Northwestern Wildcats
Big Ten
4-8 (2-7 conf)
SP+ #101
Ratings
2024
- SP+
- -8.2 (#101)
- SP+ Offense
- 17.5
- SP+ Defense
- 24.3
- SRS
- -3.3
- FPI
- -5.0
- Elo
- 1397
- Talent
- 676
- Recruiting
- 166 (#80)
Schedule
record 4–8
Schedule
29th
toughest of 134
Offenses faced
80th
toughest of 134
Defenses faced
13th
toughest of 134
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 134 (easiest) · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Margin | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NMiami (OH) | +1.3 | 13-6 | +7 | W |
| 2 | NDuke | +5.6 | 20-26 | -6 | L |
| 3 | NEastern Illinois | FCS | 31-7 | +24 | W |
| 4 | @Washington | +3.1 | 5-24 | -19 | L |
| 6 | NIndiana | +20.1 | 24-41 | -17 | L |
| 7 | @Maryland | -3.9 | 37-10 | +27 | W |
| 8 | NWisconsin | +3 | 3-23 | -20 | L |
| 9 | @Iowa | +15.8 | 14-40 | -26 | L |
| 10 | @Purdue | -16.2 | 26-20 | +6 | W |
| 12 | NOhio State | +31.2 | 7-31 | -24 | L |
| 13 | @Michigan | +10.6 | 6-50 | -44 | L |
| 14 | NIllinois | +9.6 | 28-38 | -10 | L |
Quarterbacks · 5
2024 · 68
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Jack Lausch | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| QB | 2nd | Mike Wright Jr. | SR | 6'4" | 195 | — |
| QB | 3rd | Ryan Hilinski | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| QB | 4th | Ryan Boe | FR | 6'3" | 215 | ★★★ |
| QB | — | Aidan Gray | FR | 6'3" | 195 | ★★★ |
Running Backs · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Joseph Himon II | JR | 5'9" | 190 | — |
| RB | 2nd | Cam Porter | SR | 5'10" | 215 | — |
| RB | 3rd | Caleb Komolafe | SO | 5'11" | 210 | ★★★ |
| RB | 4th | Jake Arthurs | — | — | — | — |
| RB | 5th | Albert Kunickis III | SO | 6'3" | 225 | — |
Wide Receivers · 8
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | A.J. Henning | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| WR | 2nd | Bryce Kirtz | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 3rd | Calvin Johnson II | SR | 5'11" | 180 | — |
| WR | 4th | Drew Wagner | SO | 5'10" | 185 | — |
| WR | 5th | Frank Covey IV | SO | 6'1" | 210 | ★★★ |
| WR | 6th | Hayden Eligon II | SO | 6'4" | 210 | — |
| WR | 7th | Donnie Gray | SR | 6'2" | 210 | ★★★ |
| WR | — | Reggie Fleurima | SO | 6'2" | 207 | ★★★★ |
Tight Ends · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Thomas Gordon | — | — | — | — |
| TE | 2nd | Marshall Lang | — | — | — | — |
| TE | 3rd | Hunter Welcing | SR | 6'3" | 250 | — |
| TE | 4th | Lawson Albright | SR | 6'5" | 250 | — |
| TE | 5th | Duke Olges | — | — | — | — |
Offensive Line · 4
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Jackson Carsello | SR | 6'4" | 300 | — |
| OL | — | Logan Uihlein | FR | 6'2" | 245 | — |
| OL | — | Jordan Knox | SO | 6'2" | 326 | ★★★ |
| OL | — | Ben Wrather | — | — | — | — |
Defensive Line · 15
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | 1st | Aidan Hubbard | SR | 6'4" | 255 | — |
| DL | 2nd | Najee Story | SR | 6'4" | 270 | ★★★ |
| DL | 3rd | Michael Kilbane | JR | 6'5" | 275 | — |
| DL | 4th | Reginald Pearson | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 5th | Anto Saka | JR | 6'4" | 255 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 6th | Jaylen Pate | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DL | 7th | Sean McLaughlin | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 8th | Brendan Flakes | SO | 6'4" | 291 | ★★★ |
| DL | 9th | Carmine Bastone | SR | 6'2" | 290 | — |
| DL | 10th | Dylan Roberts | SO | 6'3" | 280 | — |
| DL | 11th | Jaiden Cameron | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 12th | Tyler Gant | SO | 6'3" | 290 | — |
| DL | 13th | Hank Knez | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 14th | Braxton Strong | FR | 6'4" | 250 | ★★★ |
| DL | — | Henry Fioriglio | FR | 6'3" | 272 | — |
Linebackers · 9
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Mac Uihlein | SR | 6'1" | 230 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 2nd | Xander Mueller | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 3rd | Grayson Metz | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 4th | Kenny Soares Jr. | SR | 6'2" | 231 | — |
| LB | 5th | Braydon Brus | JR | 6'1" | 230 | ★★★ |
| LB | 6th | Noah Taylor | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 7th | Jason Reynolds II | JR | 6'2" | 230 | ★★★ |
| LB | 8th | Miles Crutchley | JR | 6'0" | 220 | — |
| LB | 9th | Qayvier Johnson | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Defensive Backs · 12
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB | 1st | Theran Johnson | SR | 5'11" | 195 | — |
| DB | 2nd | Robert Fitzgerald | JR | 6'0" | 210 | — |
| DB | 3rd | Coco Azema | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 4th | Damon Walters | SO | 6'1" | 195 | ★★★ |
| DB | 5th | Josh Fussell | SO | 6'0" | 195 | — |
| DB | 6th | Braden Turner | JR | 5'11" | 195 | ★★★ |
| DB | 7th | Evan Smith | JR | 5'10" | 185 | — |
| DB | 8th | Garner Wallace | SR | 6'4" | 220 | — |
| DB | 9th | Joe DeHaan | — | — | — | ★★ |
| DB | 10th | Cole Shivers | SO | 5'10" | 180 | ★★★ |
| DB | 11th | Tito Williams Jr. | FR | 6'2" | 185 | — |
| S | 1st | Devin Turner | SR | 6'2" | 198 | — |
Special Teams · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LS | 1st | William Halkyard | — | — | — | — |
| P | 1st | Luke Akers | SR | 6'2" | 200 | ★★★ |
| P | 2nd | Hunter Renner | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| PK | 1st | Jack Olsen | SR | 5'10" | 195 | ★★★ |
| PK | — | Jacob Tabibian | JR | 5'9" | 197 | — |
2024 · pct vs FBS
SP+ Off
17.58
Off PPA
+0.014
Pass PPA
+0.014
Rush PPA
+0.0418
Success
36%8
Explosive
1.2226
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
2024 · opponent-adjusted PPA / play
| Split | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | +0.01 | +0.14 |
| Passing | +0.01 | +0.22 |
| Rushing | +0.04 | +0.09 |
| 1st Down | -0.11 | +0.13 |
| 2nd Down | +0.04 | +0.09 |
| 3rd Down | +0.24 | +0.40 |
Scoring Trend
2024 · pts/game
PPG For
17.8
PPG Against
26.3
Differential
-8.5
— Points for— Points against
dots: W / LResults
2024
- Overall
- 4-8
- Home
- 0-0
- Away
- 2-3
- Neutral
- 2-5
- Conference
- 2-7
- Non-Conference
- 2-1
- One-Score (≤8)
- 2-1
- Avg Margin
- -8.5
Situational Splits
2024 · record · pts
| Split | Record | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | |||
| Away | 2-3 | 17.6 | 28.8 |
| Neutral | 2-5 | 18.0 | 24.6 |
| Competition | |||
| vs Ranked (SP+ 25) | 0-3 | 15.0 | 37.3 |
| Conference | 2-7 | 16.7 | 30.8 |
| Non-conference | 2-1 | 21.3 | 13.0 |
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
1-4 SU · 2-3 ATS · O4/U1
Betting Profile
2024 · 12 w/ line
| Straight up | 4-8 |
| ATS | 4-833% |
| Over / Under | 7-5 O-U |
| — ATS splits — | |
| As favorite | 1-2 |
| As underdog | 3-6 |
| Home | 0-0 |
| Away | 2-3 |
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 #55
Returning prod 42%Departed 58%
Portal in 6net -6Out 12
Talent composite675.8 #55 / 134
Portal avg stars (in / out)3.0 / 3.0
Returning usage (pass / rush / rec)2 / 66 / 70
Notable Portal Moves
| ▲ | Nigel Glover | LB | 3★ | ← Ohio State |
| ▲ | Matt Keeler | OT | 3★ | ← Texas Tech |
| ▲ | Jack Bailey | IOL | 3★ | ← Colorado |
| ▲ | Mike Wright | QB | 3★ | ← Mississippi State |
| ▼ | Josh Priebe | IOL | 3★ | → Michigan |
| ▼ | Rod Heard II | CB | 3★ | → Notre Dame |
| ▼ | Jaheem Joseph | CB | 3★ | → West Virginia |
| ▼ | Garnett Hollis Jr. | CB | 3★ | → West Virginia |
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2024
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 […]NU13h
- Breaking down Northwestern football’s recent commitsThe class of 2027 is coming together.NU16h
- 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.