EVANSTON-Head coach David Braun continued to stay as tight-lipped as possible about team details ahead of their season opener on Saturday against Miami (Ohio).
Positional battles have been waged throughout fall camp at quarterback, across the offensive line, at slot receiver, middle linebacker, nickel back and now at cornerback due to an injury to Ore Adeyi.
Braun said decisions have been made internally, but declined to announce them publicly ahead of the game. RedHawks coaches will have to wait until sometime after 2:30 p.m. Central time to find out.
"We would never keep a decision in-house if the decision or someone is clearly going to be your starting quarterback entering into fall camp," he said. "I think similar to last year... It comes down to [their] defensive coordinator's perspective.
"Certainly they are studying both [quarterbacks] Jack [Lausch] and Mike [Wright] thoroughly. They have a similar skill set, but as a coordinator you only have so much time in the day. If [they] know who that starting quarterback is going to be, there can be extra studies... That information doesn't necessarily need to be Miami's until the game."
The same went for the offensive line, though Braun's comment that the center battle was between Jack Bailey and Jackson Carsello signals that senior Ben Wrather has been moved from his starting spot last year, possibly out to right tackle.
Braun similarly maintained his poker face on the injury front, saying his team has undergone "some nicks and bruises:. But social media posts from presumed starting cornerback Ore Adeyi and defensive end contributor Richie Hagarty signaled that both could be sidelined with serious, if not season-ending injuries.
"We're unsure on Ore's timeline," Braun said of Adeyi, who posted an X-ray on his Instagram story two weeks ago. "I won't get into specifics but what I will say is that that young man's growth over the course of the last year has been so exciting.
"Very confident with the way Ore approaches everything in his day-to-day that he'll be back on an expedited timeline and that sounds like it'll be a positive timeline. So we're hurting for Ore, but also very excited that he'll be back in a timely manner."
Braun highlighted Josh Fussell, who redshirted last season after a few special teams snaps, and Evan Smith as possible replacements for Adeyi in the starting lineup opposite Theran Johnson. He added that he thinks there will be a 'rotation' at that second cornerback position this season.
Hagarty, who was a pass-rushing specialist for the Wildcats last season, posted a picture today from the hospital, after Braun's press conference had concluded, so the coach had no comment on his injury.
Braun in conversations with administration over scholarships: As part of the House vs. NCAA settlement that is being put into effect for the 2025-26 season, scholarships limits would be eliminated but a roster cap of 105 players imposed on each college football program. Currently, the Wildcats' roster is at 111.
Under the new system, schools could offer scholarships to all 105 players on their roster, 20 more than the current limit of 85. But schools aren't obligated to offer that many and could offer less.
Braun said that conversations have already started about how Northwestern will handle the new scholarship scenario.
"There have been a lot of conversations and there are so many layers, and those conversations will be ongoing," Braun said about whether NU will allocate all 105 of the scholarships to football. "I think the important thing in this landscape is staying true to our values but find the things we can leverage best...
"As we navigate those scholarships, you better be really buttoned up with your scouting. There are some really creative ways that we can look to leverage earning a Northwestern degree, explore the potential of having some walkons and maybe not fully utilizing all 105, allowing individuals to earn that opportunity."
Braun highlighted Jacob Schmidt, the director of the program's NIL collective, and Luke Walerius, the team's general manager of roster development, as two key actors in this process.
"Those in our administration, Jacob Schmidt with TrueNU, Luke Walerius, our [GM], those are things we're talking about daily," Braun said. "It's going to be quite the challenge moving forward but with that challenge, we could see some really neat opportunities for us moving forward."
Northwestern names five captains: The Wildcats announced their captains for the 2024 campaign: RB Cam Porter, WR Bryce Kirtz, DL Carmine Bastone, LB Xander Mueller and S Coco Azema.
Porter and Azema are both two-time captains, the 16th and 17th Wildcats to earn that distinction in program history.
Braun took some time to talk about each of the five players:
Azema: "He's a two-time captain and a fierce leader. He has so much credibility in the way that he operates."
Porter: "Another individual that's a two-time captain for the Cats and he'll also be wearing the No. 1 jersey. Cam Porter makes everyone around him better just by showing up every day and I'm so excited about the progress he's shown. i think we're about to see.a truly breakout season, not that he hasn't done great things up to this point, but so excited for what's in store for him."
Kirtz: "First-time captain, Bryce has been through a lot, but what he's done for this program in the last 20 months since I've been around him [has been impressive]. Not afraid to speak up and not afraid to enter hard but meaningful conversations to keep the program pushing forward and accountable."
Mueller: "Xander Mueller, when I talk to pro scouts about all these guys, but specifically Xander Mueller, Xander is the type of guy that has his routine mapped out from 5:30 am to 9 pm every day. He embraces daily improvements with an infectious personality."
Bastone: "Former walkon who earned a scholarship prior to last season, you can talk about so many things and how they embody this program, but Carmine Bastone, with his background as a local Chicagoland kid that dreamed of playing for the Cats... When our team heard that Carmine was going to be one of the captains, you could tell there was an extra level of excitement knowing the journey he has been on."
Braun taking nothing for granted in opener: Northwestern opens with a MAC opponent at home, but Braun knows the RedHawks are no slouch.
They're the reigning MAC champions coming off of an 11-3 season, they return starting quarterback Brett Gabbert in his sixth year of college football and they won the last time they were in Evanston, in 2022. All-time, Miami is 7-3 against the Wildcats.
"Miami is not walking in here, tip-toeing around and scared of a Big Ten opponent," he said. "They're coming in here will a full intent to win. We respect our opponents.
"We're going to understand them and we'd better understand this is a daunting football team and we'll have to be at our best to win on Saturday."
