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Northwestern football has officially named an interim head coach for the 2023 season, as defensive coordinator and acting head coach David Braun has been promoted to the position, sources told Pete Thamel of ESPN.
Braun was named the acting head coach shortly after Northwestern football fired Pat Fitzgerald as public pressure mounted following the emergence of disturbing details of the hazing incidents that allegedly occurred.
The Wildcats had intended to search for an interim head coach and name one soon after making Braun, who was named defensive coordinator in January, the acting head coach. As it turns out, the position eventually went to the defensive-minded coach.
Braun, who was the 2021 FCS Defensive Coordinator of the Year, has spent the last four years with North Dakota State, who he helped produce the top-ranked scoring defense in 2019 and 2021, while also being a part of two FCS national championship-winning teams in both campaigns.
Clearly, the Wildcats are opting for some form of stability with the coaching staff after hazing allegations rocked the football program. Northwestern announced earlier this week they planned to retain Fitzgerald's assistant coaches and support staff for the 2023 season.
The Wildcats were thrust into the spotlight in November of 2022, when an anonymous player reported allegations of hazing. The University hired an independent firm to investigate the allegations- and the attorney found “evidence” to corroborate the whistleblower's claims, but not enough to prove Fitzgerald knew of the incidents.
Fitzgerald was initially suspended but the University later fired him after more shocking details emerged into the alleged hazing and “racism-enabling” that went on at Northwestern.
Now, the Wildcats will have to pick up the pieces and move past this scandal while attempting to bounce back from a 1-win season with an interim head coach.
