Head coach Pat Fitzgerald and Northwestern dropped a double whammy on Tuesday: the announcement of a starting quarterback and the season-ending injury to a star running back.

Here are are takeaways from a news-filled media session after practice wrapped up on Hucheson Field.

In a stunning turn of events, Fitzgerald named the winner of the quarterback competition on Tuesday after practice, more than two weeks before the season opener.

"Hunter Johnson's going to be our starter in the opener," he said, almost in passing. "I look forward to watching him take the reins; he's been through a lot while he's been here in our program."

The redshirt senior has dealt with a lot of issues both on and off the field and has come a long way since he last started a game for the Wildcats two years ago. The Clemson transfer and former five-star 2017 prospect completed just 46% of his passes over five games in 2019, with one touchdown and four interceptions, and often looked like a deer in the headlights.

MORE: Hunter Johnson ready to rewrite his story in 2021

Fitzgerald had been saying since the spring that fans and media would have to wait until the Wildcats' Sept. 3 opener against Michigan State to see who lined up behind center. But he said that Johnson was No. 1 out of spring ball and the staff decided that they "would roll with it" if he was still the top QB after two weeks of fall camp.

Fitzgerald said that he made up his mind on the starter in previous QB battles well before announcing it to the media, but this year, as a "kinder (and) gentler" coach, he informed the media of his decision well in advance of the first game. "I want to make sure everyone is ok," he said, with tongue in cheek.

Fitzgerald emphasized that the competition was close and Ryan Hilinski and Andrew Marty will continue to push Johnson as the year goes on. In the Big Ten, he said, you usually need more than one quarterback to get through a season.

The Johnson news came right after another stunning announcement from the program. After taking over the offense and running for 301 yards and four touchdowns in the final three games of 2020, Cam Porter will miss the entirety of the 2021 season with a lower-body injury.

Fitzgerald described Porter's injury as "non-contact" and a "freak deal," leading many to believe that he may have torn his ACL.

"You’re heartbroken anytime anybody gets hurt, but [Porter] will come back stronger and I feel really good about our depth there," said Fitzgerald.

Porter's injury will stress an already thin backfield that is down to three viable runners after the offseason losses of Drake Anderson and Isaiah Bowser to the transfer portal.

Redshirt sophomore Evan Hull will rise to the top role in the backfield. Fitzgerald had high praise for Hull on Tuesday, saying that he and Porter were "1A and 1B" at the time of Porter's injury.

MORE: Cam Porter ready to carry the load

Over the last two seasons, Hull has 71 carries for 495 yards and six touchdowns. Fans will remember he exploded onto the scene with 220 yards and four trips to the end zone against against UMass in 2019. The Minutemen, though, had one of the worst defenses in college football history. If the UMass game and garbage time carries against Maryland and Illinois in 2020 are removed, Hull only has 30 carries for 82 yards (2.7 YPC) and no touchdowns. Northwestern will need him to do it against tougher competition in 2021.

Bowling Green grad transfer Andrew Clair and true freshman Anthony Tyus III will also play increased roles in the Cats' backfield now. Clair is by far the most experienced of all of NU's backs. Over three-plus seasons, Clair carried the ball 362 times for 1,937 yards (5.4 YPC) and 13 touchdowns. He's also a proven weapon out of the backfield, unlike the other two, catching 44 balls for 330 yards and three touchdowns during his Falcons career.

Tyus III isn't built like your average freshman and could be ready to see action right away. A four-star recruit coming out of Portage (Mich.) Northern, Tyus stands 6-foot-1 and tips the scales at 215 pounds. Like Porter, he's a powerful, downhill runner who ran for 1,801 yards and 22 touchdowns last season as a high school senior.

A lower-body injury has also knocked tackle Zachary Franks out for the season.

Franks was highly-recruited prospect coming out of high school who committed to Penn State first before the Wildcats scooped him up. As a redshirt-freshman last season, Franks appeared in eight of NU's nine games.

Franks had been competing for the starting job at right tackle, but his injury means that Ethan Wiederkehr, a tackle by trade who started at right guard last year, will start at the right tackle spot. Charlie Schmidt will be the starting right guard, in all likelihood.

Schmidt also appeared in eight of nine games last year, including a start against Michigan State, filling in for an injured Wiederkehr. Schmidt struggled in that contest but will get a chance to redeem himself against the Spartans in week one.

"You're heartbroken anytime anybody gets hurt," Fitzgerald said. "That was, obviously, disappointing."

Northwestern started last year unranked and finished in the AP Top 10. Despite not being picked by a single writer to repeat as West Division champions in Cleveland.com's poll at Big Ten Media Days and only receiving eight votes in the preseason AP poll released on Monday, Fitzgerald is confident his team can prove doubters wrong again.

"We worry about what we can control, and it's not about how you start, it's about how you finish," he said.

Northwestern was second-to-last in the FBS in percentage of returning production (34%) before they lost their starting running back. Now there are even more unknowns for the Wildcats.

NU will have new starters at quarterback, running back, all three wide receiver spots, tight end, left guard, right guard and right tackle on offense. They are also replacing a defensive end, two linebackers, a safety and a cornerback on defense.

That's 14 new starters, but that number could probably be shifted down to 10 or 11 due to the return of several key stalwarts.

Samdup Miller is a new defensive end in name only, as he started 33 games for the Wildcats over three seasons before opting out of 2020. At defensive tackle, Jason Gold, a starter who got hurt in the 2020 opener and missed the rest of the season, and Trevor Kent, who was limited to four games in an injury-plagued year, both return. Wiederkehr moves out to his more natural position at right tackle, and Northwestern has three experienced corners -- AJ Hampton, Rod Heard II and Cameron Mitchell -- coming back to fill two corner spots, including first-round pick Greg Newsome II's former job.

"We've recruited well, so our depth is in a good spot," Fitzgerald said.