The Big Ten Conference has been centered around all of Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State. However, the Northwestern football program has been one of the best stories in college football this season. After Pat Fitzgerald was fired for hazing allegations, David Braun finished with a 7-5 record as the head coach for Northwestern, and he was named the Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year, per the conference's announcement.

‘A 𝘽𝙄𝙂 shoutout to the 2023 Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year recipient – @NUFBFamily’s David Braun' 

It was a consensus decision by coaches and media for the award. The Northwestern football team won just one game in 2022, so improving to seven wins with everything that happened, and with two of those coming without their starting quarterback, is quite a success.

After Fitzgerald was fired for the allegations, Braun was named as interim head coach. Earlier in November, reports surfaced that Braun was expected to be announced as the permanent head coach for Northwestern in a huge decision, and a well-deserved one after he turned things around quickly.

Northwestern finished 5-4 in Big Ten play with three straight wins to finish the season, and they will be headed for a bowl game — something nobody thought possible after everything that unfolded over the summer. The three straight wins came over Wisconsin, Purdue, and Illinois to end the season.

Braun becomes the fifth Northwestern head coach to win the award, and what's even more impressive is this was his first season as a head coach at any level.