Northwestern has finally filled out its coaching staff this week with the addition of defensive line coach Christian Smith. He joins defensive coordinator David Braun and wide receivers coach Armon Binns on the Wildcats' overhauled staff for 2023.
Here are five thoughts on head coach Pat Fitzgerald's new staff members and what it means for the Northwestern program:
1. Fitzgerald went outside the box
It was hard to know what direction Fitzgerald would go when filling out his coaching staff after firing defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil, wide receivers coach Dennis Springer and defensive line coach Marty Long following the conclusion of the 2022 season. The direction he ultimately went wasn't one that many people expected. All three new coaches come from the FCS level, and they have very minimal or no connections to the current staff.
Binns played one year for offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian at Cincinnati but has no other connection to Fitzgerald’s staff. Smith was a player at Toledo while current running backs coach Lou Ayeni was on the Rockets' staff, and they linked up again when they coached together at Iowa State. Braun has no obvious connection to anyone on the current staff.
Fitzgerald taking a different tack is a welcome change after the disaster that was the O'Neil hire. One of the biggest criticisms of Fitzgerald's hiring of O'Neil was that it was a "buddy hire." Most of Fitzgerald's other hires in the past -- like linebackers coach Tim McGarigle, special teams coach Jeff Genyk and Ayeni -- had either played or coached at NU. But with the addition of cornerbacks coach Ryan Smith last year, and the three hires this year, Fitzgerald deserves credit for going out of his comfort zone. He seemingly left no stone unturned to find who he felt were the best candidates.
2. The new coaches come from winning cultures
Culture is an overused buzzword in college football. Northwestern's has been strong during Fitzgerald's 17 years but needed a reset. That's not to say the program is falling apart. But after going 4-20 over the last two seasons, NU could use some new blood.
One thing that's apparent about the new coaches on staff is that they know how to win. Braun comes from North Dakota State, where the Bison win games at a dizzying pace. They've won nine national championships since 2011, with Braun being the defensive coordinator for two of them, in 2019 and 2021.
Smith comes to Evanston fresh off winning the FCS national championship with South Dakota State to cap a 14-1 season. The Jackrabbits, who beat Braun and North Dakota State in the championship game, went 62-18 over Smith's six years as the defensive line coach.
Binns comes from Youngstown State, which doesn't have the winning tradition of those other two FCS powers. But he was on staff at Notre Dame for two College Football Playoff berths, in 2018 and 2020, and was also on staff at Cincinnati for their historic run to the CFP in 2021.
All three new hires bring much needed winning backgrounds to Evanston, and all represent a departure from O'Neil, who came from the NFL but didn't coach for winning teams.
3. All three coaches come from the FCS
With Northwestern losing to Southern Illinois in 2022, the jokes about Fitzgerald hiring three FCS coaches to fill out his staff write themselves. Last year's hire, Ryan Smith, also spent time in the FCS, coaching at Elon and James Madison.
In all seriousness, though, hiring rising coaches from a lower level hasn't been what Fitzgerald has done in the past, often favoring coaches with NFL experience. Now he's hired four in a row with experience at the lower level.
Hiring young, up and coming coaches shows a new strategy from Fitzgerald, one that prioritizes results and success rather than just having a certain three letters on your resume.
4. A youth movement is underway in Evanston
Fitzgerald isn't one of the oldest coaches in college football, but he is one of the most veteran. Combine that with his tendency to avoid staff changes, and that has led to Northwestern having an older coaching staff when compared to a lot of their peers.
Fitzgerald has started to change that with this trio of hires. All are young coaches who are rising through the ranks and seemingly have bright futures ahead of them. (Same with Ryan Smith, who was hired last year.)
Younger coaches will help Northwestern in recruiting too. It's just easier for coaches that are closer in age to the players they're recruiting to relate the players. That's not to say older coaches can't recruit; Fitzgerald is 30 years older than every high schooler he recruits and is still the best recruiter on staff. But these three new hires see the world through a lens much more similar to their players, and future players, than many coaches they'll be competing against.
It doesn't hurt that two of the three are African-American (three of four, if you count Ryan Smith). Black athletes are the No. 1 demographic in Power Five football, and minority representation on a coaching staff is important.
5. Fitz realized it was time to change
The main takeaways from the previous four observations is that these three new hires are decidedly un-Fitz-like. Fitzgerald has taken a lot of heat for his resistance to change, but this year's 1-11 finish -- his third losing season in four years -- was too much for even him to ignore.
To the head man's credit, he realized that the way he had been doing things wasn't working. First, he was willing to make staff changes; and second, he changed the type of candidate he usually looks for. He added three young and successful coaches to a staff that had lost its way the last two years.
Whether or not the changes bring about positive results on Saturdays remains to be seen, but the fact that Fitzgerald so clearly changed his thought process represents hope for the future. Fitzgerald brings up Einstein's definition of insanity frequently in press conferences as doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. He finally heeded that axiom. It's time for different results now.
