Five questions for Northwestern football in 2026

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In 2026, NUFB has its work cut out for itself. According to Sports Illustrated, the ‘Cats have the sixth-toughest strength of schedule in the nation, on the same wavelength as Michigan and a spot below Mississippi State.

2026 will test the culture David Braun is creating at Northwestern in numerous ways. Here are five of the biggest tests for him and his squad.

1. How does Jackson Carsello captain a new-look offensive line?

Captain Jackson Carsello is back with a heavy weight on his shoulders.

After winning an injunction put into motion against the NCAA, Carsello returns to the Wildcats as their starting center this coming fall. The happiest person to hear this news might be Ezomo Oratokhai, who was set to take over at center with the graduate student’s departure.

In a conversation with our own Charlie Jacobs in the spring, Oratokhai admitted he had never snapped a football previously. Although it was an exciting transition for him to make, it would have been an extremely difficult one to make at the Big Ten level.

Carsello and Oratokhai are the only two returning starters on an offensive line full of youth and transfers, headlined by right tackle Grant Seagren — a guy who didn’t allow a single sack in 403 snaps at Oklahoma State. Deuce McGuire is expected to take a step up and start opposite Seagren at left tackle after appearing in all 11 games last season. At the guard positions, Anthony Birsa and Dennis Rahouski could see spikes in playing time after spending the majority of last season on special teams.

Carsello’s return means that NU gets a veteran voice in the locker room to guide an offensive line without an identity. New faces will need to acclimate themselves to new positions extremely quickly in a conference that, according to Greg McElroy of On3, boasts three of the best 10 defensive lines heading into the 2026 season (Oregon, Michigan and Indiana).

Much of the ‘Cats’ success in pass protection and the inside run game will hinge on how much of a hand Carsello has in that acclimation.

2. Is Chip Kelly’s gamble on Aidan Chiles the right one?

Aidan Chiles left Michigan State as an outcast.

After nine games of disappointing results, Spartan head coach Jonathan Smith pulled the plug on his junior quarterback. On Nov. 1, Alessio Milivojevic trotted out into the MSU huddle on its first drive against Minnesota, as Chiles watched from the sideline.

Milivojevic led the way at QB for the rest of the season, as Chiles readied himself to seek a new home, which turned out to be Northwestern.

In a way, a Wildcat uniform seems fitting for him. He and quarterbacks coach Jerry Neuheisel had been in contact with one another for quite a while — dating back to his senior year of high school, when UCLA was in the recruiting sweepstakes for Chiles.

Then, he spoke with head coach David Braun, who had him sold on the vision that the offense would center around his ability as a dual-threat QB.

What does this have to do with OC Chip Kelly? We’re getting to him; give me one second.

When NU made its splash in the transfer portal, it tried its best to re-create the 2023 Bruins, Kelly’s last UCLA squad as head coach. It was a team that featured Carson Steele and T.J. Harden, two of the Pac-12’s top 10 rushers, behind quarterback Dante Moore, a promising five-star recruit who’s lived up to all the hype, getting set to be a top ten pick in next year’s draft.

The 2026 Wildcat roster closely mimics the Bruins of that season, with Caleb Komolafe and Gavin Sawchuk (the lead back of the ACC’s no. 1 rushing offense last season) forming a two-headed monster bound to succeed. Chiles is the cornerstone of that roster with a mobile arm capable of taking over in a game’s most crucial moments (e.g., against Boston College last season).

However, the Long Beach native remains unproven in the Big Ten. Kelly is gambling heavily by structuring his personnel around him. But considering his track record, he might be right in doing so.

3. Without Anto Saka and Aidan Hubbard, how does the pass rush find success?

NU was one of the bottom five teams in the Big Ten with 23 sacks in the 2025 season.

45% of them came from Anto Saka and Aidan Hubbard.

With Saka departing for Texas A&M and Hubbard taking his talents to the Seattle Seahawks, the ‘Cats are left in limbo at the edge rusher position. Michael Kilbane may ease some concerns amongst ‘Cats faithful, returning after a breakout year that earned him All-Big Ten Honorable Mention recognition after recording 7.5 TFLs and 3.5 sacks.

On the other side of the line is another unproven talent in Jamaal Johnson, a consistent edge rusher in the rotation of the UCF defensive line last season, but didn’t get enough playing time to leave his mark on the Big 12.

NU is elevating both of its defensive ends to starting roles in 2026, hoping they’ll draw on the wisdom of their former teammates and find their footing. Another risky gamble in a conference where risk could equal absolute doom.

4. Will lower-level experience translate to the Big Ten?

When looking across the board at NU’s roster for this coming season, the glaring trend is this: a lot of guys set to get playing time have emerged from the Group of Five, D-II, or FCS programs.

Alex Honig, first-string tight end, comes out of UConn, where he had 13 catches for 162 yards.

Montae Pate, a second-string DB out of FCS Weber State, made the All-Big Sky Defensive Team with 40 solo tackles and 10 pass breakups, both career highs.

Brenden Deasfernandes, who finds himself competing for a starting job in the secondary, led Central Michigan with eight pass breakups and snagged two interceptions.

Many of these transfers have the tools, but as has been hammered home before, the Big Ten is a different beast. A good foundation will do very little when these names encounter one of the toughest trios of road games in the nation against Ohio State, Oregon and defending national champion Indiana.

The pressure of the Power Four is what reveals diamonds and exposes coal in the world of college football. The schedule Northwestern has been dealt is sure to leave no doubt as to what its transfers consist of.

5. Can David Braun continue to raise the standard?

Although it’s taken time, David Braun has proven he can set an FBS program on an upward trajectory. Year two last season was an encouraging jump from a dismal year one, but the sheer difficulty of year three throws a curveball at Braun.

During NUFB’s winter media availability, Braun gleamed with excitement when I asked how he plans to navigate such a demanding schedule.

“The Big Ten is the best football conference in the country,” he said back in February. “We all know what we signed up for. Our core values are gratitude, competition and investment. We better live by those. I embrace [the challenge] with a smile on my face. Bring on the competition…We’re grateful for that opportunity.”

Coach Braun loves to reframe adversity as a gift. That’s what makes him such a captivating head coach, and it’s helped him in the early stages of the Northwestern rebuild. Now the question becomes: how does he stay true to his philosophy during his most challenging year yet?

NUFB’s motto is bend, don’t break. How far can Braun and company bend before they break in 2026?

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