After a difficult off-season, the Wildcats are looking to, in the words of interim head coach David Braun, “write their own story about overcoming adversity.”
Braun was elevated to the position in July, after former head coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired in the wake of The Daily’s publication of hazing allegations on the football team.
The fallout has been immense — from players transferring and de-committing to former players suing the school over the alleged hazing — and the season ahead will now be an even tougher one.
Coming off last season, the Cats struggled on both sides of the ball, finishing at a stark 1-11. One of the team’s trademark issues was an agonizing turnover rate that highlighted the struggles of their revolving quarterback slot.
Luckily, that rotating spot has the possibility to be one of this season’s saving graces — sixth-year University of Cincinnati transfer quarterback Ben Bryant, a proven starter at Cincy, will most likely be the pick for the starting position over sophomore Brendan Sullivan. Bryant passed for 2,732 yards (50th nationally) and 21 touchdowns (44th nationally) last season.
Another promising arrival is Braun’s. He was originally hired as a defensive coordinator in January, and comes to NU after four years in that position at North Dakota State, where he helped lead the team to national FCS titles in 2019 and 2021 and allowed just 15.3 points per game during his tenure.
Across other positions, the Wildcats are returning some notable faces like senior running back Cam Porter and redshirt senior linebacker Bryce Gallagher that will help production on their respective sides of the ball, but many positions still look precarious.
The offensive line is one such place, where Peter Skoronski’s departure to the NFL gives way to an inexperienced O-line that might be cause for concern.
This season will be one of rebuilding and reconstruction for the Cats. With a new coach and new eyes across the nation looking to see how the team bounces back from the hazing scandal, it will be an interesting season to watch.
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Twitter: @alycebrownn
