Braun's weekly presser just wrapped up, here are my initial notes. A takeaways article will be up this afternoon.
Wouldn't confirm Bryant is back, Henning, Lausch and Hagarty are all cleared
"Ben continues to progress, not sure exactly what his status will be come game time. But he is progressing and we anticipate that being something we evaluate as the week goes along."
Not what we wanted to hear, if Northwestern wants a shot against Nebraska's defense they'll need Bryant to be healthy. Could be some gamesmanship from Braun as he was stingy with naming Bryant a starter and has been stingy with injuries all season. Very concerning and surprising though as he said multiple times there wasn't a long-term concern, and this would be three weeks on the sidelines for Bryant. AJ Henning and Jack Lausch were both out against Howard, they are cleared for Nebraska. Richie Hagarty left the Howard game late and was listed doubtful to return, he is cleared for Nebraska as well.
Braun broke down the recruiting pitch
Northwestern has regained its footing in its Class of 2024. After a wave of decommitments, they've picked up two new commitments in the past weeks and are poised for more. Braun elaborated on how he's sold players on coming to Northwestern amidst all the uncertainty.
"We talk about telling a story. At the end of the day, recruiting is presenting a story and giving young men and their families thorough information. I think the story that exists here at Northwestern is special."
He fell back on the tried and true selling point, the team's unique blend of academics and athletics, including that the team has proven to be a strong developmental program. He said those traits stand out, even with an interim job title.
"I think what you're seeing is that young men and their families are realizing that even though there's a level of uncertainty, we're not going to focus on that. We're going to focus on the things we can commit to at Northwestern and that's an opportunity to play in the Big Ten and an opportunity to do it at one of the best institutions you can find."
He's in an equally unique position as someone who is balancing their first season as a P5 head coach on the field as off it. He gave a great answer to how he's balanced the increased recruiting workload.
"I've leaned into relationships, genuine relationships. I'm going to bust my tail, put every fiber of my being into [recruiting]...how do you do that? You identify young men across the country that fit the profile here at Northwestern, that love football, that value a degree and that you feel like, in due time, can be developed into great, big time football players.
"And then you tell a story, but a story of truth. What truly exists here. We're doing that through genuine relationships. We're telling them what this looks like moving forward and clearly, a bunch of young men and their families deem that as something that they want to be a part of moving forward."
Braun reflected on being halfway into his first head coaching season
The bye week bisected Northwestern's season, so Braun had some time to reflect on his coaching job so far.
"It feels like I've grown exponentially, simply through having no other choice. Your greatest growth comes in situations of adversity and new trials."
Braun demurred about giving himself a grade halfway through, but he did note that this team's goals remain in front of them.
"There's a lot of room left for my own personal growth, just as there is for this entire football team. That's what's so neat about [the bye week], we get to take a deep breath, look at yourself in the mirror, take full ownership of where you're at and set the course for how we're going to move forward."
Wouldn't confirm Bryant is back, Henning, Lausch and Hagarty are all cleared
"Ben continues to progress, not sure exactly what his status will be come game time. But he is progressing and we anticipate that being something we evaluate as the week goes along."
Not what we wanted to hear, if Northwestern wants a shot against Nebraska's defense they'll need Bryant to be healthy. Could be some gamesmanship from Braun as he was stingy with naming Bryant a starter and has been stingy with injuries all season. Very concerning and surprising though as he said multiple times there wasn't a long-term concern, and this would be three weeks on the sidelines for Bryant. AJ Henning and Jack Lausch were both out against Howard, they are cleared for Nebraska. Richie Hagarty left the Howard game late and was listed doubtful to return, he is cleared for Nebraska as well.
Braun broke down the recruiting pitch
Northwestern has regained its footing in its Class of 2024. After a wave of decommitments, they've picked up two new commitments in the past weeks and are poised for more. Braun elaborated on how he's sold players on coming to Northwestern amidst all the uncertainty.
"We talk about telling a story. At the end of the day, recruiting is presenting a story and giving young men and their families thorough information. I think the story that exists here at Northwestern is special."
He fell back on the tried and true selling point, the team's unique blend of academics and athletics, including that the team has proven to be a strong developmental program. He said those traits stand out, even with an interim job title.
"I think what you're seeing is that young men and their families are realizing that even though there's a level of uncertainty, we're not going to focus on that. We're going to focus on the things we can commit to at Northwestern and that's an opportunity to play in the Big Ten and an opportunity to do it at one of the best institutions you can find."
He's in an equally unique position as someone who is balancing their first season as a P5 head coach on the field as off it. He gave a great answer to how he's balanced the increased recruiting workload.
"I've leaned into relationships, genuine relationships. I'm going to bust my tail, put every fiber of my being into [recruiting]...how do you do that? You identify young men across the country that fit the profile here at Northwestern, that love football, that value a degree and that you feel like, in due time, can be developed into great, big time football players.
"And then you tell a story, but a story of truth. What truly exists here. We're doing that through genuine relationships. We're telling them what this looks like moving forward and clearly, a bunch of young men and their families deem that as something that they want to be a part of moving forward."
Braun reflected on being halfway into his first head coaching season
The bye week bisected Northwestern's season, so Braun had some time to reflect on his coaching job so far.
"It feels like I've grown exponentially, simply through having no other choice. Your greatest growth comes in situations of adversity and new trials."
Braun demurred about giving himself a grade halfway through, but he did note that this team's goals remain in front of them.
"There's a lot of room left for my own personal growth, just as there is for this entire football team. That's what's so neat about [the bye week], we get to take a deep breath, look at yourself in the mirror, take full ownership of where you're at and set the course for how we're going to move forward."
