After a 7-2 season, Northwestern football has begun preparations for the 2021 season.
Pat Fitzgerald led the Northwestern Wildcats, or as they are known in some circles ‘The Fighting Rece Davises,’ to a 7-2 record in 2020 that culminated in a Citrus Bowl victory over Auburn. Now the Wildcats will attempt to improve on their success from last year, but have some significant questions to answer as they wrap up their spring program and move into the summer months.
New Leader On Defense
Long time defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz retired at the end of the season, meaning for the first time since 2007 someone other than Hankwitz will be leading the defense. The new man in charge of the unit will be Jim O’Neil.
O’Neil has spent most of his career in the NFL coaching the defensive side of the ball, most recently with the Las Vegas Raiders. His hiring is actually a return of sorts as he was a graduate assistant back in 2003-2004 with NU.
Now in charge of the defense, O’Neil will have to make sure the unit continues its fine play that we saw last year. That means maintaining or improving on a unit that finished 22nd in the nation for total defense at 341.2 yards per game.
Really though, if O’Neil can ensure a drop off doesn’t happen in terms of scoring defense, where NU finished 5th at 15.89 points per game, his hiring should be viewed as a success.
Much of the talk about NU’s defense last year focused on their excellent defensive back play, specifically at corner where Greg Newsome II became a first round talent in the NFL draft.
O’Neil’s background has seen him work primarily with defensive backs, and one can assume he was brought in to help develop the next round of secondary players who could become NFL draft prospects.
Speaking Of The Secondary
As mentioned above, if O’Neil is to maintain the standards the defense set in 2020 he is going to need some great play from key positions. Lucky for him, Northwestern’s strength on defense is the secondary, which is the area he is most familiar with.
The Wildcats lost talented players Greg Newsome II and JR Pace to the NFL, but are returning some good talent. That talent starts with safety Brandon Joseph.
The sophomore defensive back is thought to be one of the top players returning on the unit. It is easy to understand why when you review Joseph’s performance last season. He led the team with six interceptions and was fourth in tackles with 52. Joseph’s play resulted in him receiving multiple awards at the end of the season, recognizing him as a top player in the Big Ten.
At the corners, the Wildcats see talented junior A.J. Hampton and sophomore Cameron Mitchell return. According to PFF.com, both players finished with overall defensive grades above 70, with Mitchell grading out as NU’s third best defender.
This unit of the defense will be vital if NU is to have anywhere near the same success it had last season. This is because the defense is seeing an almost entirely new front seven in 2021.
The Wildcats will be seeing many changes on defense as they prepare for 2021, and spring ball will be the first steps in preparing the unit for the 2021 campaign. One thing is pretty clear though, the strength of this unit is in the secondary. It will be up O’Neil to continue enabling them to succeed, while starting new players up front.
Who’s Throwing It And Who’s Catching It
Not to be completely ignored is the NU offense, which is going through changes of its own in the passing game.
Last year’s starter at quarterback, Peyton Ramsey, is off to the NFL. Ramsey did a fine job in his one year with NU, but like most programs the Wildcats need more at the position.
Earlier this year Northwestern landed quarterback Ryan Hilinski, who transferred out from South Carolina. Hilinski brings with him one year of starting experience when he started as a true freshman for SC.
For Pat Fitzgerald and his staff, landing Hilinski is a huge get as he clearly has talent and competed in arguably the toughest conference in the sport. Also, Hilinski will have three years left of collegiate availability so he possibly won’t be a one and done player.
Hilinski is the favorite to win the position by some, but NU may see him pushed by seniors Andrew Marty and Hunter Johnson. Most expect that the starter for the season won’t be decided until late into fall camp.
Whoever does win the starting job will need to build chemistry with a receiving core that’s been gutted.
The Wildcats are replacing their four top receivers, and need to identify the right players to replace them. It’s possible Fitzgerald and his staff may look to some younger guys to assist with the loss of talent at receiver.
4-star receiver Jordan Mosley could be the most likely prospect to crack the depth chart in the fall, with 3-star Jacob Gill possibly being another prospect who could push for immediate playing time.
As the 2021 season approaches, look for the Wildcats to work through identifying their key players for their aerial attack in fall camp.