game. Games against Miami (OH), Duke and Eastern Illinois will be played there, for sure, with a strong likelihood that Indiana, the Big Ten home opener on Oct. 5, will be the fourth game.
Games with more prestige or larger draws, like Wisconsin, Ohio State and Illinois, the last three contests of the season, could be played at Wrigley Field or Soldier Field.
Just a day after the announcement, there are still plenty of details to iron out. The stadium's capacity, a date for the start of construction and potential impact on summer or fall camps have yet to be published or confirmed.
As far as Braun is concerned though, these are champagne problems and an opportunity for Northwestern's athletic department and support staff to continue to display their skills and character.
"Those things are still in the works," he said. "This endeavor involves a lot of hard work, planning, foresight. On the back end, there's still so much work to be done. I can't tell you how much I appreciate so many people stepping up and saying, in the interest of our student-athletes and university, let's go. Let's go attack this."
The result will be one of the most picturesque venues in the country.
"I think back to when College GameDay was here [in 2013, for a game against Ohio State]. Where did they shoot it? They shot it from the lakefront," Braun said. "When campus is buzzing, people walking, whether they're coming to the game or not, there's an energy on campus...
"I hope everyone feels like they can find their own way to be involved in that game day experience."
Mueller to stay at Will: Linebacker Xander Mueller is a strong favorite for a defensive captaincy next season, returning to the team as a fifth-year senior coming of of a 110-tackle season and 25 straight starts. With his running mate, fellow 100+ tackler and middle linebacker Bryce Gallagher, pursuing a pro career, Mueller was assumed to slide over into the vacated "Mike" role.
While Mueller will continue to be a leader of the defense and be integrally involved in game-planning discussions with new defensive coordinator Tim McGarigle, he said he'll be staying in his weakside "Will" role.
Mueller said that the starting Mike job has been a battle this spring between senior Mac Uihlein, a four-star recruit in 2021 from nearby Lake Forest who has been behind Gallagher on the depth chart these past three years, and junior Braydon Brus, who excelled on special teams last season.
Brus leapt off the screen to many Northwestern fans when he forced a fumble on the opening kickoff against Penn State last season. He had another one vs. Illinois in the regular-season finale.
Uihlein has the pedigree but has struggled to break through with Gallagher ahead of him on the depth chart. His window is now or never.
Players love impact of weather, on-campus environment: Both wide receiver Bryce Kirtz and Mueller gave the new temporary facility their hearty endorsement. A question was mistakenly asked about whether USC will want to play on the lakefront in cold weather. The Trojans won't be playing at Northwestern in either 2024 or 2025, but Kirtz's response can be extrapolated to UCLA, which will come to town in 2025.
"I think they're going to hate it, they won't want to play," Kirtz said. "Especially a team like USC. They're not going to want to play on the cold lakefront."
Mueller singled out the operational importance of the facility on the lake, saying fans and players alike can avoid unnecessary trips across the state to play or watch games.
"I'm not sure how many students would have gone out and trekked an hour drive away regularly," he said. "Playing on campus, we'll have guys walk over from Bobb [-McCulloch] and the other dorms on campus. It'll be awesome to get those guys there."
Offensive line room sparse for spring: Braun said the offensive line room currently has just eight players for this round of spring practice, evoking the threadbare status of the defensive line room last season.
That position group evolved into one of the team's most formidable last fall, and Braun hopes to repeat that success on the other side of the ball this season.
"Really excited about the development of our offensive line room," said Braun. At one point we had seven guys practicing, we're up to eight... It's very similar to what we were able to create last season with our D Line. It creates a sense of urgent development."
Help is on the way to bolster the squad under new position coach Bill O'Boyle. There are four true freshmen from the Class of 2024 showing up in June: Idrys Cotton, Ezomo Oratokhai and Dennis Rahouski on scholarship, with Jace Borcherding as a preferred walkon. None project to make an immediate impact in Year 1, but will provide depth for practices and potential down the road.
For immediate impact, Northwestern has two grad transfer commitments via the portal: Texas Tech tackle Matt Keeler and Colorado guard Jack Bailey. Bailey played for O'Boyle his entire career -- first at Kent State, then Colorado -- and will be a presumptive starter at guard.
The Wildcats' turnaround on the defensive line last year was sensational, after fielding just two scholarship tackles in the spring. But they need to be wary, as repeating that kind of success could be difficult, and competitive depth in the trenches is a baseline necessity to compete in the Big Ten.
Once reinforcements arrive over the summer, the Wildcats figure to be at a much more comfortable number in the OL room.
Braun still working to find comfort zone as Big Ten head coach: One of the difficulties of the college game is that the responsibilities of a head coach can veer closer to those of a head of state. There's a constant deluge of recruiting, messaging, marketing and fundraising, and it's still their responsibility to win on the field above all else.
Braun is undergoing his first offseason at the helm of the program after being hired as permanent coach in November. He said it has taken some getting used to, and he's very appreciative of the jobs done so far by three of his new hires: McGarigle, offensive coordinator Zach Lujan and tight ends/special teams coordinator Paul Creighton.
"I'm so grateful to Tim, Zach and Paul," he said. "There's no doubt I feel very comfortable stepping out of a room with full trust that those guys will have that phase of our team ready to go...
"It's allowed me to be involved in a lot of things that I never knew were on a head coach's plate in the offseason. I'm still learning a lot, and you start to realize in this role that a lot of your day-to-day has nothing to do with on-field football, and there's good and bad with that. But having people in all three phases that I have full trust in, I'm very grateful."
Kirtz describes decision to return: After struggling with a series of knee injuries to start his first four seasons in Evanston, Kirtz burst onto the scene, fully healthy, in 2023. He racked up 49 receptions for 701 yards, second-most on the team, and five touchdowns.
His decision to return to Northwestern for a sixth season came after consulting with his coaches and NFL scouts.
"It was a pretty hard decision," he said. "All the injuries I had in the past limited me. I talked to the scouts and they said they liked what they saw last year, I just need to put another year of production on film. That was one of the main reasons I came back."
One of the keys to banking another good year will be the increased flexibility and efficacy of the offense under Lujan. Kirtz didn't mince words.
"He's really young, so we've related to him on that level," he said. "He brings more of the game we play today in football. There are a lot of big plays, we spread the ball around a lot. The tight ends are getting a lot more touches, which is good to see and I feel like that just opens up everything else. Teams have to focus on the tight ends and not just the receivers."