After touring ‘unbelievable’ Ryan Field in hard hats, Northwestern coaches have their own work ahead

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EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern coach David Braun and coordinators Chip Kelly and Tim McGarigle walked out of a tunnel and onto the Ryan Field turf Tuesday morning wearing purple construction vests and hard hats.

The protective gear was necessary because much work still is being done on Northwestern’s new $875 million stadium, particularly on the exterior and the concourses, where hundreds of workers went about their business Tuesday.

But with the field and goalposts installed, most of the purple seats in place and the standing-only student section looming behind one end zone, the coaches were able to get a better idea of what’s in store for the Wildcats when the 35,000-seat stadium officially opens Oct. 2 against Penn State.

They were impressed.

“I truly believe it’s the best stadium in all of football,” Braun said. “I think it’s right-sized to our community. We’re not trying to be the biggest. We delivered on being the best.

“It’s the intimacy, it’s the sight lines for our fans, it’s ultimately the environment we have an opportunity to create for our players.”

The coaches listed several details about the stadium that have them excited. Braun said the proximity of all seats to the field in a stadium far smaller than most in the Big Ten could help build a noise advantage for the defense.

Kelly noted the sight lines for fans and said the stadium should protect teams from some of the winter elements in Evanston because the field sits below the concourse entrances and a canopy at roof level covers most of the seats.

“It’s unbelievable,” said McGarigle, who played linebacker at Northwestern in the early 2000s. “We played on grass that was about 6 inches high and we were running through all this. (Now) we have state-of-the-art everything: field, stadium, training facility. It’s the best of the best.”

Safety Robert Fitzgerald, wide receiver Griffin Wilde and running back Caleb Komolafe — all of whom are scheduled to appear at Big Ten media days next week — joined the NU contingent that received the Ryan Field tour Tuesday.

Kelly said the staff also brought recruits into the stadium when they arrived on campus for official visits last month. Braun believes the stadium has helped in recruiting because “what it demonstrates at the largest capacity is our investment into our football program.”

But he also was careful to note multiple times that the Wildcats need to put a good product on the field this season to make the stadium come to life.

Northwestern, which played its home games at the lakefront Martin Stadium and Wrigley Field last season, finished 7-6 and won the GameAbove Sports Bowl against Central Michigan. Braun said the Wildcats retained 27 of 30 players with eligibility who played more than 100 meaningful snaps. That includes Fitzgerald and Wilde, who both earned All-Big Ten honors in 2025.

Braun also made a head-turning addition with the hiring of Kelly, the longtime college and NFL coach who was national coach of the year at Oregon in 2010 and served as offensive coordinator for Ohio State’s 2024 national championship team.

Kelly has a big month ahead when training camp starts Aug. 4 with new quarterback Aidan Chiles, who played in 30 games over three seasons at Oregon State and Michigan State.

Kelly on Tuesday touted Chiles’ experience, athleticism and ability to hurt opponents with his arm and legs. He said much of the work in camp will be about getting a better feel for what Chiles and the rest of his personnel do well.

“It’s those guys getting a feel for our system and how we do it, and us really understanding them,” Kelly said. “Saying, ‘Hey, he’s really good at this, so let’s feature this a little bit more.’ Or, ‘This is not a strength, so maybe we back off on this part of the offense.’

“So really us getting a feel for him and what he’s going to be comfortable running when we get out here against South Dakota (State).”

Northwestern opens its season with games against South Dakota State and Colorado at Martin Stadium, followed by a trip to defending national champion Indiana.

Then comes the game years in the making. In September 2021, the Ryan family announced a $480 million donation to be used in part toward Ryan Field redevelopment, and Northwestern broke ground on the privately funded stadium in June 2024.

The stadium opener against Penn State will be played on a Friday night and will air on Fox Sports. Braun hopes the game will be played in an environment “that is reflective of this wonderful building we’re standing in right now.”

“I’m going to challenge our fan base. I’m going to challenge our students,” Braun said. “It’s been built. Now it’s our job to put one heck of a team that’s really exciting in this space, and it’s our fans’ job to fill this place up with purple and truly make this the best home-field advantage in the country.”

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