Northwestern Wildcats Rumors & News

Most indispensable players: Northwestern

Chicago Colleges Blog | ESPN Chicago — Now that spring practice is over, we're examining the most indispensable players on each Big Ten team for the 2013 season. By indispensable, we don't necessarily mean best. We mean the players who would be hardest to replace between now and the start of the season if they got hurt or suspended or vaporized. That could be because of their value to the team, or because of a lack of depth at their position. We'll pick two players from each team, usually offense and defense, but not always.

Recent success drives Wildcats' recruiting

Chicago Colleges Blog | ESPN Chicago — Northwestern's recruiting wish list and sales pitch hasn't changed much in recent years. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald and his staff still seek a certain fit: an academically oriented player who clicks with the program's culture and recognizes the benefits of playing Big Ten football miles from the city limits of the nation's third largest market. Northwestern's coaches talk about "not only a four-year decision but a 40-year decision, the rest-of-your-life type decision," Matt MacPherson, the team's recruiting coordinator and running backs coach, recently told ESPN.

Fitzgerald's new best recruiting tool

Chicago Colleges Blog | ESPN Chicago — A few years ago, most would have called Pat Fitzgerald delusional. Even more would have called his pitch sour grapes for missing out on so many prospects to the rest of the Big Ten. But in the midst of a 2014 recruiting class already considered Northwestern's best ever, Fitzgerald just tries to say it unpretentiously. "I'm not sure if the term 'selling' is right," Fitzgerald said. "I tell our staff this, and I say this humbly: For a young man to get a top-15 education and compete for Big Ten championships in the backyard of Chicago and to be around our players, if I have to sell it that hard,...

B1G Official Visit: No. 1 CB Peppers ready

Chicago Colleges Blog | ESPN Chicago — The no. 2 recruit in the country, Jabrill Peppers, will be announcing his decision live this Sunday at 5:15pm on ESPNU. Tom VanHaaren stops by the show to break down the latest with Peppers and what the Michigan Wolverines’ chances are. Also, Jared Shanker joins the show to explain what’s behind the recent recruiting success of Northwestern.

Video: Northwestern AD Jim Phillips

Chicago Colleges Blog | ESPN Chicago — Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips talks about future games at Wrigley Field, the progress on the team's lakefront practice facility and more at the Big Ten spring meetings.

Video: Most important game -- N'western

Chicago Colleges Blog | ESPN Chicago — Northwestern's most important game comes in the Big Ten opener against Ohio State, as Kain Colter, Venric Mark and the Wildcats face a Buckeyes team they have beaten just once since 1971.

Wildcats boost run depth to fit philosophy

Chicago Colleges Blog | ESPN Chicago — Northwestern's offense has been rooted in the same philosophy -- players, formations, plays -- since coordinator Mick McCall arrived in 2008. McCall shapes his scheme around the players first before choosing formations and plays that maximize their skills. In the first four seasons under McCall, most of the players ended up being wide receivers and quarterbacks. Most of Northwestern's formations highlighted the wideouts and most of the plays were passes.

BTN to televise 12 B1G games in prime time

Chicago Colleges Blog | ESPN Chicago — The Big Ten's prime-time schedule for 2013 is now complete as the Big Ten Network on Monday announced it will broadcast 12 games under the lights this coming season. Here's the full prime-time slate from BTN: Aug. 29 UNLV at Minnesota, 7 p.m. ET Indiana State at Indiana, 7 p.m. ET Aug. 30 Western Michigan at Michigan State, 8 p.m. ET Aug. 31 Wyoming at Nebraska, 8 p.m. ET Sept. 7 Syracuse at Northwestern, 6 p.m. ET Southern Miss at Nebraska, 6 p.

Video: Future bright for Northwestern, B1G

Chicago Colleges Blog | ESPN Chicago — Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald discusses expansion in the Big Ten and the future of his football program.

NU's Ajou, Lumpkin granted medical waivers

Chicago Colleges Blog | ESPN Chicago — Northwestern freshman center Chier Ajou and freshman forward Sanjay Lumpkin have been granted medical hardship waivers and will have four years of eligibility remaining, the school announced on Wednesday. Ajou, a 7-foot-2, 235-pound center, played in seven games and averaged 1.1 points and 4.3 rebounds last season. He suffered a knee injury last season. Lumpkin, a 6-foot-6, 195-pound forward, played in three games and averaged 1.0 points and 6.5 minutes last season.

Contender or pretender: Northwestern

Chicago Colleges Blog | ESPN Chicago — We're taking a page from our friends at the ACC blog and starting a series that examines whether certain Big Ten teams will be contenders or pretenders in the 2013 season. The series won't include Ohio State, Michigan or Nebraska, three teams that, in our view, have earned the "contender" label entering the fall. For each team, we'll make a case for why they're contenders and pretenders and provide our final verdict (a final verdict in late April, mind you).

Drew Crawford staying with Wildcats

Chicago Colleges Blog | ESPN Chicago — Northwestern redshirt senior forward Drew Crawford announced Friday he has decided not to transfer and will remain at the school to play his final season. After playing 10 games last year, Crawford used a medical redshirt because of a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He could have transferred to another program by taking advantage of the NCAA rule for fifth-year graduate students. Crawford's decision was made tougher when Bill Carmody was fired after last season.

Collins adds Baldwin as NU assistant

Chicago Colleges Blog | ESPN Chicago — Patrick Baldwin was announced Friday as the second assistant to join Northwestern coach Chris Collins’ staff. Baldwin, a former Northwestern player, spent the last two seasons as an assistant at Missouri State and was previously at Loyola Chicago for seven seasons. Collins also recently named Tavaras Hardy, another former Northwestern player, as an assistant to the staff. Collins is expected to name a third assistant in the near future. “We're thrilled to have Patrick return home to his alma mater," Collins said in a statement.

Chris Collins has plans for Wildcats

Chicago Colleges Blog | ESPN Chicago — New Northwestern coach Chris Collins left his comfort zone as an assistant at Duke. But he didn't venture outside his area of expertise when he returned to where he grew up. He is now at a school where the pool of talent is small and is limited by the highest academic standards in the Big Ten. Collins, who been on the job for a little more than a week, has one goal, and that is to get Northwestern to the NCAA tournament for the first time. Si ...

Northwestern defense embraces speed need

Chicago Colleges Blog | ESPN Chicago — EVANSTON, Ill. -- Mike Hankwitz didn't inherit a bare cupboard when he arrived as Northwestern's defensive coordinator in 2008. The defense included several future NFL players, including end Corey Wootton and cornerback Sherrick McManis. Eight starters returned, and the unit improved from 88th nationally in points allowed to 26th in Hankwitz's first season. But something was missing. As Hankwitz surveyed the number of spread offenses in college football -- not to mention the one his defense practiced against every day at Northwestern -- he knew the Wildcats' defense needed a speed boost.

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