There should be a lot to learn by the lake on Saturday.
InsideNU will be onsite for Northwestern football’s open practice on Saturday morning. Here are five things we’ll be looking out for on the lake.
The wide receiver room
Calvin Johnson II, Northwestern’s leading returning receiver with 11 catches for 121 yards during his junior season, entered the transfer portal earlier this week. Johnson’s departure adds to the uncertainty surrounding a Northwestern pass catching group that already had lost its three leading receivers from 2024 in A.J. Henning, Bryce Kirtz and Thomas Gordon.
Head coach David Braun has added two transfers to replace last year’s production: sophomore Griffin Wilde from South Dakota State, and freshman Chase Farrell from Stanford. Wilde was a bonafide stud for the Jackrabbits, amassing 71 catches for 1,154 yards and 12 touchdowns in his junior season, but Farrell did not play a snap for the Cardinal during his first year of college football. Wilde should slot in as the day one WR1. Behind him, it’s anybody’s guess.
Frank Covey IV is a likely candidate to see some first team reps tomorrow. The redshirt freshman wideout was all over the field in his collegiate debut against Miami (OH) in Week 1, hauling in four catches for 31 yards, but he would not replicate that level of production again as he battled injuries throughout the season. Redshirt freshman Hayden Eligon II is another name to keep an eye out for. The 6’4 Eligon impressed in Northwestern’s season finale against Illinois, and he is perhaps the best jump ball threat on the Wildcat roster. Of Eligon’s four catches in 2024, two came from 50/50 balls.
It will be interesting to monitor who gets the first team reps at wideout, in addition to presumptive QB1 Preston Stone’s comfortability with this inexperienced group of pass catchers.
Ore Adeyi returning from injury
Cornerback Ore Adeyi was a presumptive starter in 2024 before he missed the entirety of the season due to an injury he suffered in August. The junior posted photos from a workout on X this March, but it’s unclear how far along he is in his rehab. A healthy Adeyi is crucial to a Northwestern secondary that lost three of four starters from 2024.
Braun shored up the secondary this offseason with two transfers in safety An’Darius Coffey from Memphis and cornerback Fred Davis from Jacksonville State. Davis will likely compete with Adeyi and redshirt freshman Josh Fussell to replace Theran Johnson and Devin Turner, while Coffey should immediately slot in as the day one starting strong safety beside All-Big Ten Honorable mention Damon Walters.
We’ll be watching the secondary reps to see which of Adeyi, Fussell or Davis (or maybe even a rogue Evan Smith or Braden Turner) could be in line to start the season against Tulane on August 31.
Mac Uihlein and Yanni Karlaftis at middle linebacker
Perhaps Northwestern’s biggest offseason loss on defense is at the middle linebacker position with the departure of All-Big Ten stalwart Xander Mueller for the NFL draft. Braun brought in Purdue’s Yanni Karlaftis as a transfer this winter to help replace the production of Mueller on the inside, but the third-year head coach has also raved about the progress he’s seen from All-Big Ten honorable mention Mac Uihlein this spring as well.
Karlaftis is extremely versatile, and he started his career at Purdue taking snaps as an edge rusher before shifting exclusively to his current role as an inside linebacker. He told the media on Thursday that he’s been mostly playing Mike linebacker, which was Uihlein’s role last season. Karlaftis racked up a combined 57 total tackles and 0.5 sacks in 2024 at Purdue.
The starting offensive line
Northwestern brought in three offensive line transfers this offseason in Xavior Gray from Liberty, Evan Beerntsen from South Dakota State and Martes Lewis from Minnesota, all of whom have a clear path to start for the ‘Cats against Tulane.
Lewis started 13 games at guard for Minnesota in 2023 but moved around a little more in 2024, starting at tackle in two of his three starts as a senior. At Northwestern’s media availability on Thursday, Lewis said he’s been playing more tackle recently. Xavior Gray is probably more likely to start alongside Caleb Tiernan at tackle after earning First Team All-CUSA honors last season, but Lewis’ versatility is a welcome addition for a Northwestern unit that has been snake-bitten by injuries in the past few seasons.
I’m also curious to see how offensive line coach Bill O’Boyle works in freshman guard Ezomo Oratokhai after he started a few games at right guard last season as a true freshman. Beerntsen is the presumptive starter after earning FCS All-American honors at SDSU, but there should still be ample room for the promising underclassman to excel.