Ten Questions: 1. Can the defense be elite?
First of ten questions we are asking that will determine Northwestern's 2024 season.
In 2023, Northwestern opened its first two games against Power Five opponents with a 17-point loss at Rutgers and a 24-point loss at Duke. Neither game felt that close.
Out of the bye week in mid-October, the defense was a different animal altogether. The Wildcats won five of their last seven games, including at Wisconsin and a Las Vegas Bowl victory over Utah, allowing 18.4 points per game. Had that mark held for the season, it would have ranked 15th overall in the NCAA.
The unit loses four starters from its typical nickel set: tackle PJ Spencer, linebacker Bryce Gallagher, nickel Rod Heard II and cornerback Garnett Hollis Jr.
The first pair was no surprise as Spencer, the walkon turned cornerstone at tackle, was out of eligibility and Gallagher, the two-time captain with 100+ tackles in back-to-back seasons, was turning pro.
The second pair turned to the portal. Heard left for Notre Dame for his final year of eligibility, though some assumed that he himself would turn pro. Head coach David Braun made clear there were no hard feelings, calling Heard "a Wildcat through and through" at Northwestern's Pro Day back in March.
Hollis, the team's fifth leading tackler in 2023, departed for West Virginia along with backup safety Jaheem Joseph.
Otherwise, the Wildcats return seven starters. Linebacker Xander Mueller posted 100+ tackles in his own right, earning All-Big Ten Third Team honors by the media, and will be back at Will linebacker.
Safeties Devin Turner and Coco Azema will anchor the backside of the defense and a defensive line room that nearly had tumbleweeds rolling through it in the winter of 2023 has become a foundational strength.
Braun has gladly turned over the keys to the defense to newly promoted defensive coordinator Tim McGarigle, the linebackers coach that set Northwestern's tackle record as a player in the early 2000s and has been on staff since 2018. Joining that defensive brain trust is veteran coach Harlon Barnett, the interim head coach at Michigan State last season and now Northwestern's assistant head coach and safeties coach.
The question is, with parts old and new, can the 2024 Wildcats be elite?
With so much returning experience, the tipping points that will make Northwestern's defense formidable are the playcallers on the field and on the sideline. Per his availability in spring ball, Mueller is staying at Will for 2024, and Mike linebacker is an open position.
The prohibitive favorite is Mac Uihelin, a four-star and the No. 1 player in Illinois in the Class of 2021. Uihlein has been behind the legendary Gallagher for the past three years, now is his chance to step up and show what he can do.
If Uihlein and McGarigle can gel, putting their own spin on last year's late-season success, the rest of the Wildcat defense is raring to go. A point in both of their favors is the addition of in-helmet communication to NCAA this season.
The Wildcats were guinea pigs for the project in the Las Vegas Bowl, and will have the technology in each game between FBS teams. They'll have to go back to signals for Week 3 vs. FCS Eastern Illinois, but otherwise Uihlein will have the advantage of McGarigle in his ear to set the defense. Coaches have until 15 seconds left on the play clock or the snap of the ball, whichever comes first, to communicate with their players.
Mueller will be back with another offseason of work. So, too, will Turner and Azema at safety, the young and veteran stars of the defense. Turner will be a junior this season after finishing third on the team in snaps as a sophomore, per PFF.
Azema, one of five captains last season, will have an extra chip on his shoulder after missing the last three games of the season due to an injury suffered in their dominant win at Wisconsin.
The trio of Muller, Turner and Azema means the Wildcats bring back three of their six leading tacklers, and that pales in comparison to the returning production up front.
Northwestern returns all seven of its leaders in sacks, albeit with one of those players being Mueller. They have a solid start with Najee Story and Carmine Bastone returning to anchor as tackles. Brendan Flakes and Reggie Pearson will be the next wave off the sideline, with redshirt freshmen Tyler Gant and Dylan Roberts hunting to break through in reserve.
The real abundance of talent is at defensive end. While Aidan Hubbard led the team with six sacks, fueled by a breakout, three-sack game in the win over Maryland, the starters in the home stretch were Jaylen Pate and Richie Hagarty.
All three are back, in addition to massive fifth-year senior Sean McLaughlin, pass-rush specialist Anto Saka and rising star Michael Kilbane. Saka and Kilbane were both four-star recruits out of high school and, in their junior and sophomore seasons, are on trajectory to put proof in those rankings.
Out wide, the Wildcats bring back Theran Johnson at corner, with Ore Adeyi projected to step up in Hollis' absence. The Wildcats had the 15th best pass defense in the nation last season on yards allowed and were tied for 17th best in passing touchdowns, in part because of Johnson and Hollis' physical tone on the edge, and in part because of a lack of passing threats on the schedule.
It'll be on Adeyi and redshirt sophomore Robert Fitzgerald, the likely replacement at nickel for Heard, to use their speed and quickness in space to maintain that standard.
Northwestern's defense got off to a shaky start last season before finding their stride and becoming great down the stretch. They have some new pieces to integrate but the possibility of an elite unit is there for the taking if they can click early.