INDIANAPOLIS-While head coach David Braun and a trio of players fielded questions from the media at Lucas Oil Stadium, the field where they'll play a majority of their games was still under construction back in Evanston.

The Wildcat quartet had no worries; in fact, they were bursting with enthusiasm about the lakeside project on what used to be their practice field.

"We're excited to play in the temporary stadium," running back and team captain Cam Porter said last Tuesday on the first day of Big Ten Media Days. "We're used to the wind, the rain. Whatever may come, we're used to it and our opponents aren't.

"It's also right outside the students’ dorms. That'll be really cool because they can walk right over and pack the stadium."

The WIldcats have still been able to practice on the field for portions of the summer, occasionally opting to play in their palatial indoor facility when construction conflicts with the field's integrity or availability. Linebacker Xander Mueller mentioned they were briefly moved inside for a day for workouts when a crane was on the field, but he hasn't noticed any serious impact on their summer preparations.

Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium is projected to have a capacity around 15,000 for football, taking Braun back to his days to North Dakota State and the 19,000-seat Fargodome.

"We'll give our allotment to our Big Ten opponent, but the rest of the pop-up [stadium] should be purple," he said. "Coaching in the FCS level as long as I did, especially at North Dakota State, that size of crowd can still be one heck of a home field advantage."

Braun took his commitment to the project above and beyond sentiment, committing a "major six-figure" donation to help push the project over the finish line and make it a reality. The players learned about it at the same time everyone else did, when ESPN's Adam Rittenberg broke the story on July 15.

"I just found out about Coach Braun putting his own money in [last Monday]," Porter said. "He didn't tell anybody, didn't share it, I read it in the article.

"That's the guy he is. He's humble and doesn't brag. It shows he's investing in us, he cares about us, and he's willing to do whatever he needs to do for us to succeed."

Wide receiver AJ Henning is a relative newcomer at Northwestern, heading into his second season with the Wildcats after transferring from Michigan. Still, Henning grew up and played high school football at suburban powerhouse Frankfort (Ill.) Lincoln-Way East. He knows how much Northwestern football can mean, and recognizes that in his head coach.

"That was a huge commitment, but it was no surprise," he said. "That's the type of guy he is. He's Northwestern through and through, and he really cares about the program and the players that are a part of it.

"For him to put his money up so we can play in our backyard, that just shows the type of guy he is."

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Mueller, who is entering his final season as a Wildcat, was relieved that he'd be able to play on campus in front of his family, friends and fans, rather than bouncing around Chicagoland at rented out fields.

"It's pretty cool to be able to play there," he said. "I know they were thinking of a bunch of different stadiums if we weren't able to play lakeside, obviously we're playing at Wrigley [twice], but it'll be cool to have somewhat of a rhythm and routine for these home games."

Braun is excited about the project's long-term effects as the team moves into the new Ryan Field for the 2026 season.

"I think this bridge of the lakeside pop-up to the new Ryan Field is much more fitting to what we need moving forward to truly create a home-field advantage," Braun said. "What we experienced last year at Ryan Field? We found a way to create a home-field advantage. It may have looked a little different but we went 5-1 at home, and that's something that we have to carry over moving forward."

Opposing head coaches, or at least one of them, aren't paying the project much heed. Wisconsin's Luke Fickell curtly dismissed any doubts about the quality or adversity of playing just a few yards off of Lake Michigan.

"It won't have a lot of impact on the outcome of the game," he said. "So, not a whole lot of time spent this summer thinking or worrying about that."

(In Fickell’s defense, if you had Alabama coming to town in September, you wouldn’t be too concerned about lake winds in October.)

Henning, though, is thinking about those winds and the environment right now.

"I'm looking forward to it, I am," he said. "It'll add a new element to Northwestern football, being so intimate with the fans on top of the field like that... We’re excited for it."

The Wildcats plan to execute on that excitement as their home opener, which is now just barely a month away.