Who is Zach Lujan?

Six days after Northwestern fired offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian, and 10 days after that news was broadcast during the Las Vegas Bowl by Sean McDonough, reports came in on X (formerly Twitter) that the Wildcats are targeting South Dakota State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Zach Lujan for the role.

Football Scoop, which first reported the news, has been a reliable source for coaching moves. Their report was corroborated shortly afterward by ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

Lujan played at South Dakota State, joining the Jackrabbits all the way from his hometown of Anchorage, Alaska, by way of a year at Chabot College in California, from 2014-16.

After two years as a starter and captain, and 3,800 yards and 29 touchdowns passing, Lujan graduated in 2017 and rolled right over into a quality control job on the Jackrabbit sidelines. He's been there ever since.

Lujan's first boss, and the one he worked up the ladder for, was legendary South Dakota State head coach John Stiegelmeyer. Stiegelmeyer helmed the Jackrabbits from 1997 to 2022, retiring after winning the program's first national title.

Under Stiegelmeyer, Lujan steadily improved, taking on more and more opportunity as he matured and the Jackrabbits won more and more games.

Lujan's offense has been even more prolific under new head coach Jimmy Rogers, the defensive coordinator who took over after Stiegelmeyer, and has the Jackrabbits one game away from repeating as FCS National Champions. SDSU’s scoring and yards per game have increased by 3.8 points and 71.4 yards per game.

A key to Lujan's success has been quarterback Mark Gronowski, the signal caller for the Jackrabbits in 2020, 2022 and 2023. (He missed 2021 with injury.)

Under Lujan's tutelage, Gronowski has increased his completion percentage and touchdowns each season, and went 36-3 and played for the national title each season.

Thus far in 2023, he's thrown for 28 touchdowns to just four interceptions, won the FCS Player of the Year award and will likely push his passing yardage total over 3,000 this Saturday in the title game against Montana.

As if the potential for hiring Lujan couldn't get sweeter, Gronowski projects to graduate South Dakota State after this season. He could transfer to Northwestern, with his offensive coordinator, with two years of eligibility remaining.

It would benefit the Wildcats greatly to have a quarterback well versed in a new system they are trying to install. Plus, the two transfers who have flourished at quarterback for the Wildcats — Peyton Ramsey in 2020 and Ben Bryant in 2023 — were both veterans with several years as starters under their belts.

Even if Gronowski stays a Jackrabbit, or transfers elsewhere, Lujan has proven he can succeed in his own right. In 2021, with Gronwoski injured and Lujan as quarterbacks coach, the Jackrabbits finished 11-4 and FCS Semifinalists with Chris Oladokun as quarterback.

Oladokun threw for 3,164 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Furthermore, Lujan’s system isn't one-dimensional. In fact, his rushing attacks as a play caller ranked fifth in the FCS in yards per game this season and accounted for more yards and than the Jackrabbits racked up through the air.

As the preview of his coaching video for Throw Deep Publishing attests, Lujan values a diverse offensive approach and sounds like an offensive David Braun.

"Allow the kids to play fast...call what they know," Lujan said in the clip. "Put our guys in a situation to be successful rather than, as they break the huddle, they're trying to understand, 'Wait, what is this route concept again that we just put in?'"

Lujan added that South Dakota State uses shifts, trades or motion on nearly 70% of their plays to obfuscate and change the pre-snap look for the defense, adding a wrinkle that allows his players to play within their comfort zones while sowing doubt on the other side of the ball.

The Wildcats likely won't be making any official announcements about their future offensive coordinator until after the FCS National Championship game on Saturday, but it appears the Wildcats have their next play caller in their sights.