5 questions for Northwestern football, including what the offense can do under Chip Kelly and Aidan Chiles
David Braun wasn’t afraid to be bold about his expectations when he stood in front of national reporters a month ago at Big Ten media days. The Northwestern coach pondered why the Wildcats couldn’t chase Big Ten titles, College Football Playoff berths and even national titles.
“Why not us?” he repeated.
Braun is 19-19 over his first three seasons in Evanston, including 7-6 with a bowl win over Central Michigan in 2025. But he pointed to defending national champion Indiana’s turnaround over the last two seasons and believes there is “vertical alignment” with athletic department leadership and recent investment in the program to give the Wildcats hope.
He expects his players to buy in to such talk too.
“If you don’t believe that that can be done at Northwestern, you shouldn’t be here,” Braun said. “And that’s not personal, that’s not attacking. That’s just setting a very clear standard of expectations that we have. It’s posted in our building: New era, old expectations. … And it poses the question: Are you built for this?
“It takes a special young man to say, ‘You know what? Why not us? And I believe we’re going to do this.’ And then be willing to put in the work to actually make that become a reality.”
Certainly there are reasons to be intrigued by Northwestern this season, including the offseason addition of offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and the opening of the new Ryan Field on Oct. 2. But there are a lot of questions, too, as Braun tries to move the Wildcats forward. Here are five.
1. How will Northwestern fare in Chip Kelly’s offense?
Northwestern made one of the most interesting coordinator hires in the country when it brought in Kelly to help fix an offense that averaged just 23.4 points and 346.1 yards in 2025. Braun believes Kelly will bring “transformative change” because of his experience, outside-the-box thinking and understanding of how to use players to their strengths.
Kelly, the former head coach of Oregon, UCLA, the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles and the offensive coordinator of Ohio State’s 2024 national champions, said in February that he joined Northwestern in part because of the people, including the type of players he would be able to coach, and the direction he believed the program was headed.
A couple of weeks out from the season opener, he said he was enjoying the new role.
“You get excited to come here every day because the people in this building get you excited about being around them,” Kelly said. “You want to be around them. They’re good people, and they have the same shared common goal.
“This group of players is outstanding to work with and to be with every day because they want to get better and they want to improve, and it’s a lot of fun to be around those guys.”
The question, of course, is whether he can turn those players into a unit that can do damage in the Big Ten.
Kelly has a new quarterback to work with in Aidan Chiles (more to come on that), a running backs room with several interesting options and a partially rebuilt offensive line.
The Wildcats return Caleb Komolafe, who rushed for 941 yards and 11 touchdowns, and Joseph Himon II, who had 486 rushing yards and a touchdown. And they added former Florida State and Oklahoma running back Gavin Sawchuk, whom Kelly praised.
“He’s one of the smartest young guys I’ve ever been around,” Kelly said. “He picks things up like that. He’s a one-timer. You really don’t have to explain anything to him more than once because he gets it the first time. He really understands the game. He was really well-coached.”
2. Can QB Aidan Chiles rejuvenate his career?
The Wildcats brought in Chiles from the transfer portal as the presumptive starter but then asked him to go through a quarterback competition in training camp. Braun said Chiles grew in assertiveness, command and leadership as the Wildcats got deeper into camp.
Braun announced Chiles as the starter — and one of six team captains — 11 days before Saturday’s opener against South Dakota State.
“The thing that shows up in practice right now and on tape is his consistency, and a lot of that comes from just his comfort level as he’s gotten more ingrained into the system,” Braun said. “And specifically over the last week, you’ve really seen things start to click for him and there being a level of confidence even when he steps into the huddle. Like, ‘Hey, I’m the one driving this ship.’ And that’s what you need out of a quarterback.”
Chiles, a four-star recruit coming out of high school in suburban Los Angeles, brings a lot of experience. He started 20 games over two seasons at Michigan State after a season as a backup at Oregon State.
He completed 60.8% of his passes for the Spartans for 3,807 yards and 23 touchdowns with 14 interceptions and nine rushing touchdowns. After throwing 11 picks and having fumbling issues in 2024, he cut down to three interceptions in eight starts in 2025.
But the Spartans turned to Alessio Milivojevic for the final four games, and Chiles hit the portal shortly after the season.
Now he’s working under the guidance of Kelly and new quarterbacks coach Jerry Neuheisel. Braun said there’s an emphasis as a program on winning the turnover battle but also said Chiles should understand “he has an incredible supporting cast.”
“He doesn’t have to make every play,” Braun said. “Just let the game come to him and trust there are a lot of guys around him that are going to make plays for him.”
Chiles’ progression will rely in part on Northwestern’s receiving corps stepping up.
Third-team All-Big Ten selection Griffin Wilde made an impressive transition from South Dakota State last year and put up 880 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Braun expects Hayden Eligon II, who had 521 receiving yards and three touchdowns, to make a leap. But the Wildcats will need other options to break out.
3. Can the defense continue to improve after losing much of its sack production?
Northwestern lost three of its top four players in sacks: Aidan Hubbard (7½, on Seattle Seahawks practice squad), Anto Saka (three, transferred to Texas A&M) and Carmine Bastone (2½, graduated).
But 6-foot-5, 280-pound defensive lineman Michael Kilbane returns after totaling 3½ sacks, 7½ tackles for a loss and eight quarterback hurries in 2025.
“Michael Kilbane was so productive last season in terms of his hurries,” Braun said. “He affected the quarterback, but he needs to take the next step of being a guy that hurries and pressures the quarterback and is someone that consistently sacks the quarterback.”
Braun also is excited about Central Florida transfer Jamaal Johnson and thinks players such as Callen Campbell and Caden O’Rourke need to break out. He called it “a great challenge” for an unproven group, one the players are excited about.
“When we make a play in the backfield, we’re going to have a party in the backfield,” defensive lineman Migo Jackson said. “We’re going to feed off each other’s energy. We’re going to keep stacking on that.”
The Wildcats held opponents to 19.8 points per game last fall, 23rd in the nation. Defensive coordinator Tim McGarigle has some veterans back from that group beyond Kilbane.
Second-team All-Big Ten safety Robert Fitzgerald leads an experienced secondary, and Braun said he’s excited to welcome back safety Damon Walters from an injury. Cornerbacks Josh Fussell and Ore Adeyi and nickel Braden Turner round out a strong group.
Fitzgerald and linebacker Braydon Brus — who had 81 tackles, 4½ tackles for a loss, 2½ sacks, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles — are the defensive captains. Fitzgerald will wear the No. 1 jersey as the player voted by teammates to best represent the Wildcats.
Braun said Fitzgerald earned the honor because of his leadership and friendship, the way he works, his commitment to holding teammates accountable and his willingness to address constructive criticism.
4. How will Northwestern handle a tough conference schedule?
The Wildcats weren’t handed any favors when it comes to Big Ten play this year.
Northwestern’s strength of schedule ranks 17th in the nation and third in the Big Ten behind Ohio State and Michigan, according to ESPN.
“We play in the best conference in the country, so we know that we’re going to play the best competition,” Komolafe said. “These opportunities we have this year, we’re just excited to get out on the field and show what we can do.”
While a nonconference slate of FCS power South Dakota State, Colorado (3-9 last season) and Ball State appears manageable, the Wildcats will play five of the eight Big Ten teams in the preseason AP Top 25.
That includes road games at No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon and No. 6 Indiana and home games against No. 18 Penn State and No. 22 Iowa. Then there’s the buzzworthy trip to Michigan State to face former NU coach Pat Fitzgerald and the annual rivalry game against Illinois at Ryan Field.
Braun said “no one’s flinching” when it comes to what’s ahead.
“It’s this mentality of, ‘Good, bring on the competition,’” Braun said. “And that is in no way, shape or form a slight on the competition that’s in front of us, starting with an incredible program in South Dakota State.
“But it’s embracing, are you going to play, ‘Oh, woe is me. We’ve got a tough schedule’? Or are you going to say, ‘Good’? Like, what an opportunity for us to put on full display how far this program has come over the last couple years.”
5. What will the new Ryan Field be like?
Northwestern played its last two home schedules at the 12,000-seat Martin Stadium along the lakefront and at Wrigley Field. On Oct. 2 against Penn State, the Wildcats will make the highly anticipated move into the $875 million new Ryan Field.
NU staff and players have hyped up the 35,000-seat stadium, which includes a safe-standing student section in the south end zone and a canopy that protects seats from the weather.
“When you step into the new Ryan Field, if you’re ever fortunate to stand at field level, you truly feel like you’re in a new-age Roman Colosseum,” Braun said. “You feel the intimacy. You feel the fans on top of you.
“The canopy, the acoustics are going to act more like a dome than an outdoor stadium. Then the reverse engineering of that is try to find a bad seat. Go to the so-called upper deck and go to the back row. I’ve sat in those seats. The view for the fan is incredible.
“What I’m most excited about is what this opportunity provides for us to reinvent how we do game day at Northwestern football.”
Braun hopes the stadium’s design, with seats so close to the field, will help build a home-field advantage with crowd noise. But he acknowledged multiple times that also will require the Wildcats to put an attractive product on the field.
He challenged NU fans to play their part.
“We are moving into the best stadium in all of football,” Braun said. “It’s my job to put the best team in that stadium. But it’s your job, Northwestern students, Northwestern community, Northwestern fan base, Evanston, Chicagoland, to turn new Ryan Field into the best home-field advantage in all of college football.”