There has been precious little news coming out of Evanston this spring, as we've had to rely on Northwestern Football's Twitter and Instagram accounts for any information. But I've been talking to sources and have a few nuggets to share.
- The biggest takeaway in my eyes is that the hype around QB Brendan Sullivan is real. We hinted at it in our spring preview stories, but I've now talked to three sources who have all independently told me the same thing. A fourth verified it, too. Sullivan has been impressive in practice. He's always had the "it" factor as a leader, and he is "making great strides" as a QB. He has been getting reps with the 1s in practice. It seems like there's a genuine QB battle going on, and at the very least, Sullivan will push Ryan Hilinski. Sullivan is definitely the more athletic of the two, and we know how OC Mike Bajakian likes QBs that can make plays with his feet.
- It sounds like NU's base defense will be the "star", five-DB system that DC Jim O'Neil introduced last season. They will be multiple and continue to use the 4-3/Cover-4 scheme, but the star is here to stay. The defense is gelling well, from what I'm told. While I can almost see your eyerolls, we have to keep in mind that the scheme was new to the defense last year, and that they lost a lot of key personnel from the year before. They should be much better in their second year in the system, with personnel better tailored to the defense. I'm hearing positive things about the transfers, especially the defensive linemen (Henrik Barndt, Taishan Holmes and Ryan Johnson) and linebacker Wendell Davis Jr. One source said that the team is bonding better this season than last.
- Ryan Smith is off to an impressive start as the cornerbacks coach. He has introduced some new techniques, and the players have really bought into him. He's brought a fresh perspective to the staff, and his youth and energy are positives.
I was hoping to get more definitive information about the question of whether NU is moving to a 30 front. I will continue to work on that, but that's all for now.
- The biggest takeaway in my eyes is that the hype around QB Brendan Sullivan is real. We hinted at it in our spring preview stories, but I've now talked to three sources who have all independently told me the same thing. A fourth verified it, too. Sullivan has been impressive in practice. He's always had the "it" factor as a leader, and he is "making great strides" as a QB. He has been getting reps with the 1s in practice. It seems like there's a genuine QB battle going on, and at the very least, Sullivan will push Ryan Hilinski. Sullivan is definitely the more athletic of the two, and we know how OC Mike Bajakian likes QBs that can make plays with his feet.
- It sounds like NU's base defense will be the "star", five-DB system that DC Jim O'Neil introduced last season. They will be multiple and continue to use the 4-3/Cover-4 scheme, but the star is here to stay. The defense is gelling well, from what I'm told. While I can almost see your eyerolls, we have to keep in mind that the scheme was new to the defense last year, and that they lost a lot of key personnel from the year before. They should be much better in their second year in the system, with personnel better tailored to the defense. I'm hearing positive things about the transfers, especially the defensive linemen (Henrik Barndt, Taishan Holmes and Ryan Johnson) and linebacker Wendell Davis Jr. One source said that the team is bonding better this season than last.
- Ryan Smith is off to an impressive start as the cornerbacks coach. He has introduced some new techniques, and the players have really bought into him. He's brought a fresh perspective to the staff, and his youth and energy are positives.
I was hoping to get more definitive information about the question of whether NU is moving to a 30 front. I will continue to work on that, but that's all for now.
