The hot, humid weather in Evanston forced the Wildcats indoors on Wednesday for their two-plus-hour practice.

Afterward, players and coaches spoke to the media. Then, later in the afternoon, the program also announced their captains for the 2021 season.

Here are our takeaways:

A diverse group of captains: Northwestern unveiled its 2021 captains in a press release on Wednesday. They are linebacker Chris Bergin, center Sam Gerak, quarterback Hunter Johnson, safety Brandon Joseph and defensive tackle Joe Spivak.

Interestingly, four of the five took non-traditional paths to arrive in Evanston. Bergin and Spivak, both fifth-year seniors, were former walkons who earned their scholarships after proving their worth on the field. That’s a testament to the both of them as players, as well as to how strong Northwestern’s walkon program has become under head coach Pat Fitzgerald. Johnson spent a year at Clemson before transferring to Northwestern in 2018. Even star safety Brandon Joseph, a redshirt sophomore and preseason All-American, first committed to Texas Tech as a recruit before pledging Northwestern.

Only Gerak, a fifth-year senior who started a year at guard and is entering his second season at center, was a Wildcat from beginning to end.

Johnson settling into QB1 role: While the news that Johnson would be the starting QB in the opener was momentous for most Northwestern fans, Johnson said that how he learned of his promotion was pretty ho-hum.

Offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian told him in a meeting that lasted all of “four or five minutes,” said Johnson. “We just sat down, and said they’re going to go with me for the first game.”

Bajakian said on Wednesday that the Johnson they are seeing this season is much different than the one fans saw two years ago, when he often looked shaky and uncomfortable in the pocket. He was named the starter because he was “executing very consistently, very accurately” throughout camp.

“One of the things he’s doing really well right now is being decisive. He’s getting rid of the ball on time and with rhythm,” said Bajakian.

That’s the product of all the work Johnson has put in, both on and off the field.

“I’ve seen him grow quite a bit from a confidence level,” said Bajakian. “He approached (the quarterback competition) with a very business-like mentality. He knows what he’s capable of. He just needs to execute at his highest level.”

Johnson said that he’s learned a lot both on and off the field since then. “It’s not my first go-round this time,” he said.

Losing Porter won’t alter game plans: Northwestern’s offense suffered a major blow last week when they announced that Cam Porter, the team’s leading returning rusher, would miss the season with a no-contact, “lower-body injury.” Porter had rushed for more than 300 yards over the last three games and emerged as the team’s No. 1 workhorse.

While Bajakian acknowledged that Porter’s injury leaves a hole in the depth at the position, he feels like Evan Hull and newcomers Anthony Tyus III, a freshman, and Andrew Clair, a grad transfer from Bowling Green, will be ready to pick up the slack.

And no matter how the carries are divided up between those three runners, the identity of the running back won’t alter the Wildcats’ offense very much, he said.

“They’re not so far off when you compare them to Cam from a skill level that you need to change what you’re doing to fit them,” said Bajakian. “They have similar running styles, similar capabilities. We feel good with what we have at that position.”

While Hull is a redshirt sophomore starting his third year in Evanston, both Tyus and Clair are still learning the offense. Bajakian, though, says that they’ve picked up the attack quickly.

“Our guys in general are really smart. All of them. You don’t get into school here without that,” said Bajakian. “They tend to have the capability to learn things more quickly. Both Andrew and Trey have been able to step in and have done that.”

Same goal for defense: There are a lot of new faces on Northwestern’s defense this season. Gone are four-year starter Paddy Fisher, three-year starters Blake Gallagher and JR Pace, first-round draft pick Greg Newsome II and mainstays like Earnest Brown IV, Jake Saunders and Eku Leota.

But while the names on the jerseys have changed, the squad’s goal hasn’t.

“You’re not going to see a drop-off,” said cornerback AJ Hampton. “We’re trying to be the best defense in the nation.”

Hampton said that Northwestern’s secondary, the “Sky Team,” will have the “same energy” as they did a year ago, when they had the No. 1 pass efficiency defense in the nation. He named cornerbacks Rod Heard II and Cameron Mitchell, and safeties Coco Azema and Brandon Jackson as guys to watch for, to go along with Joseph, in the back half.

“We’re going to have a lot of breakout stars that you guys are going to see,” he said.

Hampton, the “energy guy” for the DBs says he can’t wait for the season opener against Michigan State on Sept. 3, when the Wildcats will play in front of fans for the first time since 2019.

“You’re not supposed to, but you always play a little bit better when someone’s watching,” he said.