Can Northwestern Wildcats Get Back to Top 25?

Defense

The Wildcats’ defense wasn’t great last year, giving up 27.1 points per game, but it wasn’t terrible either. With enough people back, there is the potential for it to improve dramatically this year.

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The defensive line will miss end Tyler Scott after his 10 tackles for a loss, 6 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles last year, but junior Dean Lowry was just as good and is back on the other side. Lowry had 7 tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks and 2 interceptions and forced fumbles as well, and as the main end this year, he should be able to make a huge impact if used right. Senior defensive tackle Chance Carter is also a very welcomed back player after his 26 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, and 5 passes broken up last year. The only other major contributor gone is Will Hampton, but he didn’t do much last year. Sophomore tackle Greg Kuhar should fill the role just fine as a 6’3″ 4-star who played sparingly last year. Also in the mix will be junior C.J. Robbins and senior Sean McEvilly. On the end, sophomore Ifeadi Odenigbo was a 4-star recruit who put up 5.5 sacks in very limited action as a freshman last year. He should be Scott’s replacement, but if not, it will go to junior Deonte Gibson, who had 7 tackles for a loss and 3 sacks last year. Either way, both players will play a lot, and they have so much talent that the loss of Scott won’t matter. Junior end Max Chapman also played in all 12 games last year. That makes for four ends and four tackles, eight linemen in total, that have talent and experience and should all be in the rotation. Add to that two freshmen in Tyler Lancaster and Ben Oxley, and it’s easy to see how the line should be much better this year.

At linebacker, Damien Proby is a loss after 87.5 tackles and 5 tackles for a loss, but he is the only major contributor gone, and he’s the least important loss. The biggest playmaker, senior Chi Chi Ariguzo, is back after 84 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 4 interceptions, 2 passes broken up, and a forced fumble. He literally does it all and should become a star this year. Senior Collin Ellis is another big returner after 58 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, 3 interceptions, and 6 passes broken up. Together they make great coverage linebackers and can wreak havoc on offenses. Senior Jimmy Hall will likely start as well, and with limited action last year, he still managed 27.5 tackles and an interception. Junior Drew Smith and sophomore Jaylen Prater both have experience and will provide depth along with sophomore Joseph Jones and redshirt freshman Anthony Walker. This group is so much more experienced this year and returns so much key talent that, like the front line, it should be much better this year.

Oct 5, 2013; Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats defensive lineman Tyler Scott (97) celebrates with teammates Collin Ellis (45) and Chi Chi Ariguzo (44) after recovering an Ohio State Buckeyes fumble during the first quarter at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

With the linemen and linebackers expected to improve, perhaps the most exciting part of the defense is the secondary. Everybody is back. Senior safety Ibraheim Campbell should be the leader of the group after 4 interceptions last year and 2.5 tackles for a loss. The other safety, junior Traveon Henry is a great tackler with 65 tackles and 4 tackles for a loss last year. At cornerback, junior Nick VanHoose is back after 8 passes broken up last year and 5 tackles for a loss. Sophomores Matthew Harris and Dwight White  both played significantly at cornerback as freshmen, and they’re back to assume their roles. All five players will make for a very experienced, very talented rotation. Daniel Jones is unfortunately retiring due to injuries, but junior cornerback Jarrell Williams will provide depth along with sophomore safety Terrance Brown. There are four redshirt freshmen in the secondary that could all also provide depth or have an immediate impact, and Fitzgerald has brought in another freshman this year in 4-star Parrker Westphal. So this unit has experience, depth, talent, incoming talent, and loses nobody from last year. Expect it to be much better.

Every part of the defense should get better, barring injury this year. As a result, expect the defense to be significantly better. It showed signs of being very good at times last year, but it lacked consistency. Now, with much more experience and depth, that might not be a problem this year.