Ten Questions: 6. Does Northwestern have the depth to compete?
The top of Northwestern's 2023 depth chart survived the transfer window that opened after long-time head coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired mostly unscathed.
The Wildcats lost one projected starter, safety Jeremiah Lewis, who entered the portal and returned to Duke, where he had been for his first four seasons. The other four were incoming freshmen who had yet to play a snap.
Chalk it up to loyalty to their teammates, faith in interim head coach David Braun or the reality that it’s difficult to find a landing spot so close to the start of the season, but the Wildcats suffered just one defection from a player who had spent more than a few months on campus.
Still, five defections is significant and will impact the team’s immediate depth. Plus, the six decommitments from the Class of 2024 have the potential to undermine the program’s long-term future.
In a season with plenty of pressure already, Northwestern has even less room for error than their opponents in the aftermath of departures combined with their preexisting roster construction.
Last Wednesday after practice, Braun noted that NCAA rules allow up to 120 players in fall camp; the Wildcats stand at just 103. He said that a key part of his job especially in this fall camp is to make sure his roster stays healthy while getting them ready for the season.
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TEN QUESTIONS SERIES:
1. Can the Cats flip their turnover ratio? l 2. Will the Cats be able to stop the run? l 3. Will Ben Bryant be the answer at quarterback? l 4. Can NU capitalize on its non-conference schedule | 5. Can Cam Porter return to form?
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The loss of Lewis will be offset by the return of Coco Azema and some pretty good depth at the position.
Azema, who was limited to three games last season before sustaining a season-ending knee injury, will be one of the leaders of the defense in 2023, a playmaker with a few years of experience under his belt.
Some combination of Rod Heard II, Jaheem Joseph and Devin Turner will be the next guys up to replace Lewis. Heard has been a nickel back for a couple seasons and has played both corner and safety in his career; Joseph is a senior who is also coming off of an injury; and Turner had an impressive freshman year in 2023, appearing in eight games, with three starts. Garner Wallace and Robert Fitzgerald figure to add depth.
The loss of two freshmen figures to be a concern at linebacker. Nigel Glover, a top-three commit in Northwestern's Class of 2023, transferred to Ohio State, and classmate Justin Cryer left for Florida State.
Fitzgerald started a tradition of excellence as a player, and he and maintained it as a coach over the years. Now, with the departures of Glover and Cryer, Northwestern is down to zero freshman linebackers on its roster. It’s also demoralizing to see two young players leave for big-time programs with playoff aspirations, a sign of their talent level. Both players could have been cornerstones of Northwestern's defensive rebuild.
The shortage of young linebackers is a clear issue down the road, but it should not affect Northwestern's 2023 campaign. Seniors Bryce Gallagher and Xander Mueller started a combined 23 of 24 possible games last season and will be the presumed starters this season.
It's unclear how much Braun will opt for a nickel set with just Gallagher and Mueller in the lineup, which was a staple for former defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil, or stick with a third linebacker in his 4-3 system. That third linebacker will likely be Greyson Metz, a senior who appeared in all 12 games last season as the man up behind Gallagher and Mueller. Those three are the presumptive starters.
The first player up behind the experienced trio is Mac Uihlein, a four-star from Lake Forest, Ill., entering his junior year. Sophomores Braydon Brus and Kenny Soares will provide depth.
Another one of the players to transfer out was offensive lineman Dylan Senda, who found his new home at Auburn. Senda was one of the crown jewels of Northwestern's Class of 2023. He was the sixth-ranked center in the country and chose the Wildcats over offers from in-state Michigan and Michigan State.
Now, he'll be on The Plains with Hugh Freeze. Senda, who was slated to play center or guard, may have had a chance to make the two-deep and make an immediate impact this season.
Up front, senior guard Josh Priebe, junior tackle Caleb Tiernan and senior center Ben Wrather are the only players who have recorded starts. Senda could have pushed Wrather for the starting job at center, and probably would have been a rotational player who saw action if injuries led to a reshuffle of the lineup.
The final player to transfer out was tight end Chico Holt, who committed to Stanford earlier in August. Northwestern has an embarrassment of tight ends, so even though Holt came to Evanston as a four-star, it's unlikely he would gotten much run in his first season.
The Wildcats had eight tight ends listed on their spring roster, not including Holt or converted defensive end Duke Olges. Holt would have likely been buried on the depth chart behind seniors Thomas Gordon, Marshall Lang and grad student Charlie Mangieri.
In 2023, the effects of the post-Fitzgerald transfer window on the team will not be felt unless injuries hit one position hard.
But in the long-term, the forecast is grimmer. The Wildcats have a depth issue at a key position, linebacker, and are trending towards low numbers across the board. After the transfers, the Class of 2023 added just 15 players to the roster. After decommitments, their Class of 2024 has just nine members. Three teams in the Big Ten have 24 or more players, Northwestern's current two-year tally, in their Class of 2024 alone.
Signing Day isn't until December, and the Wildcats will try to land more 2024 commitments in the coming months before going to work in the transfer portal. But the dearth of young talent on roster is concerning right now. And that doesn't account for players who may leave en masse after this season should Northwestern bring in a new coaching staff.
The 2023 Wildcats should not be immediately impacted by the player losses suffered this summer. But if the staff can't shore up its young talent soon, the program could be in trouble down the line.