Northwestern Wildcats
Big Ten
8-5 (5-4 conf)
SP+ #69
Ratings
2023
- SP+
- -1.3 (#69)
- SP+ Offense
- 18.5
- SP+ Defense
- 18.5
- SRS
- -0.3
- FPI
- -0.3
- Elo
- 1498
- Talent
- 658
- Recruiting
- 200 (#47)
Schedule
record 8–5
Schedule
52nd
toughest of 133
Offenses faced
122nd
toughest of 133
Defenses faced
9th
toughest of 133
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 133 (easiest) · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Margin | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @Rutgers | +3.5 | 7-24 | -17 | L |
| 2 | vsUTEP | -16.2 | 38-7 | +31 | W |
| 3 | @Duke | +9.4 | 14-38 | -24 | L |
| 4 | vsMinnesota | +0.4 | 37-34 | +3 | W |
| 5 | vsPenn State | +23.5 | 13-41 | -28 | L |
| 6 | vsHoward | FCS | 23-20 | +3 | W |
| 8 | @Nebraska | +0.3 | 9-17 | -8 | L |
| 9 | vsMaryland | +11 | 33-27 | +6 | W |
| 10 | NIowa | +5.8 | 7-10 | -3 | L |
| 11 | @Wisconsin | +9.4 | 24-10 | +14 | W |
| 12 | vsPurdue | -7.3 | 23-15 | +8 | W |
| 13 | @Illinois | -2.5 | 45-43 | +2 | W |
| 1 ·P | NUtah | +8.5 | 14-7 | +7 | W |
Quarterbacks · 4
2023 · 62
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Ben Bryant | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| QB | 2nd | Brendan Sullivan | SR | 6'4" | 220 | — |
| QB | 3rd | Jack Lausch | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| QB | 4th | Ryan Hilinski | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
Running Backs · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Cam Porter | SR | 5'10" | 215 | — |
| RB | 2nd | Joseph Himon II | JR | 5'9" | 190 | — |
| RB | 3rd | Anthony Tyus III | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| RB | 4th | Caleb Komolafe | SO | 5'11" | 210 | ★★★ |
| RB | 5th | Jake Arthurs | — | — | — | — |
Wide Receivers · 8
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | A.J. Henning | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| WR | 2nd | Cam Johnson | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| WR | 3rd | Bryce Kirtz | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 4th | Raymond Niro III | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 5th | Calvin Johnson II | SR | 5'11" | 180 | — |
| WR | 6th | Jacob Gill | SR | 6'0" | 185 | — |
| WR | 7th | Jack Kennedy | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 8th | Donnie Gray | SR | 6'2" | 210 | ★★★ |
Tight Ends · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Thomas Gordon | — | — | — | — |
| TE | 2nd | Marshall Lang | — | — | — | — |
| TE | 3rd | Charlie Mangieri | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| TE | 4th | Lawson Albright | SR | 6'5" | 250 | — |
| TE | 5th | Duke Olges | — | — | — | — |
Offensive Line · 1
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Dom D'Antonio | — | — | — | — |
Defensive Line · 15
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | 1st | Aidan Hubbard | SR | 6'4" | 255 | — |
| DL | 2nd | Richie Hagarty | SR | 6'3" | 250 | ★★★ |
| DL | 3rd | Jaylen Pate | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DL | 4th | Carmine Bastone | SR | 6'2" | 290 | — |
| DL | 5th | Najee Story | SR | 6'4" | 270 | ★★★ |
| DL | 6th | PJ Spencer | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 7th | Anto Saka | JR | 6'4" | 255 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 8th | Brendan Flakes | SO | 6'4" | 291 | ★★★ |
| DL | 9th | Reginald Pearson | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 10th | Sean McLaughlin | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 11th | Michael Kilbane | JR | 6'5" | 275 | — |
| DL | 12th | Matt Lawson | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 13th | Jaiden Cameron | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 14th | Tyler Gant | SO | 6'3" | 290 | — |
| DL | 15th | Dylan Roberts | SO | 6'3" | 280 | — |
Linebackers · 7
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Bryce Gallagher | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 2nd | Xander Mueller | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 3rd | Kenny Soares Jr. | SR | 6'2" | 231 | — |
| LB | 4th | Mac Uihlein | SR | 6'1" | 230 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 5th | Grayson Metz | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 6th | Braydon Brus | JR | 6'1" | 230 | ★★★ |
| LB | — | Cullen Coleman | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Defensive Backs · 13
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 1st | Garnett Hollis Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 1st | Coco Azema | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 2nd | Theran Johnson | SR | 5'11" | 195 | — |
| DB | 3rd | Ore Adeyi | SR | 5'11" | 195 | ★★★ |
| DB | 4th | Robert Fitzgerald | JR | 6'0" | 210 | — |
| DB | 5th | Braden Turner | JR | 5'11" | 195 | ★★★ |
| DB | 6th | Evan Smith | JR | 5'10" | 185 | — |
| DB | 7th | Joe DeHaan | — | — | — | ★★ |
| DB | 8th | Jack Oyola | JR | 5'11" | 200 | — |
| DB | — | Garner Wallace | SR | 6'4" | 220 | — |
| S | 1st | Rod Heard | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| S | 2nd | Devin Turner | SR | 6'2" | 198 | — |
| S | 3rd | Jaheem Joseph | JR | 5'10" | 200 | — |
Special Teams · 4
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LS | 1st | William Halkyard | — | — | — | — |
| P | 1st | Hunter Renner | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| P | 2nd | Luke Akers | SR | 6'2" | 200 | ★★★ |
| PK | 1st | Jack Olsen | SR | 5'10" | 195 | ★★★ |
2023 · pct vs FBS
SP+ Off
18.517
Off PPA
+0.0917
Pass PPA
+0.1523
Rush PPA
+0.0620
Success
39%22
Explosive
1.1611
PlayerMedian (50th)percentile vs league
SP+ Trend
points vs avg team
— Overall— Offense— Defense
SP+ = opponent-adjusted points vs an average team. Overall & Offense higher = better; Defense lower = better.
Advanced
2023 · opponent-adjusted PPA / play
| Split | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | +0.09 | +0.12 |
| Passing | +0.15 | +0.22 |
| Rushing | +0.06 | +0.07 |
| 1st Down | -0.11 | +0.00 |
| 2nd Down | +0.10 | +0.13 |
| 3rd Down | +0.52 | +0.35 |
Scoring Trend
2023 · pts/game
PPG For
22.8
PPG Against
23.8
Differential
-1.1
— Points for— Points against
dots: W / LResults
2023
- Overall
- 7-5
- Home
- 5-1
- Away
- 2-3
- Neutral
- 0-1
- Conference
- 5-4
- Non-Conference
- 2-1
- One-Score (≤8)
- 5-2
- Avg Margin
- -1.1
Situational Splits
2023 · record · pts
| Split | Record | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | |||
| Home | 5-1 | 27.8 | 24.0 |
| Away | 2-3 | 19.8 | 26.4 |
| Neutral | 1-1 | 10.5 | 8.5 |
| Competition | |||
| vs Ranked (SP+ 25) | 1-1 | 23.0 | 34.0 |
| Conference | 5-4 | 22.0 | 24.6 |
| Non-conference | 3-1 | 22.3 | 18.0 |
Season History · last 12
0 AP top-10 · 7 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6-6 | 4-5 | #51 | — | 1-0 |
| 2024 | 4-8 | 2-7 | #101 | — | — |
| 2023 | 7-5 | 5-4 | #69 | — | 1-0 |
| 2022 | 1-11 | 1-8 | #110 | — | — |
| 2021 | 3-9 | 1-8 | #106 | — | — |
| 2020 | 6-2 | 6-2 | #32 | — | 1-0 |
| 2019 | 3-9 | 1-8 | #91 | — | — |
| 2018 | 8-5 | 8-2 | #68 | — | 1-0 |
| 2017 | 9-3 | 7-2 | #27 | — | 1-0 |
| 2016 | 6-6 | 5-4 | #61 | — | 1-0 |
| 2015 | 10-2 | 6-2 | #75 | — | 0-1 |
| 2014 | 5-7 | 3-5 | #66 | — | — |
Recent Form · last 5
4-1 SU · 4-0 ATS · O0/U3
Betting Profile
2023 · 12 w/ line
| Straight up | 8-5 |
| ATS | 8-467% |
| Over / Under | 5-6 O-U |
| — ATS splits — | |
| As favorite | 2-1 |
| As underdog | 6-3 |
| Home | 4-2 |
| Away | 3-2 |
vs closing line · splits show cover–no cover
Recruiting Classes
avg #54 · 13 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★126 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #66 | 188 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 2024 | #80 | 166 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2023 | #47 | 200 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
| 2022 | #48 | 192 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| 2021 | #50 | 184 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| 2020 | #47 | 191 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 2019 | #52 | 188 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2018 | #58 | 180 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
| 2017 | #50 | 182 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
| 2016 | #52 | 175 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
talent #52
Returning prod 66%Departed 34%
Talent composite657.9 #52 / 238
Returning usage (pass / rush / rec)97 / 41 / 32
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2023
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
5 items
- All Quiet On the Pacific Northwestern FrontSince Chris Petersen stepped down as head coach following the 2019 season, Washington hasn’t had much success keeping a leader at the helm. Jimmy Lake was named the heir apparent, only to be fired after roughly two seasons. Next came Kalen DeBoer, the architect of many great memories, whose name now leaves behind a sour […]NU11h
- Breaking down Northwestern football’s recent commitsThe class of 2027 is coming together.NU13h
- Five questions for Northwestern football in 2026The smoke & mirrors amidst NUFB’s rebuild for CFP contention.NU3d
- 2026 Northwestern Football Know Your Opponent: Indiana HoosiersThe Wildcats take their first road trip of the season.NU3d
- Northwestern center Jackson Carsello gets injunction restoring eligibility for 2026 seasonCook County Circuit Judge Neil Cohen ruled that Carsello, a starter, is entitled to an extra season of competition.