Surprising Position Named Northwestern Football's Strength in 2025

The Wildcats are looking to bounce back from a 4-8 campaign a season ago.

Oct 11, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach David Braun walks the sidelines during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Northwestern has struggled to find consistent quarterback play since Clayton Thorson graduated in 2018. Despite hitting on stopgap transfers Peyton Ramsey (2020) and Ben Bryant (2023), the 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2024 Wildcat seasons were plagued by poor passing games. Northwestern's August 30 opener at Tulane will mark the seventh consecutive season in which the 'Cats start a different passer than the year before.

SMU transfer Preston Stone has already been named the Wildcats' quarterback for their game against the Green Wave, and he'll look to follow in the footsteps of Ramsey and Bryant, rather than those of Hunter Johnson, Ryan Hilinski and Mike Wright. It's been a rollercoaster half-decade for Northwestern, but analysts seem to believe in Stone as an upgrade over his recent predecessors.

In Pro Football Focus' season preview of Northwestern on Wednesday, analysts Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman said the Wildcats' biggest strength was "A quarterback situation that's night and day compared to 2024." The prediction comes after a season in which the 'Cats' QB room of Wright, Jack Lausch, Hilinski and Ryan Boe left much to be desired.

"Northwestern’s quarterback play was among the worst in the nation last season, as it collectively earned a 49.5 passing grade that ranked second-worst in the Power Four," Chadwick and Wasserman wrote. "Enter SMU transfer Preston Stone. While he eventually lost his starting job to Kevin Jennings, Stone has been highly productive when on the field — his 91.3 passing grade since 2023 ranks fifth among all FBS quarterbacks, trailing only Bo Nix, Jaxson Dart, Jayden Daniels and Shedeur Sanders."

In 2023, Stone threw for 3,197 yards, 28 touchdowns and six interceptions as the Mustangs went 11-3 and won the American Athletic Conference. A year later, Stone had 421 yards and a 5-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio, but was replaced by Jennings, who eventually led SMU to the College Football Playoff.

Stone has already left a strong impression on his new Northwestern teammates and coaches, who seem to believe he's the guy to bring the Wildcats back to a bowl game. Regardless of how the season goes, though, the graduate student has just one year of eligibility remaining, meaning Northwestern will be looking for a new starter once again in 2026.