BIG TEN FOOTBALL COMPANION GUIDE • ALPHABETICAL 9 OF 18
2026 Season Snapshot • Evanston, Illinois
7-6 (4-5 Big Ten)
B1G
Live schedule, lines and results for Northwestern.
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HEAD COACH
David Braun — 4th season at Northwestern
LIFETIME COACHING RECORD
19–19 at Northwestern
Took over as interim HC in July 2023 after Pat Fitzgerald's firing amid the hazing scandal, then went 8-5 with a Las Vegas Bowl win and was named unanimous Big Ten Coach of the Year. His 11 Big Ten wins over three seasons are tied for the most by any Wildcats coach in program history.
NORTHWESTERN ATS RECORD
No single published career ATS figure
2025 finished 7-6 (4-5 Big Ten) with a GameAbove Sports Bowl win over Central Michigan, 34-7. Northwestern has been notably stable under Braun after the Fitzgerald-era chaos, going bowling in each of his three full seasons.
HEAD COACH SALARY (2026)
Not disclosed
TEAM NIL VALUATION (EST.)
Not disclosed
PRIMARY NIL COLLECTIVE
Not publicly named
Northwestern is a private university with no obligation to disclose coach salary or athletic department contracts, and none of that information has been made public for Braun's tenure. This is the only team in this guide where none of the standard financial disclosures apply.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Chip Kelly — 1st season • Tempo spread
One of the most credentialed hires in the sport: OC of Ohio State's 2024 national championship offense, former Oregon and UCLA head coach, and NFL OC (Eagles HC, 49ers, Raiders). Inherits transfer QB Aidan Chiles specifically for his dual-threat tools, plus new QB coach Jerry Neuheisel from his own UCLA staff.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Tim McGarigle — 3rd season (retained) • Multiple 4-3
Retained continuity piece on an otherwise reshaped offensive-side staff; McGarigle's defense has been the more stable half of the program through the coaching transition era.
2025 RECORD
7–6 (4–5 Big Ten)
GameAbove Sports Bowl: W 34-7 vs. Central Michigan. Preston Stone started at QB but threw 12 INT and didn't add enough on the ground — the specific issue that triggered the full offensive coordinator/QB overhaul.
HOME FIELD
Ryan Field
Artificial turf (FieldTurf), Evanston. A brand-new on-campus stadium replacing the old Ryan Field, opening in 2026 — a genuine new-era symbol for the program. Northwestern played its first two 2026 home games at Martin Stadium (Wazzu's former home) before Ryan Field opens October 2.
| SLOT | PLAYER | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | Aidan Chiles | Sr | ★★★★★ | TOP TRANSFER Michigan State transfer (originally a star Oregon State recruit); a talented dual-threat arm who struggled with turnovers and was benched at MSU. Brought in specifically to fit Chip Kelly's system. |
| RB1 | Joseph Komolafe | — | ★★★★★ | Returning starter entering fall camp with a real challenger in Florida State/Oklahoma transfer Gavin Sawchuk; Northwestern brought in Sawchuk specifically to upgrade the room, but Komolafe has first crack at the job. |
| WR1 | Griffin Wilde | — | ★★★★★ | Returning starter who scored against USC in 2025; part of the 88% roster continuity Braun has pointed to as a foundation for Kelly's system. |
| WR2 | Hayden Eligon | — | ★★★★★ | Returning receiver who celebrated alongside Wilde on that USC touchdown; a full receiving corps largely back for a new, more pass-friendly scheme. |
Michigan State transfer (originally a star Oregon State recruit); a talented dual-threat arm who struggled with turnovers and was benched at MSU. Brought in specifically to fit Chip Kelly's system.
Returning starter entering fall camp with a real challenger in Florida State/Oklahoma transfer Gavin Sawchuk; Northwestern brought in Sawchuk specifically to upgrade the room, but Komolafe has first crack at the job.
Returning starter who scored against USC in 2025; part of the 88% roster continuity Braun has pointed to as a foundation for Kelly's system.
Returning receiver who celebrated alongside Wilde on that USC touchdown; a full receiving corps largely back for a new, more pass-friendly scheme.
| PLAYER | POS | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Returning core | OL | — | ★★★★★ | Part of Northwestern's 88% overall roster continuity; specific starters expected to carry over from a 2025 unit that protected well enough for the ground game, if not the passing attack. |
Part of Northwestern's 88% overall roster continuity; specific starters expected to carry over from a 2025 unit that protected well enough for the ground game, if not the passing attack.
| PLAYER | POS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Kilbane | DE | Entering his fourth season in Evanston; projected as Northwestern's most dangerous defensive lineman for 2026 and a veteran presence for an otherwise young front, playing under retained DC Tim McGarigle. |
Entering his fourth season in Evanston; projected as Northwestern's most dangerous defensive lineman for 2026 and a veteran presence for an otherwise young front, playing under retained DC Tim McGarigle.
| PLAYER | POS | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary under McGarigle | DB | ★★★★★ | Benefits from Tim McGarigle's coordinator continuity; specific 2026 starters expected to largely hold over from 2025's bowl-eligible defense — confirm names closer to Week 1. |
Benefits from Tim McGarigle's coordinator continuity; specific 2026 starters expected to largely hold over from 2025's bowl-eligible defense — confirm names closer to Week 1.
2025 ATS
8-4-1
66.7% cover rate — 13th of 82
2025 Straight up
7-6
Point differential +46
Scoring environment
43.2
Combined points per game — 76th highest of 82
Home / road ATS
4-1 · 2-2
Totals 6-7 O/U (2-3 home, 2-3 road)
Points scored / allowed
23.4 per game scored (62nd) · 19.8 allowed (20th)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory +3.5 (41st) · Strength of schedule -2.2
SRS power rating
+0.2
48th of 82 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
-4.2
63rd of 82
Defensive SRS
+5.4
27th of 82
Points (margin of victory)
+3.5 · 41st of 82
Against the spread
8-4-1 (66.7%) · 13th of 82
Totals (combined PPG)
43.2 · 76th of 82
Computed from CollegeFootballData 2025 results and closing consensus lines.
Saved Just J research for Northwestern.
Northwestern hired Chip Kelly (Ohio State's 2024 national title OC, former Oregon/UCLA/Eagles HC) after ranking 4th-lowest in the Big Ten in passing yards — one of the more credentialed offensive hires anywhere in the conference this cycle.
A 3-game stretch of at Oregon, vs. Iowa, at Ohio State is being called the hardest in the FBS by CBS Sports, plus road trips to defending champion Indiana and a Minnesota team that went 7-0 at home in 2025.
Braun cited 88% of eligible players returning for 2026 — a stable foundation for Kelly's system to install against, even facing an unusually hard schedule.
With so much roster continuity, the O-line shouldn't be the reason for early-season Chip Kelly install hiccups — watch the skill positions and scheme fit instead.
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