Out of spring: Northwestern

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In our "Out of Spring" series, Orange and Blue News takes a look at spring football for the Illini's 2018 opponents.

Next up, we break down the Northwestern Wildcats. Illinois closes out the 2018 regular season with a road trip to Evanston on November 24.

Last season, Illinois dropped a home game to the Wildcats, 42-7. Northwestern held the Illini scoreless after the first quarter. Justin Jackson, the all-time leading rusher at Northwestern, ran for 144 yards and a touchdown.

Northwestern is coming off a 10-3 season a year ago, including a win over Kentucky in the Music City Bowl. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald has posted a 87–65 record in 12 seasons at Northwestern.

Orange and Blue News caught up with Louie Vaccher from Wildcat Report to get the lowdown on Northwestern coming out of spring ball. Follow Louie on Twitter @WildcatReport. Follow Northwestern football @NUFBFamily.

Fitz has the program riding high, coming off a 10-win season last fall. What were some of the top storylines this spring? What did you see that makes you believe the Cats can have things rolling again in 2018?

The biggest storyline this spring was the unveiling of Northwestern’s new, $270 million, state-of-the-art facility on the shore of Lake Michigan. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald has many times called it a “game changer” for the program and the gleaming Ryan Fieldhouse certainly passes the eye test. There may be a few bigger facilities on some campuses, but there won’t be any that are nicer – and there certainly aren’t any with breathtaking views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline in the background. The Wildcats held their first practice at the facility on April 7 and it will be fully open sometime next month.

On the field, the biggest question was around Clayton Thorson’s injury and the quarterback position (see below). But, as has been the custom in recent years, all but two of Northwestern’s practices were closed to the media, so we didn’t get much of a chance to really “see” much in terms of action.

QB Clayton Thorson suffered the serious knee injury in the Music City Bowl. How is his rehab progressing, and what was he able to do this spring? Who got the reps in Thorson's absence, and how did they look?

Fitzgerald, as you might expect, was tight-lipped about the status of his star signal caller, saying only that his rehab is going well. Thorson underwent surgery for his torn ACL in January, a little more than seven months before the Wildcats’ Aug. 30 season opener at Purdue. Privately, a couple sources close to the situation told me that Thorson probably won’t be ready for the beginning of the season and that a late September return – the Wildcats host Michigan on Sept. 28 – is more likely.

If Thorson can’t go, Northwestern will start a very inexperienced quarterback. Backups Trent Green, Aidan Smith and Andrew Marty have combined to throw one pass at the college level – by Green, last year. If NU had to play on Saturday, Green would probably get the start. The walk-on and son of former NFL quarterback Trent Green won’t wow anyone with his arm, but he is smart and least likely to make mistakes. Marty, who redshirted last season as a freshman, is a 6-foot-3, 220-pounder with a big arm and looks the part, but he may not be ready yet. Whomever winds up under center, expect Northwestern to rely primarily on its defense and running game until Thorson returns.

All-time leading rusher Justin Jackson has graduated. Who were some play-makers this spring who look like they can replace Jackson's production for the Cats?

It’s funny. Northwestern lost its all-time leading rusher and one of the greatest players to ever wear purple in Jackson, yet no one is terribly concerned about the running game. That’s primarily because of Jeremy Larkin, who opened some eyes as Jackson’s backup last season. Larkin, a smooth, gliding runner with deceptive speed and elusiveness, ran for 503 yards and five touchdowns in limited reps last season. He looked more than ready to take over for Jackson as the feature back.

Behind him, Northwestern also has some pretty good depth with John Moten IV, Jesse Brown and true freshman Isaiah Bowser. The Wildcats won’t replace Jackson’s production with any one back, but together, the committee approach should work just fine. Plus, Northwestern’s offensive line returns four starters and should be better this season. They got off to a rough start in 2017 but improved as the season progressed.

Who were some other break-out performs and / or top newcomers this spring? Any redshirt freshmen or early enrollees who stood out?

Northwestern’s early enrollees impressed Fitzgerald this spring and the coaching staff didn’t bring them in early to sit on the bench for a year. I expect Bowser to carve out a role for himself in a crowded backfield as the power back. At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, he showed some pretty good burst and will only get bigger and stronger.

Linebacker Khalid Jones, cornerback Greg Newsome, defensive end Andrew Leota and safety Jeremiah McDonald are all candidates to get early playing time, either at their positions or on special teams. Fitzgerald had always been a proponent of redshirting as many freshmen as he could, but in recent years his philosophy has changed as he has recruited more players capable of playing right away. Last year, NU played 25 true or redshirt freshmen, a program record.

What questions still need to be answered when Northwestern opens camp later this summer?

The biggest question, of course, is who will be the starting quarterback for the opener, but there are other questions that need to be addressed, as well.

Northwestern’s punter competition is still wide open after the graduation of Hunter Niswander. Center will be a battle between Sam Gerak, a redshirt freshman, and Jared Thomas, a converted tackle. Defensively, Northwestern still has to determine its rotation at tackle, where they are trying to replace 305-pound behemoth Tyler Lancaster.

J.R. Pace, who played in all 12 games and registered two interceptions as a true freshman last season, has to prove he can be an every-down starter at safety, and there is still one starting spot open at linebacker, where NU remains a little thin.