Northwestern Wildcats
Big Ten
7-6 (4-5 conf)
SP+ #51
Ratings
2025
- SP+
- 5.8 (#51)
- SP+ Offense
- 24.4
- SP+ Defense
- 20.0
- SRS
- 4.4
- FPI
- 3.5
- Elo
- 1574
- Talent
- 678
- Recruiting
- 188 (#66)
Schedule
record 7–6
Schedule
39th
toughest of 136
Offenses faced
42nd
toughest of 136
Defenses faced
40th
toughest of 136
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 136 (easiest) · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Margin | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @Tulane | +6.3 | 3-23 | -20 | L |
| 2 | vsWestern Illinois | FCS | 42-7 | +35 | W |
| 3 | vsOregon | +25.9 | 14-34 | -20 | L |
| 5 | vsUCLA | -8.7 | 17-14 | +3 | W |
| 6 | vsUL Monroe | -21.6 | 42-7 | +35 | W |
| 7 | @Penn State | +18.1 | 22-21 | +1 | W |
| 8 | vsPurdue | -6.1 | 19-0 | +19 | W |
| 9 | @Nebraska | +6.2 | 21-28 | -7 | L |
| 11 | @USC | +16.9 | 17-38 | -21 | L |
| 12 | NMichigan | +12.4 | 22-24 | -2 | L |
| 13 | NMinnesota | +1.5 | 38-35 | +3 | W |
| 14 | @Illinois | +12.9 | 13-20 | -7 | L |
| 1 ·P | NCentral Michigan | -8.8 | 34-7 | +27 | W |
Quarterbacks · 5
2025 · 112
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Preston Stone | SR | 6'1" | 215 | ★★★★ |
| QB | 2nd | Ryan Boe | FR | 6'3" | 215 | ★★★ |
| QB | — | Marcus Romain | FR | 6'0" | 210 | ★★★ |
| QB | — | Gavin Frakes | JR | 6'4" | 235 | — |
| QB | — | Sean Winton | FR | 6'2" | 195 | — |
Running Backs · 7
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Caleb Komolafe | SO | 5'11" | 210 | ★★★ |
| RB | 2nd | Joseph Himon II | JR | 5'9" | 190 | — |
| RB | 3rd | Dashun Reeder | FR | 6'0" | 190 | — |
| RB | 4th | Cam Porter | SR | 5'10" | 215 | — |
| RB | 5th | Daniel Anderson | FR | 5'11" | 210 | ★★★ |
| RB | — | Albert Kunickis III | SO | 6'3" | 225 | — |
| RB | — | Ronny Johnson | FR | 5'10" | 175 | ★★★ |
Wide Receivers · 12
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Griffin Wilde | JR | 6'2" | 200 | — |
| WR | 2nd | Hayden Eligon II | SO | 6'4" | 210 | — |
| WR | 3rd | Drew Wagner | SO | 5'10" | 185 | — |
| WR | 4th | Ricky Ahumaraeze | SO | 6'4" | 210 | ★★★ |
| WR | 5th | Chase Farrell | FR | 5'10" | 180 | — |
| WR | 6th | Frank Covey IV | SO | 6'1" | 210 | ★★★ |
| WR | 7th | Carson Grove | FR | 5'11" | 185 | ★★★ |
| WR | — | Dube Enongene | FR | 6'1" | 200 | ★★★ |
| WR | — | Brennan Saxe | FR | 6'3" | 190 | — |
| WR | — | Tate Crane | SR | 6'3" | 210 | — |
| WR | — | Braden Blueitt | FR | 6'0" | 200 | ★★★ |
| WR | — | Cam Russell | FR | 6'3" | 210 | — |
Tight Ends · 10
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Hunter Welcing | SR | 6'3" | 250 | — |
| TE | 2nd | Robby Preckel | FR | 6'3" | 230 | ★★★ |
| TE | 3rd | Lawson Albright | SR | 6'5" | 250 | — |
| TE | 4th | Alex Lines | SR | 6'6" | 250 | — |
| TE | 5th | Blake Van Buren | JR | 6'4" | 248 | — |
| TE | — | Camp Magee | SO | 6'5" | 220 | ★★★ |
| TE | — | Noah Laporte | FR | 6'6" | 220 | — |
| TE | — | Tyler Kielmeyer | FR | 6'6" | 240 | — |
| TE | — | Chris Petrucci | JR | 6'4" | 250 | — |
| TE | — | Patrick Schaller | FR | 6'6" | 260 | — |
Offensive Line · 18
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Talan Chandler | FR | 6'2" | 300 | — |
| OL | — | Hayden Wright | FR | 6'5" | 255 | ★★★ |
| OL | — | Evan Beerntsen | SR | 6'4" | 310 | — |
| OL | — | Matt Keeler | SR | 6'6" | 300 | — |
| OL | — | Ezomo Oratokhai | FR | 6'4" | 310 | — |
| OL | — | Xavior Gray | SR | 6'8" | 335 | ★★ |
| OL | — | Anthony Birsa | SO | 6'5" | 310 | — |
| OL | — | Jackson Carsello | SR | 6'4" | 300 | — |
| OL | — | Jace Borcherding | FR | 6'4" | 300 | — |
| OL | — | Jack Bailey | SR | 6'3" | 325 | ★★ |
| OL | — | Dennis Rahouski | FR | 6'5" | 290 | ★★★ |
| OL | — | Caleb Tiernan | SR | 6'7" | 325 | ★★★★ |
| OL | — | Deuce McGuire | JR | 6'5" | 310 | — |
| OL | — | Nick Herzog | JR | 6'4" | 300 | — |
| OL | — | Martes Lewis | SR | 6'7" | 350 | — |
| OL | — | Michael O'Connell | FR | 6'7" | 305 | — |
| OL | — | Idrys Cotton | FR | 6'4" | 315 | ★★★ |
| OL | — | Trey Boyd | FR | 6'5" | 305 | ★★★ |
Defensive Line · 20
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | 1st | Michael Kilbane | JR | 6'5" | 275 | — |
| DL | 2nd | Aidan Hubbard | SR | 6'4" | 255 | — |
| DL | 3rd | Carmine Bastone | SR | 6'2" | 290 | — |
| DL | 4th | Najee Story | SR | 6'4" | 270 | ★★★ |
| DL | 5th | Brendan Flakes | SO | 6'4" | 291 | ★★★ |
| DL | 6th | Anto Saka | JR | 6'4" | 255 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 7th | Richie Hagarty | SR | 6'3" | 250 | ★★★ |
| DL | 8th | Callen Campbell | FR | 6'4" | 260 | ★★★ |
| DL | 9th | Miguel Jackson | SR | 6'0" | 295 | ★★★ |
| DL | 10th | Tyler Gant | SO | 6'3" | 290 | — |
| DL | 11th | Caden O'Rourke | FR | 6'5" | 230 | — |
| DL | 12th | Mason Mayne | FR | 6'3" | 265 | — |
| DL | — | Tanner Jumpp | FR | 6'3" | 270 | ★★★ |
| DL | — | Dylan Roberts | SO | 6'3" | 280 | — |
| DL | — | Jack Trautmann | FR | 6'3" | 255 | — |
| DL | — | Mason Green | SO | 6'2" | 250 | — |
| DL | — | Jonah Hayes | FR | 6'6" | 245 | ★★★ |
| DL | — | Braxton Strong | FR | 6'4" | 250 | ★★★ |
| DL | — | Landon Lauter | FR | 6'5" | 285 | — |
| DL | — | Troy Regovich | FR | 6'5" | 280 | ★★★ |
Linebackers · 12
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Mac Uihlein | SR | 6'1" | 230 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 2nd | Braydon Brus | JR | 6'1" | 230 | ★★★ |
| LB | 3rd | Yanni Karlaftis | SR | 6'3" | 235 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 4th | Payton Roth | SO | 6'4" | 225 | — |
| LB | 5th | Jack Sadowsky V | JR | 6'2" | 230 | — |
| LB | 6th | Jason Reynolds II | JR | 6'2" | 230 | ★★★ |
| LB | 7th | Nigel Glover | SO | 6'3" | 230 | ★★★★ |
| LB | — | Matthew Smith | FR | 6'2" | 210 | ★★★ |
| LB | — | Josh Veldman | FR | 6'5" | 210 | ★★★ |
| LB | — | Lincoln Creager | FR | 6'3" | 215 | — |
| LB | — | Miles Crutchley | JR | 6'0" | 220 | — |
| LB | — | Nathaniel Campbell | SR | 6'3" | 225 | — |
Defensive Backs · 22
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB | 1st | Robert Fitzgerald | JR | 6'0" | 210 | — |
| DB | 2nd | Braden Turner | JR | 5'11" | 195 | ★★★ |
| DB | 3rd | Garner Wallace | SR | 6'4" | 220 | — |
| DB | 4th | Josh Fussell | SO | 6'0" | 195 | — |
| DB | 5th | Fred Davis II | SR | 6'1" | 200 | ★★★★ |
| DB | 6th | Ore Adeyi | SR | 5'11" | 195 | ★★★ |
| DB | 7th | Dillon Tatum | JR | 5'11" | 210 | ★★★★ |
| DB | 8th | Jon Jon Stevens Jr. | FR | 6'0" | 190 | — |
| DB | 9th | Alijah Jones | FR | 6'0" | 185 | ★★★ |
| DB | 10th | Evan Smith | JR | 5'10" | 185 | — |
| DB | 11th | Damon Walters | SO | 6'1" | 195 | ★★★ |
| DB | 12th | Jalen Lewis | SO | 5'9" | 200 | ★★★ |
| DB | 13th | Sean Martin | FR | 6'1" | 185 | ★★★ |
| DB | 14th | Marquet Dorsey Jr. | FR | 6'2" | 195 | ★★★ |
| DB | — | Fred Davis Ii | — | — | — | — |
| DB | — | Seth Valeri | FR | 6'0" | 190 | — |
| DB | — | J.J. Lewis | SO | 6'0" | 200 | ★★★ |
| DB | — | Terrion Curry-Hicks | FR | 5'11" | 185 | ★★★ |
| DB | — | Cole Shivers | SO | 5'10" | 180 | ★★★ |
| DB | — | Jack Oyola | JR | 5'11" | 200 | — |
| DB | — | Timi Oke | FR | 6'1" | 185 | ★★★ |
| DB | — | Tito Williams Jr. | FR | 6'2" | 185 | — |
Special Teams · 6
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LS | 1st | Liam Reardon | SR | 6'1" | 230 | — |
| LS | — | Jack Florentine | FR | 6'0" | 215 | — |
| P | 1st | Luke Akers | SR | 6'2" | 200 | ★★★ |
| P | — | Nikola Dugandzic | FR | 6'5" | 215 | ★★★ |
| PK | 1st | Jack Olsen | SR | 5'10" | 195 | ★★★ |
| PK | — | Henry Helms | SO | 6'1" | 180 | — |
2025 · pct vs FBS
SP+ Off
24.435
Off PPA
+0.1543
Pass PPA
+0.2039
Rush PPA
+0.1460
Success
43%57
Explosive
1.1720
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
2025 · opponent-adjusted PPA / play
| Split | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | +0.15 | +0.17 |
| Passing | +0.20 | +0.23 |
| Rushing | +0.14 | +0.17 |
| 1st Down | -0.03 | +0.10 |
| 2nd Down | +0.06 | +0.10 |
| 3rd Down | +0.58 | +0.55 |
Scoring Trend
2025 · pts/game
PPG For
22.5
PPG Against
20.9
Differential
+1.6
— Points for— Points against
dots: W / LResults
2025
- Overall
- 6-6
- Home
- 4-1
- Away
- 1-4
- Neutral
- 1-1
- Conference
- 4-5
- Non-Conference
- 2-1
- One-Score (≤8)
- 3-3
- Avg Margin
- +1.6
Situational Splits
2025 · record · pts
| Split | Record | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | |||
| Home | 4-1 | 26.8 | 12.4 |
| Away | 1-4 | 15.2 | 26.0 |
| Neutral | 2-1 | 31.3 | 22.0 |
| Competition | |||
| vs Ranked (SP+ 25) | 1-4 | 17.6 | 27.4 |
| Conference | 4-5 | 20.3 | 23.8 |
| Non-conference | 3-1 | 30.3 | 11.0 |
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
2-3 SU · 1-2 ATS · O3/U1
Betting Profile
2025 · 12 w/ line
| Straight up | 7-6 |
| ATS | 6-4-260% |
| Over / Under | 6-6 O-U |
| — ATS splits — | |
| As favorite | 3-2 |
| As underdog | 3-2 |
| Home | 4-1 |
| Away | 1-2 |
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 #57
Returning prod 68%Departed 32%
Portal in 14net +2Out 12
Talent composite678.0 #57 / 134
Portal avg stars (in / out)3.0 / 3.1
Returning usage (pass / rush / rec)83 / 93 / 67
Notable Portal Moves
| ▲ | Griffin Wilde | WR | 3★ | ← South Dakota State |
| ▲ | Jack Sadowsky V | LB | 3★ | ← Iowa State |
| ▲ | Dillon Tatum | S | 3★ | ← Michigan State |
| ▲ | Martes Lewis | IOL | 3★ | ← Minnesota |
| ▼ | Josh Thompson | IOL | 4★ | → LSU |
| ▼ | Reggie Fleurima | WR | 4★ | → Slippery Rock |
| ▼ | Theran Johnson | CB | 3★ | → Oregon |
| ▼ | Devin Turner | S | 3★ | → Baylor |
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2025
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 […]NU16h
- Breaking down Northwestern football’s recent commitsThe class of 2027 is coming together.NU19h
- 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.NU4d
- 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.