Latest in a series of stories looking at some of the questions facing Northwestern heading into the 2022 season.
Our one-word answer: Yes. Without a doubt.
The bigger question, however, is how much better they’ll be, and whether that will be enough to get the offense back to a reasonably productive level in 2022. Last year’s average of 16.6 points per game – 125th out of 130 FBS teams – isn’t going to cut it.
Why do we feel strongly that they’ll be better in 2022?
For one, they have four returning starters. Experience is more important on the offensive line than it is just about anywhere else, and almost everyone competing for starting jobs has starts, if not significant playing time, under their belts.
Two, they should be healthier. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald said before spring practice that the Wildcats lost 10 offensive linemen to injury during weeks two and three last season, and that really hurt their development because they couldn’t practice as hard.
“We pride ourselves in being a development program…and we usually get better as the year goes on,” he said. “We had a lot of open spots due to injury. Some guys were ready, some guys were not, and it showed.”
Lastly, the tackle spots are the strength of the unit. (Well, one tackle spot is, for sure.) The Wildcats have a future first-round draft pick on one side and a sixth-year senior who has played a lot of football on the other. They have to build the line from the outside, in, between those two bookends.
All-Big Ten first-team Peter Skoronski will man the left tackle spot and should be dominant. He’s the best player on the team and Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 offensive tackle in the nation for 2022. Coaches can just put No. 77 out there and not worry about the quarterback’s blind side all season. Caleb Tiernan, another former four-star prospect who appeared in three games last season as a true freshman, will probably be his backup.
Then, at right tackle, Ethan Wiederkehr is coming back for a sixth season with 25 starts under his belt. While he doesn’t have the tools Skoronski does, he has seen and done it all during his career in Evanston. And Weiderkehr should get a challenge this fall from Zachary Franks, a talented junior who didn’t play at all last season due to injury but could finally live up to his potential if he stays healthy.
Either way, both tackle spots seem to be in reasonably good shape.
But, just like an Oreo cookie, the middle is a little softer. The interior of the offensive line is where the problems were last season, and where the primary concern lies this season. The Wildcat line was often overrun up the middle last year, leading to too many negative plays and pressure in the face of quarterbacks. The Wildcats will have to rely on the coaching of Kurt Anderson and the continued development of their guards and centers to raise the level of play.
In the middle, Charlie Schmidt is primed to step into the starting center spot vacated by the graduated Sam Gerak. Schmidt struggled at guard last year but seems to be more comfortable and more effective at center, where he filled in last season when Gerak was hurt.
At left guard, Josh Priebe, who started nine games last season, needs to take the next step in his development. Priebe was an impressive recruit for Northwestern, turning down offers from Michigan and Ohio State. He should be stronger and more consistent in 2022.
There should be a pitched battle for the right guard spot, which is wide open. Vince Picozzi, a grad transfer playing his seventh year of college football after stints at Temple and Colorado State, could have the inside track. But he’ll be pushed by several candidates, including Conrad Rowley and Dom D’Antonio, who both got ample playing time last season, as well as Ben Wrather, Jackson Carsello and Josh Thompson, who missed all of 2021 with an injury. Any of those guys could pop up on the two-deep at any of the three interior positions.
Depth shouldn't be an issue in 2022. We'll find out whether they have the quality to match the quantity.
Fitzgerald said he feels better about his line going into this season, regardless of who takes the five starting roles. He knows that the players are stronger across the board, and that they should be more physical at the point of attack.
“I don’t know who’s going to win the jobs yet, but I do like the competition,” he said.
