After a 4-8 (2-7 Big Ten) season last fall, Northwestern head coach David Braun has his work cut out for them. Arguably, the Wildcats’ biggest dilemma was the question mark at the quarterback position.
Dual sport athlete Jack Lausch was the primary starter for Northwestern last season, while backups Mike Wright, Ryan Hilinski and Ryan Boe made occasional appearances on the field. Lausch stepped up when his team needed him, but the Wildcat offense ranked dead last in the Big Ten last season.
Northwestern averaged 284.4 total yards per game and recorded 3,413 yards in the 2024 season. They maintained a 17.8 points per game average, just two points better than the lowest average in the conference, Purdue’s 15.8.
The commitment of fifth-year SMU quarterback Preston Stone was a Christmas Eve miracle for Northwestern, but will he be the catalyst the Wildcats need to have a successful start to the 2025 season?
Analyst David Pollack has high expectations for Stone. On the June 23 episode of his podcast “See Ball Get Ball,” Pollack named the quarterback as Northwestern's player to watch this season.
“I’m going Preston Stone,” Pollack said. “The guy that you saw last year at SMU. Kevin Jennings takes his spot late in the season last year. He already knows he’s leaving. He’s had some inconsistencies. He’s had some ups and downs, but he’s got good athletic ability. He can throw the football.”
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Pollack continued, highlighting the fact that quarterback struggles are familiar to Northwestern.
“Can they come in and be competent? Because here’s the thing. Northwestern always struggles at the quarterback spot. It’s not been a good spot. It’s not been anything that they’ve highlighted over the years. They’ve put guys in the league and you’ll see guys sporadically jump up at offensive line and those big strong guys,” Pollack said.
If the Wildcats want to have a successful season, Pollack says Stone will need to be able to do it all.
“But getting the quarterback, the trigger man that makes everything go. Can he be that guy that can run, pass, buy time?” Pollack said. “Because he’s going to need to be that guy. He’s going to need to scramble around and make plays if they’re going to have any chance of being successful.”
Stone and Northwestern will have a tough season opener on the road against Tulane, but Stone’s background playing in the ACC and familiarity with the Green Wave will likely be an asset to the Wildcats.