David Braun Takes Blame for Disappointing Season, Positive About Future

The head coach didn't mince words with the media about 2024.

Sep 21, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach David Braun watches pregame warmups against the Washington Huskies at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Northwestern's 2024 season was frustrating in a lot of ways, and head coach David Braun doesn't feel any differently.

As sports-folk often say, "you are what your record says you are," and the 2024 Wildcats were 4-8.

At times, it felt even worse than that. The 'Cats struggled mightily in the Big Ten, winning just two games. Offensively, they were the worst team in the conference by yards per game. At quarterback, Mike Wright and Jack Lausch had their moments, but they were few and far between.

By all accounts, it was a dissapointing year for Northwestern, even understanding the context of a revamped, even more difficult Big Ten.

Head coach David Braun has never tried to pretend it was an acceptable result. In the press room after losing to Illinois in the final game of the season, Braun spoke about his vision for the program -- celebrating all that his seniors accomplished but looking forward towards something more.

Now, heading into 2025, Braun spoke with the media again today and reflected some on the 2024 campaign. He didn't shy away from it.

"It's required a lot of self-evaluation," Braun said. "You can't spray perfume on a 4-8 season -- it just stinks. Everything that does or does not happen in this program ultimately comes back to me."

Looking forward, the head coach seems excited about 2025. He lauded transfer quarterback Preston Stone for his leadership skills and adaptibility in a new program. He praised edge rusher Anto Saka for his relentlessness in the gym and reiterated his expectation for him to be among the best at his position in the country.

Braun wants to turn Northwestern into more than just an after-thought Big Ten team. It's a tall order given all of the talent and prestige elsewhere in the conference, but he's been talking about Big Ten Championships and playoff appearances for a while now.

The ever-changing college football landscape in the NIL era seems, on the surface, like a bad thing for programs trying to compete with the blue bloods. Being able to offer large sums of money backed by massive donors at big-time football schools seems like an inherent advantage.

But Northwestern, to its credit, is trying to adapt -- hiring general manager Christian Sarkisian this spring to help. Braun has been a vocal supporter of Sarkisian, and seems excited about the program's future.

"In chaos, there is opportunity. There are so many opportunities in a place like Northwestern, there's so many things that make this place unique," Braun said.