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Northwestern Wildcats (Official Thread)

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ORD_Buckeye said:
$42M buyout, so "with cause" makes sense from their end I guess. I just have to wonder whether there's a lot more to this behind the scenes. Donor unrest over on the field results? Clashes between Fitz and the administration?

And I'm not against the anti-hazing movement. It's hard to partially draw the line, so zero tolerance is probably best. What might seem innocent in the NW locker room is inherently no different than what gets idiot frat boys sent to the morgue with Huggy levels of booze in their system. That said, I don't think firing with cause was either the right nor the smart thing to do here.
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As much as I liked Fitz, I was a tad surprised he kept his job with the results he had over such a long period. So there may be more afoot here and this was a "for cause" event that is at least arguable. If he had 9-11 win seasons and BIG Championship trophies recently, I don't think he gets more than the initial suspension.
 
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cincibuck said:
How do coaches not know? How did Tress not know that guys were trading jerseys and award bling for tats? How did Joe not know about water sports in the shower room? How did MSU, Michigan, and Ohio State coaches not know know about physicians with grabby hands?
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The answer to all five cases is that they did know and chose to cover it up. It came down to morals...or lack thereof.
 
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Damn, there must have been a run on popcorn in Chicagoland. Can’t find a single kernel. Guess everyone is stocking up for B1G Media days.

In all seriousness, those NWU kids are going to earn their NIL money this year.
 
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RB07OSU said:
As much as I liked Fitz, I was a tad surprised he kept his job with the results he had over such a long period. So there may be more afoot here and this was a "for cause" event that is at least arguable. If he had 9-11 win seasons and BIG Championship trophies recently, I don't think he gets more than the initial suspension.
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Their overall record is lacking, but they are actually the only B1G West team to make 2 appearances in the last 5 B1G CCGs.
 
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ScriptOhio said:

theathletic.com

Who will replace Pat Fitzgerald? An NFL OC, Power 5 head coaches top Bruce Feldman's list

Would sitting head coaches like Mike Campbell and Dave Clawson be tempted to move to Evanston?
theathletic.com theathletic.com
​

Replacing Pat Fitzgerald at Northwestern: Bruce Feldman’s candidates, from Duke to the NFL​

Mike Kafka, New York Giants offense coordinator
Matt Campbell, Iowa State head coach
Dave Clawson, Wake Forest head coach
Mike Elko, Duke head coach
Chris Creighton, Eastern Michigan head coach
Sherrone Moore, Michigan offensive coordinator
Tommy Rees, Alabama offensive coordinator
Paul Chryst, former Wisconsin head coach

dknetwork.draftkings.com

Top candidates for Northwestern head coaching job

Here’s a look at some potential replacements for Pat Fitzgerald in Evanston, IL.
dknetwork.draftkings.com dknetwork.draftkings.com

Northwestern coaching candidates​

Willie Fritz​

The veteran head coach of Tulane is coming off his most successful season in New Orleans, leading the Green Wave to an 11-2 record where they won the AAC title and defeated USC in the Cotton Bowl. He was strongly considered for the Georgia Tech opening during last fall’s coaching cycle before ultimately sticking with Tulane. Turning 64 next year, this could be his final shot at a Power Five gig and the amount of respect he has garnered around the sport would make him a good candidate to hold things down at Northwestern.

Derek Mason​

Mason is currently taking a sabbatical from coaching after serving as defensive coordinator for Auburn and Oklahoma State for the last two seasons. An assistant head coach under Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw at Stanford, Mason landed the head coaching job at Vanderbilt in 2014 and posted a 27-55 record through seven seasons. While that mark isn’t great, it is incredibly difficult to win in the SEC at a private institution like Vandy and there’s similarities between them and Northwestern. Would a refreshed Mason consider taking on this challenge? It’s worth it for Wildcat officials to give him a call.

Chris Creighton​

Creighton has been one of the more underrated coaches in college football for the last decade at Eastern Michigan. Taking over in Ypisilanti, MI, in 2014, he turned around a historically moribund Eagle program and has led them to five bowl game appearances in 10 seasons. If anyone can adapt to tough situations, it’s Creighton and Northwestern should think outside the box and consider him.

Coaching Candidates to Replace Pat Fitzgerald at Northwestern​

Short-Term Replacements (2023 Season Only)

David Braun, Defensive Coordinator, Northwestern
Reports indicate Braun is expected to direct Northwestern's program while an interim coach is decided. This is Braun's first season at Northwestern after working from 2019-22 at North Dakota State.

Bronco Mendenhall, Former Virginia/BYU Head Coach
Considering his name popped up in last year's coaching carousel, the guess here is Mendenhall might be looking for more than just a one-year pit stop. But if Northwestern looks for an outside leader, Mendenhall (135-81 overall in combined stints at BYU and Virginia) certainly fits as a quality hire.

David Shaw, Former Stanford Head Coach
Shaw stepped down at the end of the '22 season after 12 years in charge at Stanford. His experience at an academic power and steady leadership could be a good fit for a season.

Ken Niumatalolo, Former Navy Head Coach
Niumatalolo went 109-83 at Navy from the 2007 bowl game until the end of the '22 season. Although his tenure in Annapolis ended in dismissal, Niumatalolo would be a solid one-year director of the program.

Jim Grobe, Former Wake Forest/Baylor Head Coach
Grobe has experience navigating a late change atop a program, as he went 7-6 as the head coach during the '16 season at Baylor after Art Briles was fired. Grobe previously went 77-82 as the head coach at Wake Forest and finished 33-33-1 at Ohio (1995-00).

What if Northwestern wants to hire a new full-time coach now? And if not, keep in mind or file these names away for after the '23 season:

Jeff Monken, Head Coach, Army
Monken is a native of Illinois and has guided Army to a 64-49 mark since taking over in '14. Also, he previously went 38-16 as the head coach at Georgia Southern from 2010-13. It's no secret Monken runs the option offense but that approach could be tweaked in the Big Ten.

Sean Lewis, Offensive Coordinator, Colorado
Lewis joined Deion Sanders' staff in Boulder this offseason after a four-year stint at Kent State as the program's head coach. Although Lewis only went 24-31, Kent State is one of the MAC's toughest jobs and getting to two bowl games ('19 and '21) was a major accomplishment for the program. Lewis also has Big Ten experience thanks to a stint as a player at Wisconsin (2004-07).

Chris Creighton, Head Coach, Eastern Michigan
Creighton is a good example of why a head coach can't simply be judged on record. His overall mark at Eastern Michigan is 46-61, but the program has been to five bowl games over the last seven years and has posted four seasons of at least seven or more victories. That's a major step forward for a program that had only one bowl trip and three years of seven or more wins prior to Creighton's arrival.

Mike Kafka, Offensive Coordinator, New York Giants
Could Northwestern look to another former player to lead the program? Kafka quarterbacked the 'Cats from '05-09, throwing for 3,430 yards and 16 touchdowns in his final seasons in Evanston. After a short playing career in the NFL, Kafka worked for a season as a graduate assistant at Northwestern ('16) and eventually worked his way to quarterbacks coach with the Chiefs in '18. After four years in Kansas City, Kafka was hired as the Giants' offensive coordinator prior to the '22 season.

Willie Fritz, Head Coach, Tulane
Fritz has won at every coaching stop (Central Missouri, Sam Houston, Georgia Southern, and Tulane). He's 43-45 with the Green Wave - a program that mirrors Northwestern in some respects with its academic challenges - and guided the program to an AAC title and a Cotton Bowl win last year. Fritz would be an ideal candidate to target after the '23 season.



Just sayin': Sadly I'm not seeing Coach O on anybody's list to be a candidate at Northwestern....:lol:
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Strange how Gruden’s name no longer pops up on these lists.

Seems like he may be a good fit for them, no?
 
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sparcboxbuck said:
Strange how Gruden’s name no longer pops up on these lists.

Seems like he may be a good fit for them, no?
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No, at Northwestern the football focus has to be the team not the coach. Gruden is a NFL coach not a college coach; I doubt that he would want to handle the academic side or the continuous recruiting/NIL/transfer rituals. Like somebody already commented; David Shaw might be the best fit.
 
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ScriptOhio said:
No, at Northwestern the football focus has to be the team not the coach. Gruden is a NFL coach not a college coach; I doubt that he would want to handle the academic side or the continuous recruiting/NIL/transfer rituals. Like somebody already commented; David Shaw might be the best fit.
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That was a bit tongue in cheek given his recent past and the even more recent “burn the NFL house down” statement.

But on all other counts, you’re 1000% right.
 
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cincibuck said:
How do coaches not know? How did Tress not know that guys were trading jerseys and award bling for tats? How did Joe not know about water sports in the shower room? How did MSU, Michigan, and Ohio State coaches not know know about physicians with grabby hands?
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Tressel DID know. He didn't even delete the email that the attorney sent him. The attorney got disbarred for a year, btw. Tressel got fired for lying and putting in writing that he didn't know.
 
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BB73 said:
Their overall record is lacking, but they are actually the only B1G West team to make 2 appearances in the last 5 B1G CCGs.
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Correct, but because the B1G West has mostly been a garbage fire. I think the strategy was just win enough games in horrible weather in Evanston, and we will be about where we want. Honestly, can't blame them and Fitz was a beloved alumni coach that was well respected, so I kind of got it.

But this kind of thing at NW (true or not and I would lawyer the shit out of this and make it public as possible if I were him btw) without a better overall body of work is fatal. If he's in the SEC he would probably get a trophy, but not at the best academic school in the B1G. That's my take anyways.

lvbuckeye said:
Tressel DID know. He didn't even delete the email that the attorney sent him. The attorney got disbarred for a year, btw. Tressel got fired for lying and putting in writing that he didn't know.
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100% he did. He also faced possible criminal ramifications to disclose what that lawyer told him during an active federal felony investigation, a fact even most of our own fans don't realize. He kept the emails for a reason. Big reason the lawyer got sanctioned, he should have never sent the email. So rock meets hard place basically, I would have done the same thing in that situation if I were JT.

Plus even putting that aside, I think of child rape or naked hazing in a very different category than players trading trophies worth more than a tat in a way different lens, but I know I'm preaching to the choir there. Either way, I think NW is in for a financial nosebleed on this whole thing and it will mostly be from Fitz imo.
 
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