Big Ten Media Days Notebook: Braun more comfortable in second season

INDIANAPOLIS-Northwestern head coach David Braun found himself in a far more relaxed setting on Tuesday at Lucas Oil Stadium than his Big Ten Media Days debut in 2023.

Last year, he faced the media in the same venue barely two weeks after being named interim head coach and looked, at times, like a deer in the headlights as the only Northwestern official to answer for the hazing scandal.

This time around, he was much more composed and at ease, a man who has grown into his role as the leader of a Big Ten program.

"It's been really unique and a year of firsts," Braun said. "I went through my first cycle as a head coach. I have a lot to learn and I have a great staff around me."

Braun was open and honest with the media on a range of topics on Tuesday, continuing the steady increase in his comfort level with the off-field side of the job. He candidly spoke about last season's deflating 24-7 loss in the season opener at Rutgers.

"It was a bad day," he said. "I knew I had so much to learn in that role. In that moment, I was hurting for our guys. Those 103 guys chose to stay in a really difficult situation and worked their asses off.

"It felt like we were ready to beat Rutgers, so there was this emotional high, then this emotional low. But there was no doubt in my mind after what I'd seen in fall camp that if we did a good job as a coaching staff, we'd have a chance to win a bunch of games."

He turned out to be right, as the Wildcats shocked everyone by winning eight games, including the Las Vegas Bowl.

The Chicago Sun-Times' Steve Greenberg successfully rebuffed Braun's attempts to deflect credit and coaxed him into describing what he did well last season.

"I deeply value personal connection," Braun said. "I value relationships. I harness that with our players, our coaches, our alumni, our donors and our parents. When I'm at my best, I let my players see the competitive fire that burns inside me that made me an effective coordinator, and I was an overachiever as a player [at Winona State]. It came from that competitive drive."

Back to crediting others, Braun was effusive with praise for his new assistants. While he inherited fired head coach Pat Fitzgerald's staff last season, he made four hires in the offseason to make the staff his own.

"You had better hire the right people around you and I trust them to crush their jobs... Thank God for Tim McGarigle, Paul Creighton and Zach Lujan," he said, highlighting his coordinators on defense, special teams and offense.

"We're looking for guys that are low ego and high output," he continued, later in the day. "Guys that are seeking to understand the strengths of their players and tailor their game plans to that."

The Wildcats have a tough 2024 schedule ahead of them, but the optimism and hunger in Braun and his players is apparent.

Braun highlighted his players: Three players represented Northwestern on Tuesday: wide receiver AJ Henning, linebacker Xander Mueller and running back Cam Porter.

Braun revealed at the podium that Porter has been named a team captain for the second-straight season.

"Cam Porter may be one of the most impressive young men that I've ever been around in my entire life," Braun said. "He's consistent, he's competitive, he builds other people up. He has a thirst for continuous growth."

Porter called being named a captain "probably the biggest accomplishment for me since I've been here. Coming into [Northwestern], that's what I dreamed of."

Braun made it clear later on in the day that, though Porter will be the clear leader of the group and the starting running back, expect Joseph Himon II and Caleb Komolafe to also play significant roles during the season.

For Mueller, Braun's revelation was that he recruited the linebacker out of Wheaton (Ill.) North when Braun was still defensive coordinator at North Dakota State.

"He's someone I've admired for a long time," Braun said. "When I arrived in January of 2023, I was excited to see him developing in our program. What he was able to accomplish on the field last season is nothing short of a breakout season."

Mueller wound up second with 110 tackles and led the team with 10.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

"I would argue he's unquestionably one of the best linebackers in the Big Ten, or in the country," Braun said.

Braun's excitement was evident for Henning as both a receiver and returner. He is the second-leading returning receiver after compiling 45 catches for 418 yards and four touchdowns last season.

"It's a good down for the Cats when AJ Henning has the ball, whether that's on offense or special teams," he said. "The versatility that AJ embodies, his electric component and explosiveness...we are at our best when AJ has the ball in his hands."

Braun won't tip his hand: Braun's easygoing attitude in his second Media Days led to 10 minutes of extra comments after his televised portion, and he ran five minutes over his allotted off-camera podium time. But it did not extend to breaking a cardinal rule of coaching: not disclosing his starters.

Northwestern has question marks at quarterback, middle linebacker, center and more heading into the season. Braun provided nothing definitive on any of them, choosing to fall back on the value he and his staff place in carrying competitions into camp to push players to be their best.

Here is what Braun had to say about each position battle:

Quarterback: "The best will play. If that's Jack [Lausch], it's Jack. If it's Mike [Wright], it's Mike. If it's Ryan [Hilinski], it's Ryan. We are not here to section off [the position]; those are the guys we see as competing for that position."

Middle linebacker: "Mac Uihlein had a tremendous spring. Really excited about Braydon Brus' development. [Defensive coordinator] Tim McGarigle will always lean into competition."

Center: "It'll be interesting. We had a unique situation in spring ball with just seven guys on the O-line...so Ben Wrather, who played a ton of center, was playing a bunch of different spots... Jackson Carsello started against Nebraska, he'll be in the mix for guard or center. Then, we're bringing in Jack Bailey from Colorado, he's got center experience."

Nickel: "We have some good options. One that's been, I don't want to say a surprise, it's just the position [is surprising]: we gave Braden Turner an opportunity in spring ball and he really did some awesome things. Excited for the competition that exists there right now. Robert Fitzgerald played that position last year and he continues to come on."

Braun said that at this point of the summer, he does not anticipate anyone from the incoming Class of 2024 will start or immediately contribute as a freshman.

"At this point, no," he said. "But I never would have said Michael Kilbane this time last year."

Kilbane appeared in seven games as a freshman, logging 11 tackles.

Nothing groundbreaking on AD search or temporary venue: Braun's task was mostly recapping and reviewing the flurry of events that led to the reality of Northwestern's temporary playing venue, Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium, for 2024 and 2025.

Braun's answers confirmed that he made a "major six-figure" financial commitment to the project, with no expectation of any named recognition in the complex. He only wants the project to prioritize the student experience.

While the press and coaching boxes will be sparse in comparison to a standard Big Ten stadium, Braun made sure to clarify that opposing teams and Northwestern will be on equal footing in terms of access and vantage points. The two Wrigley Field games will also have teams on opposite sidelines, unlike in the past when they shared the same sideline.

There was some reports of rumblings from opponents about playing in a tiny, 15,000-seat stadium. But Braun said that no one has lodged any complaints to him.

"I'm sure there will be logistical things but nothing to me directly," Braun said. "I'll give the Big Ten a lot of credit, and Indiana and Wisconsin a lot of credit." The Hoosiers and Badgers will play conference games on the lakefront, while Northwestern will face league foes Ohio State and Illinois at Wrigley Field in November.

Braun confirmed that while he has no formal role in Northwestern's search for a new athletic director, he and his staff have been consulted by people from "all levels of the university" for their feedback on the hiring process.

Helmet comms on the horizon: FBS programs will debut in-helmet communications this season, allowing coaches to directly call plays and communicate to players from the sideline.

Braun got some guidance last season from veteran coach Skip Holtz, a special assistant on the 2023 staff who returned to lead the Birmingham Stallions to a XFL title in the spring.

"I've talked to Skip Holtz about this a lot in the time before he left... He said, 'David, the one thing to be careful about is not being in their ear too much.'

"With Skip's natural progression, he wanted to be telling his quarterback everything... We're excited to work through it this fall and find the right balance of digestible information for our guys to utilize."

The Wildcats were already a trial team for the technology, using it in their Las Vegas Bowl win over Utah. Star linebacker Bryce Gallagher seems to have echoed Holtz's sentiments.

"Gally's first question was, 'You guys aren't going to be talking in my ear all game long, are you?' He was like, give me the play, maybe a tidbit here, but the end of the day, the preparation for those players [still has to be the week before]," Braun said.

Roster rules set to change: Braun confirmed that Northwestern's roster is now at 111 players players, up from 103 last season.

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti addressed the prospect of roster limits replacing scholarship limits after the House vs. NCAA court settlement is finalized. Conversations are still ongoing but nearing a consensus, and many media reports peg the roster limit at 105. Petitti said that the Big Ten's proposed number was "on the higher end" for football as programs seek to set limits in each sport.

The Wildcats may have to come down from their current 111 number for next season, but the number of scholarships will likely be at their discretion.

"I think the biggest challenge is we're all planners, as coaches," Braun said. "The unknown has been difficult... I think the concerns that I have are, what does it look like for the walkon? Are there still walkon opportunities, the development?

"If it becomes the smaller [number], that puts a premium on trying to find the best talent [to play right away] on the roster, rather a larger roster that allows for development over time."

More to come from Big Ten Media Days from WildcatReport.