Paul Creighton

Biography

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