Northwestern Star Defender Sets Lofty Goal for Wildcats in 2025

Edge rusher Anto Saka and head coach David Braun have high expectations for Northwestern.

Northwestern edge rusher Anto Saka lines up against Illinois at Wrigley Field on November 30, 2024. | Photo: Northwestern Athletics

Following a disappointing 4-8 season, the Wildcats are committed to ensuring that 2024 does not happen again. It's not merely enough to aim for improvement, though; Northwestern wants to blow last year's record out of the water.

NU finished 16th in the Big Ten a season ago, going just 2-7 in conference play. That hasn't stopped the 'Cats from shooting for the stars, and at Big Ten Media Days, edge rusher Anto Saka set a significant goal for his team to achieve in 2025.

"We want to take it as far as we can go, we want to win it all," Saka said during media availability on Wednesday. "There's no short-changing ourselves. We came here to play, we came here to ball, we're going to show that to teams."

The redshirt junior and former four-star recruit could potentially be an NFL Draft pick in April, but Saka is only focused on the team's success this upcoming season. When asked about individual goals for the fall, the dynamic pass rusher simply stated that he wants to do whatever he can to help the team win.

The goal of "winning it all" seems far-fetched, especially a year removed from going 4-8, but it's the mentality that head coach David Braun is instilling into his program. The third-year coach has a goal board for his team, which features three objectives: 1. Earn a Northwestern degree. 2. Win the Big Ten Championship. 3. Make the College Football Playoff.

"I have incredible reverence and appreciation for the things that this football program has achieved over the years, on and off the field," Braun said in his press conference. "But why can't we ask ourselves the question, why can't we do it better than we've ever done it before? With the new Ryan Field on the horizon, we should be asking ourselves that."

Northwestern last won the Big Ten in 2000, although the Wildcats reached the Big Ten Championship in 2018 and 2020 by winning their division. The program's two most recent winning seasons each came on the heels of a poor finish the year before (3-9 in 2019, 1-11 in 2022), and Braun appears confident that the 'Cats can bounce back in a similar way in 2025.

The standard for Northwestern is not merely to be competitive in the Big Ten, but to contend with teams like Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State for conference championships and trips to the postseason. Braun and Saka have their eyes set on the bigger picture, and while only time will tell if the team bounces back from last season's performance, the Wildcats are determined to shatter expectations and prove themselves right.