Northwestern University Football

The consensus 2023 Big Ten Coach of the Year, David Braun was named Northwestern University's 31st Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach on November...

Alec Kass was elevated to a strength and conditioning assistant with Northwestern football in January 2026 after nearly two years as a performance science intern. Kass previously served as a strength and conditioning consultant at Hatch Valley High School in New Mexico. He held strength and conditioning internships at the University of Tennessee and the University of South Carolina. In 2021, Kass graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a bachelor's degree in integrative physiology. Kass received a master's degree in exercise science from South Carolina in 2023.

Former Boise State running back Aristotle Thompson enters his second season as Northwestern’s running backs coach in 2026. In Thompson’s first year at Northw...

Former NFL wide receiver Armon Binns enters his fourth season as Northwestern’s wide receivers coach in 2026. In 2025, Binns oversaw the emergence of junior wide receiver Griffin Wilde. In his first season in Evanston, Wilde earned All-Big Ten Third-Team honors after starting all 13 games and recording 71 catches for 880 receiving yards (12.39 average) and eight receiving touchdowns, which was tied for 23rd in the nation. His 880 receiving yards marked the most by a player in the David Braun era and the most by a Northwestern player since 2016 Austin Carr led the conference with 1,247 receiving yards. His 71 receptions were the most by an NU wideout since Carr (90) in 2016. Sophomore wideout Hayden Eligon II (37 receptions, 521 yards and three touchdowns) also became the first NU underclassman wide receiver with 3+ receiving touchdowns in a season since Riley Lees scored three in 2018, and he was the first NU underclassmen with 30+ receptions in a season since Ben Skworonek had 45 in 2017. In 2023, Binns helped Northwestern to an 8-5 overall record, which tied for a second-place finish in the Big Ten West with a 5-4 mark in conference games. The Wildcats ended the season on a four-game winning streak, including a 14-7 victory over Utah in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl, the program's fifth consecutive bowl win. While in Evanston, Binns has coached numerous All-Big Ten receivers including A.J. Henning and Bryce Kirtz. Cam Johnson hauled in 54 catches for career-bests of 7

Ben Durbala was elevated to the role of Scouting & Recruiting analyst in March 2026 after spending the previous seven months as a Scouting & Recruiting assistant. From 2023 to 2025, Durbala worked in asset management for Bradford Allen. Durbala graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2024. He earned a master's degree in sports administration from Northwestern in 2026. During his time in Columbia, Durbala was a student manager with the football program from 2021 to 2022.

Bob Bicknell joined Northwestern football's coaching staff as the team's Tight Ends Coach in January 2026. The Holliston, Mass., native brings over three dec...

Brenden Seki has served as an Assistant Director of Football Sports Performance at Northwestern since August 2025, having previously held the position of RTP Strength and Conditioning Intern from July 2024-August 2025. A residency-trained sports physical therapist, Seki also works as a physical therapist at Unbroken Rehab & Athletics, a role he's held since October 2024. Seki graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 2013 before studying exercise science and pre-physical therapy at Grossmont College from 2015 to 2019. He received a Doctor of Physical Therapy from the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine in 2023. Seki spent his one-year residency at the University of Miami. Before he returned to school, Seki served as a conservation associate at the City of Chula Vista from 2013 to 2016. He was also a Nike Athlete from 2015 to 2020. Seki spent four months as a student physical therapist with the Wildcat football program in 2023 and was a strength and conditioning intern with the program for another three months prior to his graduation.

Northwestern has named veteran NFL and college coach Chip Kelly as its new Offensive Coordinator in December 2025. Kelly most recently served as the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders and brings 35 years of experience at the NFL and collegiate levels to Evanston, having served as both a head coach and offensive coordinator. Prior to his time in Las Vegas, Kelly served one season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at The Ohio State University, where he helped lead the Buckeyes to a national championship by orchestrating one of the most explosive and efficient offenses in college football. In Columbus, Kelly directed an offense that averaged 36.3 points per game in four College Football Playoff victories and finished the season ranked No. 14 nationally in scoring offense (35.7 ppg) and No. 30 in total offense (429.4 yards per game). Kelly served as head coach at UCLA from 2018–2023, compiling a 35–34 overall record while overseeing consistent offensive growth. The Bruins ranked No. 17 nationally in rushing in 2023, set a school record for total offense in 2022 (503.6 yards per game), and led the Pac-12 in scoring in both 2020 and 2021. UCLA finished No. 12 nationally in scoring offense in 2021 and produced multiple top-15 rushing attacks during Kelly's tenure. Kelly's NFL head coaching experience includes three seasons as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles (2013–15), during which the franchise ranked among the top four in the NFL in scoring offe

Christian Sarkisian joined Northwestern Athletics as General Manager in May 2025. Sarkisian, a Northwestern alum who previously worked in the Department, possesses a deep background in professional football scouting and collegiate athletics administration. As General Manager, Sarkisian oversees the operational functions related to the NCAA House settlement, which is pending formal approval, and its impact on all of Northwestern's intercollegiate athletics programs. He also oversees all aspects of salary cap management for Northwestern Athletics, with a primary emphasis on football. This position, now commonplace across Power Four athletic programs, is responsible for developing and executing the department's revenue-sharing strategy, including tracking and distributing revenue share payments and additional scholarship allocations. Sarkisian leads student-athlete evaluations, contract negotiations and is accountable for the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) clearinghouse. Sarkisian contributes to long-term strategic planning and acts as an advisor to senior leadership. Additionally, he works closely with coaches to establish and manage annual scholarship budgets and revenue allocations, forecast and analyze future recruiting class needs, and provides recommendations for student-athlete revenue-share distributions. Sarkisian develops and implements systems to effectively evaluate and value student-athletes for various sports through comprehensive assessments that consider factors

Curtis Shaner is the associate director of equipment services for the Northwestern football program. A native of Bowling Green, Ohio, Shaner attended Bowling Green High School where he became an equipment aide and ball boy at Bowling Green State University for Glenn Sharp, who was the equipment manager and founder of the AEMA (Athletic Equipment Managers Association). Following high school, Shaner attended Ashland College. Upon graduation, Shaner became the head equipment manager at Ashland for one year. From there, he worked as an equipment manager at Oklahoma State University for five years and Western Michigan University for one year before becoming a member of Northwestern's staff. Shaner is a member of AEMA.

D.J. Vokolek was named a defensive assistant coach at Northwestern by Head Coach David Braun on Aug. 11, 2023, and later moved into an assistant defensive line coach role, primarily working with defense ends, ahead of the 2025 campaign. He is entering his fourth season on staff at Northwestern in 2026. Vokolek helped produce strong 2025 campaigns from NU defensive end mainstays Aidan Hubbard and Michael Kilbane. Hubbard finished his graduate season as the No. 5 all-time sack leader at Northwestern with 20.5 career sacks after registering 28 total tackles, 14 solo tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss and a career-high 7.5 sacks. He logged at least 0.5 sacks in seven of 11 regular-season appearances. Kilbane earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors after posting 43 stops, 17 solo tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, all of which were career highs, in a breakout junior season on the defensive line. In 2025, the NU defense allowed 19.8 points per game as a team, ranking sixth in the Big Ten and 23rd in FBS. It marked the best scoring defense by a Northwestern team since 2020, and the best in a full season since 2015. Northwestern’s defense ranked fourth in the Big Ten, producing 20 total takeaways during the season (11 fumble recoveries, 9 interceptions), while the team’s 11 fumble recoveries also led the Big Ten and ranked 11th in the nation. He helped the Wildcats to an 8-5 record, a 5-4 mark in conference games which tied for second in the Big Ten West and a Las Vegas Bow

Daniel Segal joined Northwestern's staff as a Senior Offensive Assistant in February 2026. Segal most recently served on the offensive staff at UCLA, where he was named an offensive analyst on Chip Kelly’s staff ahead of the 2022 season. He was elevated to a senior offensive analyst in 2024 and was the interim tight ends coach for the Bruins in the latter stages of the 2025 season. During this past season, Segal worked in tandem with NU quarterbacks coach Jerry Neuihesel, who stepped into UCLA’s offensive coordinator role after the team fell 17-14 to Northwestern in Evanston on Sept. 27, 2025. From 2011 to 2015, Segal attended the University of Miami (Ohio). He earned a Bachelor of Science in Oxford, Ohio, before entering the football profession as a pro personnel intern with the New York Giants from August 2015 to February 2017. Following his stint in the NFL, Segal joined the University of Washington football staff as an offensive assistant in 2017. He held that post until 2018, when he was elevated to an offensive graduate assistant on the Huskies staff. Segal served in that capacity from 2019 to 2022, earning a Master of Education degree from the University of Washington in 2020.

Demetrius Fields was named Northwestern football's director of player engagement in August 2021. In this newly created role, Fields works to improve the play...

Drew Gray enters his third season at Northwestern in 2026. Gray will take on the role of safeties coach after two years as the Wildcats’ nickels coach. Redshirt junior Braden Turner headlined the nickel corner room in 2026 under Gray’s tutelage. Turner started 12 games and posted 50 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, an interception and three pass breakups. He set career highs in tackles, forced fumbles, interceptions and passes defended this season and was named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention. He also became the first Big Ten player to record at least three tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup (11/15) since the 2022 season. In 2026, the NU defense allowed 19.8 points per game as a team, ranking sixth in the Big Ten and 23rd in FBS. It marked the best scoring defense by a Northwestern team since 2020, and the best in a full season since 2015. Northwestern’s defense ranked fourth in the Big Ten, producing 20 total takeaways during the season (11 fumble recoveries, 9 interceptions), while the team’s 11 fumble recoveries also led the Big Ten and ranked 11th in the nation. Gray arrived in Evanston after two impactful seasons as a full-time assistant at Samford, where he served as the cornerbacks coach. During his tenure, Gray played a pivotal role in a historic 2022 campaign, helping lead the Bulldogs to an 11-2 record, an undefeated 8-0 mark in Southern Conference play and the program's first outright SoCon tit

Drew Smith was elevated to Director of College Scouting in September 2025 after serving as a recruiting and scouting analyst since June 2024. Smith is a 2015 graduate of Northwestern University where he was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree while playing linebacker for the Wildcats football team. After graduating from Northwestern, Smith worked for Pepsico for five years. He returned to his alma mater in 2021 as a football operations intern and coordinated travel for coaches during recruiting periods, planned recruiting strategies during official visits and tracked transfer portal entries. Smith also spent time at Eastern Michigan as a recruiting and operations assistant, then at the University of Minnesota in 2022-23, working in the recruiting and personnel department. A Cincinnati, Ohio, native, Smith is pursuing a Master of Information Design and Strategy, UX/UI, at Northwestern.

Ean Deno joined Northwestern Athletics in February 2024 as Director of Scouting for the Wildcats football program. Ahead of the 2025 season, he became Director of Internal Relations/Assistant to the Head Coach. Prior to Northwestern, Deno spent five years with North Dakota State University football as a recruiting and operations assistant in 2019 and was elevated to director of football recruiting and player personnel for the 2021-2023 seasons. Before arriving at NDSU, Deno spent three seasons working under head coach Steve Laqua at Minnesota State University Moorhead, where he was the director of football operations in 2018 and assistant director of football operations in 2017. Recruited to play offensive line at MSU Moorhead, he transitioned into a student coaching role with the Dragons offensive line in 2016. Deno graduated from MSU Moorhead in May 2019 with a bachelor's degree in communications. He earned a master's degree in health, nutrition and exercise science from NDSU in August 2021. A native of Shoreview, Minn., Deno married his wife, Kelly, in the summer of 2025.

EJ Hibbler was hired on June 13, 2025, as the Assistant Director of Football Sports Performance. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Hibbler played collegiate football as a wide receiver at Wheaton College from 2008 to 2011. He earned his undergraduate degree in Applied Health Science from Wheaton and later completed his master's degree in sport administration, along with a certificate in sports psychology, at Northern Illinois University in 2016. Hibbler brings over a decade of experience in strength and conditioning, including a 2023 stint with the Detroit Lions as an strength and conditioning assistant coach. Prior to that, he worked with the University of Tulsa football program from February to June 2023 and spent three seasons with the University of Arkansas football program from 2020 through 2022. Previous stops included working on the strength and conditioning staff at Michigan State University (women's basketball and volleyball, 2018–2020) and the University of Louisville (football, 2017–2018), where he also oversaw the strength and conditioning internship program. At Northern Illinois University (2014–2017), Hibbler served as Assistant Director of Sports Performance. He was the head performance coach for women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, women's track & field, and women's cross country, while assisting with football. During his time there, the volleyball program earned two Mid-American West Division titles, two MAC regular season championships, a MAC Tourn

Evan Klepec joined Northwestern Athletics as Assistant Athletic Director for Equipment Services in June 2023. He served in a similar capacity for the last 10 years at Northern Illinois University and was responsible for budget oversight, branding compliance, facility maintenance, and apparel/equipment purchases. He also had direct oversight of football, wrestling, baseball, softball, cheer, band, and multiple support units within the university. Prior to his role as Assistant AD, Klepec served as director of equipment services, where he directly served men's and women's basketball, volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis, track and field, cross country, and multiple support units. Prior to NIU, he spent the summer of 2012 as an intern with the Indianapolis Colts where he assisted with the issuance of new gear, daily laundry responsibilities, set-up and tear-down for daily practices and workouts, game ball preparation, and helmet construction. Klepec was a Division I student-athlete at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he received his bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and Health. Following a career-ending injury, he served as a student-manager for multiple teams on campus. He is a certified athletic equipment manager and a member of the Athletic Equipment Managers Association since 2011. Klepec is a native of Boardman, Ohio.

Fred Wyatt joined the Northwestern football coaching staff as the Defensive Line Specialist in February 2026. Wyatt came to Evanston after serving as a defen...

Griffin Quinn joined Northwestern Athletics as the Assistant Director of Design and Brand in October 2022. In May of 2024, Griffin became the Assistant Director of Design and Photography for Northwestern Football, helping shape the visual and creative outputs for the program. Before Northwestern, Griffin completed internships with the Boston Red Sox, Syracuse University Athletics, and the University of Dayton Athletics, where he developed his skills as a photographer, designer, and storyteller. Originally from Lindenhurst, Illinois, Griffin is a University of Dayton graduate and has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication.

Jack Bies serves as the Head Football Equipment Manager at Northwestern. He previously spent three seasons in the same role at Ball State. After graduating from Ball State with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and criminology in 2020, Bies worked as an equipment manager at Furman from 2020 to 2022 before returning to his alma mater. Bies has spent time around several NFL organizations, serving as a training camp intern with the Baltimore Ravens in 2018 and the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019.

Jacob White enters his third season on the Northwestern staff as the assistant linebackers coach in 2026. White helped spur the development of NU linebackers...

Jaime Cano has served as the Assistant Director of Football Sports Performance since February 2024. He spent time on the Northwestern staff in 2018, when the...

Jeff Copp enters his third season at Northwestern in 2026 and his first as a senior defensive assistant/nickels coach. Copp previously served as a defensive analyst under head coach David Braun. Redshirt junior Braden Turner headlined the nickel corner room in 2025. Turner started 12 games and posted 50 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, an interception and three pass breakups. He set career highs in tackles, forced fumbles, interceptions and passes defended this season and was named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention. He also became the first Big Ten player to record at least three tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup (11/15) since the 2022 season. In 2025, the NU defense allowed 19.8 points per game as a team, ranking sixth in the Big Ten and 23rd in FBS. It marked the best scoring defense by a Northwestern team since 2020, and the best in a full season since 2015. Northwestern’s defense ranked fourth in the Big Ten, producing 20 total takeaways during the season (11 fumble recoveries, 9 interceptions), while the team’s 11 fumble recoveries also led the Big Ten and ranked 11th in the nation. Copp came to Northwestern in August 2024 from Eastern Washington University where he was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2022 after two years on staff coaching the defensive tackles, beginning with the abbreviated 2020-21 spring season. During his tenure at Eastern Washington, Copp has coached two Eagle defensive line

Jerome Grey has served as a recruiting and scouting analyst at Northwestern since October 2024. After holding various coaching positions from 2018 to 2020, Grey spent three years as an assistant football coach at Drake University from March 2020 to June 2023. Grey became a part-time external scout with the Cleveland Browns in November 2022, holding the role until March 2023. He returned to the NFL in July 2023, spending two months as the Minnesota Vikings' Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellow. He returned to the Browns as an external film analyst from August 2023 to March 2024. Grey graduated with a bachelor's degree in communication from Wheaton College in 2019.

Jerry Neuheisel joined Northwestern's staff as the new quarterbacks coach in January 2026. Neuheisel joins the Northwestern staff following eight seasons at UCLA. This past year marked a significant expansion of his responsibilities, as he was promoted to assistant head coach in December 2024 before taking over offensive playcalling duties midway through the Bruins' 2025 campaign. A former UCLA quarterback, Neuheisel coached the Bruins' tight ends from 2024-25. Prior to that, he spent three seasons as UCLA's wide receivers coach (2021–23) and three seasons as a graduate assistant (2018–20) under current Northwestern offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Neuheisel's ascension to offensive playcaller coincided with an immediate turnaround for UCLA after an 0-4 start to the season. In his first game calling plays, he helped guide the Bruins to a 42–37 victory over then-No. 7 Penn State at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 4. The win marked UCLA's first victory over an AP top-10 opponent since 2010 and the first time since 1985 that a team starting 0–4 or worse defeated a top-10 opponent. UCLA's 42 points were also its highest output since the 2023 season. The win over the Nittany Lions sparked a three-game winning streak against Big Ten opponents that garnered national attention. UCLA followed with a 38–13 road victory at Michigan State, its largest margin of victory since 2023, before closing the streak with a 20–17 win over Maryland that featured a game-winning drive in the final 35 seconds.

Jim Meussling joined Northwestern’s staff during the 2022 season as the Assistant Director of Football Operations. At Northwestern, his responsibilities incl...

Joe Montag joined Northwestern’s staff as a defensive assistant in July 2025. Prior to arriving at Northwestern, Montag served as a Senior Defensive Analyst at Stanford during the 2024 season. Before that, he was the defensive coordinator at Morehead State. He also spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons at Louisiana as a quality control coach for linebackers, where he specifically worked with the SAM linebackers and assisted with the inside linebackers. While at Louisiana, Montag helped the Ragin’ Cajuns reach the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl in 2023 and the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl in 2022. During the 2023 season, Louisiana’s defense ranked 16th nationally in forced fumbles, 26th in interceptions, and 31st in sacks per game. In 2022, the Cajuns ranked 36th nationally in scoring defense, 20th in limiting plays of more than 20 yards, and ninth in the nation in allowing runs of 10 yards or more. Montag previously served as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Alderson Broaddus (W.Va.) during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, where the Battlers improved significantly in several defensive categories and produced two all-conference linebackers. Earlier in his career, Montag held graduate assistant roles at New Mexico (2019), Houston (2018), and Purdue (2016–17). He began his coaching career as a defensive assistant with the linebackers at Miami (Fla.) in 2014 and 2015 after working with the coaching staff at his alma mater, Bridgewater (Va.), during the 2013 season. Mo

Joe Seymour enters his second season on the Northwestern staff in 2026 as the Wildcats’ special teams assistant. Seymour previously served a six-year tenure ...

John Schaefer joined Northwestern in July 2024 and serves as the Director of Football Video Operations, overseeing the program's video efforts. Prior to arriving in Evanston, Schaefer spent time at the University of Wisconsin as the Director of Football Video & Technology. In that role, he led a staff responsible for filming, editing, and maintaining archives of the Badgers' practices and games while also producing video content to support the needs of the coaching and recruiting staffs. Schaefer is a two-time winner of the Big Ten Conference Video Coordinator of the Year by his peers, having won the award in 2018-19 and 2022-23. He was also named a finalist for the Bob Matey National Video Coordinator of the Year Award presented by the Collegiate Sports Video Association in 2018-19. Schaefer joined Wisconsin in 2013 after spending three years on the football video staff at Western Michigan, including serving as the Broncos' head video coordinator during the 2012 season. In total, he spent six seasons at Western Michigan, beginning as a student assistant coach working with the offensive line from 2007–09 before transitioning to the program's video staff. A native of Mount Clemens, Michigan, Schaefer earned his degree in mathematics with a minor in communications from Western Michigan in 2011.

Jonah Isaac became a Recruiting & Scouting Analyst at Northwestern in October 2025. He previously spent more than three years at Moody's Analytics, with the latter two as an associate relationship manager. Isaac graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor's degree in business administration and management in 2020. He played wide receiver for the Rams football program. A Wilmette, Ill., native, Isaac completed a master's in sports administration in December 2025.

Keith McCall joined Northwestern in May 2024 and serves as the Assistant Director of Football Creative Video. Prior to arriving at Northwestern, McCall served as a Video Coordinator/Video Assistant at Temple during the 2023 season. Before that, he was a Video Manager with the football program at Penn State, his alma mater, from 2020 to 2023. McCall graduated from Penn State with a degree in marketing.

Former NFL defensive back LaMarcus Hicks enters his fourth season at Northwestern in 2026. Hicks will take on the role of defensive backs coach after coachin...

Luke Walerius joined Northwestern in January 2024 and serves as the General Manager of Roster Development & Retention. Walerius came to Evanston after serving as the Director of Recruiting at the University of Memphis in 2023. Prior to that, he was on the North Texas staff, where he served as Director of Recruiting beginning in 2018 before being promoted to Football Chief of Staff ahead of the 2019 season. Before his time at North Texas, Walerius spent five seasons in the recruiting office under head coach Mark Stoops at Kentucky. During his time in Lexington, he worked in all aspects of recruiting, including talent evaluation. Walerius began as a student recruiting assistant for three seasons (2013–15) before serving as a graduate assistant for two seasons (2016–17). A native of Alexandria, Kentucky, Walerius earned his bachelor's degree in community, leadership and development from the University of Kentucky.

Maurice Fleming joined the Northwestern football staff as an assistant defensive backs coach in Feburary 2026. Fleming joined the Wildcats from Eastern Illin...

Paul Creighton joined Northwestern's staff ahead of the 2024 season. He previously worked the 2022 and 2023 seasons at Washington as a special teams quality control coach, where the Huskies posted a 25-3 record and played in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship game. While serving as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach in 2025, Creighton saw three players earn All-Big Ten honors in Luke Akers (punter), Jack Olsen (kicker) and Hunter Welcing (tight end). Northwestern ranked fifth in the Big Ten in net punting (39.68), as Akers booted nine punts over 50 yards and pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line on nine separate occasions. Olsen made 19 field goals on the season–tied for fourth in Wildcats history– and his 90.5% field goal percentage ranked Top-10 in the country and fourth in the Northwestern record book. Welcing stepped up to become Northwestern's top pass catcher at the tight end position, logging 27 receptions for 283 receiving yards (most by an NU tight end since 2017) and two receiving touchdowns. In 2024, Creighton led a special teams unit that posted 15.2 yards per punt return, which ranked second in the Big Ten and 10th nationally. Joseph Himon II tallied 24.0 yards per kick return, which ranked third in the conference and 24th nationally, and was the highest season average by a Northwestern kick returner (min. 20 returns) since 2016. The team blocked a total of four kicks (three field goals, one punt), with the three blocked field

Paul Grattan joined the Northwestern football staff as an offensive assistant in February 2026. Grattan came to the Wildcats from Duquesne, where he was hire...

Rick Perry serves as Northwestern’s Assistant Director of Football Sports Performance. He previously was the director of strength and conditioning at Central...

Ross Kolodziej joined the Northwestern football coaching staff as the defensive line coach in January 2026. Kolodziej (pronounced kah-LAH-gee) brings extensi...

Ryan Olson joined the Northwestern coaching staff in January of 2025, and he will continue to primarily work with the Wildcat offensive line in his second season in 2026. In Olson’s first year at Northwestern, the Wildcats averaged 160.2 rushing yards per game (8th in the Big Ten and 65th in the nation), which marked a jump of over 62 yards per game compared to the team's output the season prior to his arrival. Graduate guard and All-Big Ten Honorable Mention Evan Beernsten posted a 79.4 PFF Run Blocking Grade in 2025, which ranked seventh nationally for guards and fourth among Big Ten guards. Graduate center Jackson Carsello’s 78.9 Run Blocking Grade ranked second among Big Ten centers. In 2025, Olson was selected to the AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) 35 Under 35, which identifies and develops premier leaders in the coaching profession. Prior to joining the staff at Northwestern, Olson spent five seasons in various roles at South Dakota State. In his five seasons in Brookings the Jackrabbits earned five semifinal trips, three National Championship appearances, and two FCS National Championship Rings. In addition to team accomplishments, Olson also served as position coach for six FCS All Americans and two NFL Draft Picks at Offensive Line and Tight End, As the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at SDSU in the fall of 2024, Olson directed an offense that averaged 36.7 points per game (fourth in FCS) and had a third down conversion rate of 51% (fifth

Sam Mulford was elevated to a Director of Recruiting role in July 2024 after spending the past 2.5 years as a recruiting analyst and director of recruiting operations/pro liaison. Mulford previously worked as an Assistant Athletic Director-General Manager / Director of Football Operations at the University of Buffalo in 2021. He spent the prior 16 months in various assistant roles with the Wildcat football program. In 2017, Mulford graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and anthropology from Lake Forest College, where he played for the school's football program. He received a Masters of Arts in Sports Administration from Northwestern in 2025. After graduating from Lake Forest, Mulford spent two seasons as an assistant football coach with the Lake Forest football team, working with wide receivers and as an assistant special teams coordinator.

Tim Drevno joined the Northwestern Football coaching staff as the team's offensive line coach in January of 2026. Drevno is a 33-year coaching veteran with e...

Tim McGarigle – a Northwestern alum (2006), the school's all-time leading tackler and the FBS' third all-time career tackler with 545 stops – joined Northwestern's coaching staff in 2018 and was named defensive coordinator in January 2024 while continuing to serve as linebackers coach. McGarigle is the first Northwestern alum to hold defensive play-calling duties since Jerry Brown (1999-2001). McGarigle has coached six All-Big Ten linebackers, including Mac Uihlein in 2025, Bryce Gallagher and Xander Mueller in 2023, and the Butkus-Fitzgerald Big Ten Linebacker of the Year, Paddy Fisher, in 2020. In his second season as defensive coordinator in 2025, McGarigle was named a nominee for the Broyles Award, awarded annually to the top assistant coach in college football. McGarigle's defense allowed 19.8 points per game as a team, ranking sixth in the Big Ten and 23rd in FBS. It marked the best scoring defense by a Northwestern team since 2020, and the best in a full season since 2015. Northwestern’s defense ranks fourth in the Big Ten, producing 20 total takeaways during the season (11 fumble recoveries, 9 interceptions), while the team’s 11 fumble recoveries led the Big Ten and ranked 11th in the nation. Seven Wildcats on the defensive side earned All-Big Ten accolades in 2025, the most selections since 2017, headlined by Robert Fitzgerald earning Second Team All-Big Ten recognition (Coaches) and Uihlein earning Third Team honors (Coach and Media). During his first season as coor

Troy Sutton joined Northwestern University Athletics in April 2024 as Assistant Director of Football Performance. Most recently, Sutton spent four years in North Carolina working with Marine Special Operations as a strength and conditioning specialist. While in NC, he also worked as a sports massage therapist and corrective exercise specialist. From September 2016 to June 2019, Sutton worked with the Minnesota Timberwolves as the Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach before being promoted to the position of Director of Strength & Conditioning. From 2012 to 2016, Sutton served as the Assistant Director of Strength & Conditioning for Football at Northwestern University. Prior to his first stint at Northwestern, Sutton worked with the Ohio State Football program as a Strength and Conditioning Coordinator from 2008 to 2012. Before his time with OSU Football, he began his career as an Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach working with OSU Olympic Sports teams from 2005 to 2008. Sutton completed his bachelor's degree at The Ohio State University and his master's degree from Ohio University. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the NSCA, Licensed Massage Therapist in North Carolina and Illinois, and Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Sutton's hobbies include playing with his bulldog, Barry, and spending time with family.

Zac Krause is in his fourth season on the Northwestern coaching staff, after being promoted to assistant wide receivers coach in April 2025. Krause served as an offensive graduate assistant in 2024 and began his coaching journey in 2023 as a Defensive Analyst Intern, where he contributed to a Wildcats squad that capped off the season with a victory over Utah in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl. A 2022 graduate of Northwestern, Krause was a quarterback for the Wildcats from 2019 to 2021. He redshirted during his first-year season and was a member of the 2020 Citrus Bowl Championship team. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering. Before arriving in Evanston, Krause was a standout student-athlete at Olathe West High School in Kansas. A three-time varsity letterwinner and team captain, he threw for 2,000 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior, leading the Owls to the State Semifinals in the school’s first-ever varsity season. Football runs in the family—his father, Wayne Krause, played outside linebacker at Kansas State from 1991 to 1994.

Zach Martin joined the staff during the winter of 2024. In 2026, he enters a role as Assistant Tight Ends & Running Backs Coach, after previously serving as Assistant Quarterbacks Coach at Northwestern. In his first year as a full-time staffer in Evanston, Martin helped produce Northwestern’s first 2,000-yard passer in eight years. Graduate transfer quarterback Preston Stone served as the Wildcats’ signal caller in 2025, and he went 222-for-370 passing with 2,400 yards, 17 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions in his first and only year as a Wildcat. Martin arrived in Evanston after a successful stint at Northwest Missouri State, where he was an assistant coach and a record setting quarterback. He served as wide receivers coach from 2021 to 2023. During his time with the Bearcats, he coached multiple All-MIAA selections, including Kashan Griffin (Second Team, 2022) and Kaden Davis, who signed a free-agent contract with the Denver Broncos following the 2021 season. Martin began his coaching career at Northwest as a graduate assistant, working with running backs in 2018 and wide receivers in 2019. He was promoted to a part-time assistant in 2020 before taking over as wide receivers coach. A former Bearcat quarterback, Martin was an All-MIAA Honorable Mention selection in 2017, passing for 2,385 yards and 16 touchdowns and setting the program’s single-game record with six touchdown passes. He was part of the 2016 team that won the NCAA Division II National Championship. He began