Brandon Joseph dropped a bombshell on Thursday, announcing that he is entering the transfer portal and leaving the Northwestern program after three years in Evanston.
The question I tried to answer was, why? In the end, I think it was partially answered.
This is what sources have told me. I didn’t get a lot of information – some people just didn’t respond or declined to talk about it. So this is by no means a consensus. There were also differing opinions. Some of this is speculation. I’m just reporting what I got, and you can make of it what you will.
I got conflicting accounts about whether or not the team expected it. One source said that the staff did not see it coming. They, like many others, thought that if Northwestern was going to lose Joseph early, it would have been to the NFL, not the transfer portal. So some people were definitely surprised. On the other hand, a source said that the team expected it; at least some players did.
It seems like the primary reason for Joseph's departure is about scheme and responsibilities. I also got some comments that part of the reason may be seeking better NIL opportunities elsewhere, but that was merely speculation. It may or may not be true.
Joseph will be looking for a place where he can play more single-high safety. He got “exposed” in run support this year. It was partially due new defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil’s system, but it sounds like it was more about personnel.
Northwestern had a weaker front seven this season, and Joseph had to take on a bigger, more physical role in run support. He had to come up and make tackles, and he struggled. I think most of us noticed that. That’s certainly what I saw. He missed tackles and took poor angles. Some say he struggled with discipline in his assignments. Coco Azema was regarded as the better safety for the Cats last season.
Joseph has NFL aspirations and wants to play in a system that’s more suited to his skills – playing centerfield and ball-hawking. He had a dropoff in his play this season, and I’m sure it hurt his draft stock. So he wants to go somewhere that will put him in the best possible light.
You’re not going to like this, but one source said he wouldn’t be surprised if Joseph ended up at Notre Dame. If so, Joseph would be the second team captain in three years to go to the Irish, following in the footsteps of Bennett Skowronek after the 2019 season.
One source made it a point to say that O’Neil does not deserve the criticism he is getting for Joseph’s decision to leave. At least one player decided not to transfer this year because of O’Neil. If people want to blame a coach for Joseph’s transfer, it should be his position coach, Matt MacPherson.
I’ve been saying that losing 2021 Brandon Joseph will have less of an impact on the Cats than losing 2020 Brandon Joseph would have. But even so, they have a big hole in the starting lineup to replace. As our Michael Fitzpatrick put it, losing Joseph might not make the Cats that much worse, but it’s going to make it a lot harder for them to be better next year.
That's all I got. As I posted in the other thread, I hope to talk to Joseph in the near future.
The question I tried to answer was, why? In the end, I think it was partially answered.
This is what sources have told me. I didn’t get a lot of information – some people just didn’t respond or declined to talk about it. So this is by no means a consensus. There were also differing opinions. Some of this is speculation. I’m just reporting what I got, and you can make of it what you will.
I got conflicting accounts about whether or not the team expected it. One source said that the staff did not see it coming. They, like many others, thought that if Northwestern was going to lose Joseph early, it would have been to the NFL, not the transfer portal. So some people were definitely surprised. On the other hand, a source said that the team expected it; at least some players did.
It seems like the primary reason for Joseph's departure is about scheme and responsibilities. I also got some comments that part of the reason may be seeking better NIL opportunities elsewhere, but that was merely speculation. It may or may not be true.
Joseph will be looking for a place where he can play more single-high safety. He got “exposed” in run support this year. It was partially due new defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil’s system, but it sounds like it was more about personnel.
Northwestern had a weaker front seven this season, and Joseph had to take on a bigger, more physical role in run support. He had to come up and make tackles, and he struggled. I think most of us noticed that. That’s certainly what I saw. He missed tackles and took poor angles. Some say he struggled with discipline in his assignments. Coco Azema was regarded as the better safety for the Cats last season.
Joseph has NFL aspirations and wants to play in a system that’s more suited to his skills – playing centerfield and ball-hawking. He had a dropoff in his play this season, and I’m sure it hurt his draft stock. So he wants to go somewhere that will put him in the best possible light.
You’re not going to like this, but one source said he wouldn’t be surprised if Joseph ended up at Notre Dame. If so, Joseph would be the second team captain in three years to go to the Irish, following in the footsteps of Bennett Skowronek after the 2019 season.
One source made it a point to say that O’Neil does not deserve the criticism he is getting for Joseph’s decision to leave. At least one player decided not to transfer this year because of O’Neil. If people want to blame a coach for Joseph’s transfer, it should be his position coach, Matt MacPherson.
I’ve been saying that losing 2021 Brandon Joseph will have less of an impact on the Cats than losing 2020 Brandon Joseph would have. But even so, they have a big hole in the starting lineup to replace. As our Michael Fitzpatrick put it, losing Joseph might not make the Cats that much worse, but it’s going to make it a lot harder for them to be better next year.
That's all I got. As I posted in the other thread, I hope to talk to Joseph in the near future.
