The transfer portal is the place where teams live and die in college football. This year, Northwestern chose to live.
The Wildcats are coming off a 7-6 season that ended with a bowl domination against Central Michigan, and that could’ve been it.
Not for David Braun.
After hiring Chip Kelly on Dec. 30, that could’ve been it.
Not for David Braun.
After hiring an offensive staff filled with veterans throughout January, that could’ve been it.
Not for David Braun.
Instead, Braun dove into the portal headfirst, signing players to fill the team’s biggest gaps, both new and created by the portal. It could be the spark this NU team needs to take the next leap.
Michigan State transfer, junior quarterback Aidan Chiles fills one of the ’Cats’ biggest needs. Offenses can crash and burn without the right signal-caller — look at what happened to graduate student Preston Stone this year — but that won’t happen to these 2026 ’Cats.
Despite some highs — including a 305-yard-game against Minnesota to gain bowl eligibility — Stone’s interceptions against Illinois and Nebraska cost the team two games it had a chance to win. His 52.4 QBR ranked 95th in the country, and his 12 interceptions were tied for the fifth-most in the country.
Bringing in a dual-threat quarterback like Chiles will give NU the perfect match for Kelly’s new system and allow for a brand-new offense to take on the brand-new Ryan Field.
Chiles’ new favorite target could be former Minnesota-Duluth redshirt freshman tight end Luke Dehnicke, who the ’Cats brought in as a replacement for departing tight end Hunter Welcing, who transferred to Ohio State.
Dehnicke averaged more than a touchdown a game for the Bulldogs last season, including a breakout performance for 230 yards and four touchdowns against Mary.
By nabbing a tight end who had nine Power Four offers, including from No. 14 Vanderbilt and ACC champion Duke, NU is showing it is willing to fight for players it believes will make an impact.
That’s what choosing to live looks like.
It is also getting back up after a player exits. In addition to Welcing, the ’Cats lost star redshirt junior defensive lineman Anto Saka to Texas A&M, redshirt junior cornerback Evan Smith to Duke, redshirt junior cornerback Dillon Tatum to Miami (Ohio) and freshman offensive tackle Hayden Wright to Houston.
NU’s response? Sign three offensive tackles: Redshirt junior Grant Seagren from Oklahoma State; redshirt sophomore Arkel Anugwom from Alabama and redshirt sophomore David Anchondo from Saginaw Valley State. The three should help as the team rebuilds following the additional losses of graduate students tackle Caleb Tiernan and guard Evan Beerntsen.
Braun and his staff didn’t stop there. They added two transfer running backs in Bowling Green redshirt freshman Mar’Kel Porter and Florida State redshirt junior Gavin Sawchuk. Sawchuk had over 600 total yards and nine total touchdowns last year.
The duo should replace the impact of graduated running back Cam Porter and redshirt freshman Dashun Reeder, who is currently in the transfer portal. Bringing in multiple players at a position and creating depth at key positions in running back and offensive tackle should allow Kelly to experiment with his offense and vary his personnel groupings.
More variety in NU’s offense is vital, as last season, it felt too predictable at times. However, the new offensive staff and rebuilt o-line should mitigate these issues and improve the team’s offense to match the level of its defense, which ranked sixth in the Big Ten in points allowed. Three of the teams ahead of it were the Big Ten’s three representatives in the College Football Playoff.
Impact is something that truly can’t be measured until the season starts and the downs are played, but the ’Cats are on the way to making the leap from the middle of the Big Ten to the upper echelon.
Email: [email protected]
X: @YoniZacks
Related Stories:
— Football: Chip Kelly reaches into past to build experienced coaching staff
— Football: Former Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles commits to Northwestern
— Football: Northwestern names Chip Kelly as next offensive coordinator
