Matt Leinart’s Ryan Field reaction is clearest sign yet things are about to change for Northwestern football
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Matt Leinart’s Ryan Field reaction is clearest sign yet things are about to change for Northwestern football originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Northwestern Wildcats football team is about to set up shop in a new home during the 2026 season. Set to open on October 2 when the Penn State Nittany Lions travel to Evanston, Illinois, for a Big Ten showdown, Ryan Field is a state-of-the-art facility that puts the fan first.
In an ode to European football, and a way to maximize the atmosphere, Northwestern is introducing the “Wildcat Wall,” which is a standing-only section for students that will hold 2,000 students and stand at a steep 33-degree, 65%-slope, per USA Today.
Pat Ryan Jr., son of some of Northwestern’s wealthiest donors and the CEO of his father’s company, revealed Matt Leinart’s stunning reaction to the “Wildcat Wall” after getting an exclusive peek at the field, with footage likely to be shown in the lead-up to the FOX Primetime Series game the first week of October.
"We showed it to Matt Leinart when he was through town for Fox during the season … He got down to the end zone to take a look at it, and he talked about how you could feel energy coming off of it, even without people in it. Because it's looming over that south end zone,” Ryan said.
"No one's ever imported a supporter section from European football to create a student section. And I think most people in sports know that European football fans are among the most passionate fans out there and they really energize a building unlike most any other sport."
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Northwestern Wildcats football is showing extraordinary buy-in
After the Indiana Hoosierswon the 2025/2026 CFP title, Northwestern is now the losingest team in College Football history without a championship. The Wildcats haven’t won the Big Ten Championship in 26 years and have three conference championships post-World War II.
This isn’t to discredit some of the great years Northwestern had under Pat Fitzgerald. David Braun has the program moving in the right direction. The Wildcats had two players drafted and two signed in NFL free agency. Five players were drafted from Northwestern to the NFL in 2023.
The Wildcats have done well enough over the years. The TrueNU Collective has done well to raise enough money to bring guys like offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan, who cost over $1 million, and compete.
Northwestern looks to be taking that next step to actually compete with this stadium, though. Once recruiting rises, and it should, since the Big Ten’s headquarters' city, Chicago, is a half-hour drive away, and new alumni donors may pop up from the Windy City after experiencing an improved product, the Wildcats could one day follow the Hoosiers’ suit and climb out of anonymity to rise to national glory.
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