Northwestern Football Superlatives: MVPs, Record Predictions and More
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Northwestern is entering a critical juncture this fall. The Wildcats went 4-8 a year ago, and after making significant investments into transfer recruitment, embracing a revenue share and hiring Christian Sarkisian as general manager, the program could experience sweeping changes if NU doesn't improve greatly in 2025.
In a new episode of the Bleav in Northwestern podcast, Northwestern Wildcats On SI writer Gavin Dorsey joined host Zach Koons to preview the Wildcats' upcoming season and name superlatives for several key players:
Offensive Most Valuable Player:
Dorsey: "I feel like it's always the boring take to pick the quarterback. If you had asked me who the most important player was, I would obviously say Preston Stone. But for MVP, the best player on this offense this year is OL Caleb Tiernan. He is such a massive success story when it comes to the development of this Northwestern offensive line program, even with different coaches in Kurt Anderson and Bill O'Boyle."
Koons: "I'm choosing WR Griffin Wilde for a number of reasons. [He had] 71 catches for 1,154 yards last year. A.J. Henning and Bryce Kirtz last season combined for 98 catches and 1,203 yards. Of course, different quarterbacks, different level of competition. However, I think that just shows how much Wilde can handle, and that's exactly what he's going to need to handle on this Northwestern offense."
Defensive Most Valuable Player
Koons: "I think the leap potential that DL Anto Saka has going into this season is tremendous. You can just tell the amount of pressure that Saka is able to put on an opposing offensive line and an opposing quarterback, and I was ready to make this pick before I heard everything this offseason. He bulked up, he put on 15 pounds in an effort to be that three-down player... If he can put all of the pieces together, I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that he can be in the upper echelon of the Big Ten and get some national recognition."
Dorsey: "It seems like LB Mac Uihlein is also ready to make the leap. Uihlein was a pretty highly-regarded prospect, slowly worked his way into the lineup, was a very good player for Northwestern last year and now has been tasked with replacing a three-year starter in Xander Mueller... The best eras of Northwestern football in the 21st century were all with a mainstay at the middle linebacker position. Having somebody that is smart, fast and has good reflexes at that middle spot is critical for Northwestern having a successful season on defense."
Offensive X-Factor
Dorsey: "It absolutely has to be WR Ricky Ahumaraeze. This is a guy who has played in one game, zero career catches, and as far as everything we're hearing out of the program goes, this guy is WR2 or WR3. He is legitimately expected to be the biggest jump-ball threat in Northwestern's offense. David Braun raved about using him on special teams. He's 6-foot-4, physical, [Braun] compared him to Jeremiah Smith. He just hasn't had the opportunity to be healthy yet."
Koons: "What RB Joseph Himon II can do from a multi-purpose standpoint on offense has gone underutilized for Northwestern. It almost felt like in the middle of last season, Northwestern realized that, and it was a little bit too late in the game... There still needs to be improvement from Himon, but there also needs to be improvement in the way that he's used. I think he's in for a big year."
Defensive X-Factor
Koons: "LB Braydon Brus has had some juice in past years. Last year, I thought that opportunity might be there for him when Xander Mueller got hurt. Positionally, it didn't make as much sense, but now, he's really going to get his opportunity. He's going to be right there with Mac Uihlein... I look forward to seeing what Brus can do. I think he can have a special year."
Dorsey: "You look at a Northwestern secondary group that is really thin, especially with Theran Johnson transferring to Oregon and Devin Turner going to Baylor. DB Fred Davis II is an absolute burner. He's gone around, he's had a lot of different stops, but he is someone who is really fast and is probably going to be one of the lead corners alongside Ore Adeyi. I really think he is going to be the one that determines how strong this Northwestern secondary is this season."
What will Northwestern's record be in 2025?
Dorsey: "I'm going to say 5-7. I know that is a good amount higher than most people think, and it's a really difficult schedule. But you look at the way Northwestern got boatraced in a lot of Big Ten games last year, and the way they were close for a good amount of them and the opponents pulled away at the end because NU couldn't do anything on offense... I just think they have to be able to eke out at least one or two conference games that nobody thinks they're gonna pull off."
Dorsey's Predicted Wins: vs. Western Illinois, vs. UCLA, vs. UL-Monroe, vs. Purdue, at Nebraska
Koons: "This year, I wanted to come in a little more hesitant, but I kept staring at the schedule, and I realized I can't do it. The 3.5 [wins] line is skewed. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me, in part because I think Northwestern is going to be favored in four games this year... To me, 5-7 doesn't seem that outlandish."
Koons' Predicted Wins: at Tulane, vs. Western Illinois, vs. UCLA, vs. UL-Monroe, vs. Purdue
The entire 2025 Season Preview episode of the Bleav in Northwestern Podcast can be found on Spotify or Apple Music.
Read More Northwestern Wildcats Coverage
Gavin Dorsey is the Lead Writer for Northwestern Wildcats On SI and covers a handful of other teams in the On SI network. Before joining On SI in February 2025, he wrote for the Star Tribune and Inside NU while broadcasting college sports for both radio and television. Dorsey is a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, where he also studied psychology. In his free time, he enjoys running and being outdoors. Dorsey is currently a freelance writer for the Associated Press, covering Chicago area sports teams.
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