Northwestern Football Coaching Staff 2023

Northwestern football Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald is the longest-tenured football head coach in Northwestern and the fifth in Division I FBS.

Northwestern University president Michael Schill suspended Pat Fitzgerald for two weeks without pay starting on July 7 in connection to hazing allegations. The investigation that followed suit did not find any hard evidence that the coaching staff had knowledge of it.

Schill believed he let Pat go off with a light punishment and after rethinking his decision fired him. After Pat was fired, he released a statement clarifying he will take legal action to protect his rights.

“I was surprised when I learned that the president of Northwestern unilaterally revoked our agreement without any prior notification and subsequently terminated my employment.”

Fitzgerald’s coaching career began in 1998 at the University of Maryland under the guidance of head coach Ron Vanderlinden. Vanderlinden had been the defensive coordinator at Northwestern when he was a college athlete.

He moved on pretty quickly after finding an open position at the University of Colorado under Gary Barnett, his former Northwestern head coach. After a brief stint at the University of Idaho, he found himself back where his college athletic career began. 

Starting in 2001, the former Wildcats linebacker served as linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator.

Fitzgerald worked as an assistant coach for five seasons at Northwestern before taking over the position of head coach in 2006 after the unexpected passing of Randy Walker as the youngest head football coach in the Big 10 Conference and NCAA Division I FBS. He is in his 18th season as head coach.

The 48-year-old was a Wildcats linebacker from 1993 to 1996. His college football career was rife with success and big wins. 

Achievements as a player:

• 2-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year
• 2-time Consensus All-American
• 2-time Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner
• 2-time Chuck Bednarik Award
• Jack Lambert Trophy
• Big Ten Medal of Honor

Fitzgerald made history after being the first player to be awarded both the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Chuck Bednarik Award for two years consecutively.

With such success on the field, it came as no surprise when he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in July 2009 in South Bend, Indiana. A ceremony to honor him was held on December 9, 2008, in New York City.

Despite his multiple wins and achievements, Pat was not drafted by the NFL. However, he did end up getting signed as an NFL free agent by the Dallas Cowboys. That too only lasted for two pre-season games.

Northwestern football coaching candidates are 1. David Braun, 2. Mike Bajakian, and 3. Sherrone Moore.

Other coaching candidates who could replace Pat Fitzgerald are:

1. Alabama Offensive Coordinator Tommy Rees
2. New York Giants Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka
3. Denver Broncos Running Backs Coach Lou Ayeni
4. Michigan Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter
5. Tulane Head Coach Willie Fritz

Sherrone Moore is entering his 6th season on the Michigan coaching staff. Ranked as the No.8 recruiter overall in the nation, Moore was named the offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator in 2021. In 2023, he will bag the role of Offensive coordinator.

With his lead on the offensive line in 2021 and 2022, four football players became NFL draft picks. Oluwatimi and Andrew Stueber obtained All-America status.

A year after receiving his degree in communications from Oklahoma, Moore jumped aboard the Louisville bandwagon in 2009 as an Offense Graduate Assitant. A year later, he was promoted to Tight Ends coach. 

He jumped ship in the 2014 season and worked at Central Michigan till 2017 before signing the contract at the University of Michigan in 2018.

Sherrone has given no hints as to his next move. If Northwestern comes knocking on his door, will he grab the opportunity to be head coach or will he find himself content as an Offensive Coordinator at Michigan?

Northwestern football Offensive Coaches are Mike Bajakian, Kurt Anderson, Armon Binns, Chris Foster, and Jeff Genyk.

Riley Lees and Noah Evangelides are graduate assistants on the offensive coaching roster.

Mike Bajakian started his coaching career in 1996 as a Quarterbacks and Passing Game Coordinator at the Delbarton School. Since then, he changed schools ten times before starting at Northwestern University as an Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach on December 11, 2019.

Kurt Anderson was a quality control analyst before being named the offensive line coach in January 2019. Since 2005, he has coached players in six schools including Indiana State, Michigan, and Arkansas. Anderson has helped develop Jake Long, Lamar Woodley, Alan Branch, Frank Ragnow, Rashawn Slater, and Jared Thomas.

Northwestern football Defensive Coordinator David Braun has coached at Winona State, UC Davis, Northern Iowa, and North Dakota State.

Braun joined Northwestern in January 2023 after four successful seasons at North Dakota State and was the FCS Coordinator of the Year in 2021. His fourteen years of experience as a defensive coordinator began in 2008 as a graduate assistant at Winona State.

At North Dakota State, David helped lead his team to two FCS national Championships. In 2019 and 2021, Bison’s defensive unit ended the season as the top-ranked scoring defense in the FCS.

In his first year as Defensive Coordinator/Safeties, the North Dakota State Bison had a perfect 16-0 season. He helped the football program collect a Missouri Valley Football Conference title and an FCS National Championship.

A graduate of Winona State, his name appeared in the 2020 AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute alongside Zach Arnett, Michael Barainyak, and Pete Bennett.

Northwestern Wildcats football players to watch in 2023 are Bryce Gallagher, Brendan Sullivan, and Jeremiah Lewis.

There are stud athletes on the 2023 roster with jaw-rendering stats to prove it including quarterback Ryan Hilinski.

Hilinski became the first NU QB to throw 400+ yards in a game since 2018 after completing 36 of 60 passes for 435 yards in 2022. Coming as a 12th-best player in California, the Orange County native was thrust into the starter’s role in game two in 2019 after Jake Bentley suffered a foot injury that would have him out for the whole season.

In his junior year last season, the Wildcats QB threw for 1644 yards and scored six touchdowns after appearing in eight games in which he started for six.

With spring football season around the corner, first-year players 4-star recruit Jordan Knox and 3-star recruits Dylan Senda, Camp Magee, Frank Covey, and Damon Walters are gearing up to show their skills on the field.

Wildcats players to watch in the 2023-2024 season

1. Bryce Gallagher
2. Brendan Sullivan
3. Jeremiah Lewis
4. Xander Mueller
5. Luke Akers
6. Rod Heard II
7. Sean McLaughlin
8. Anthony Tyus III
9. Raymond Niro III
10. Garnett Hollis Jr.