The Preston Stone era is here in Evanston
We are officially eight weeks from Northwestern football’s season opener against Tulane, and InsideNU is commemorating the occasion with the first edition of our position preview series. Each week, we’ll break down a different position group and what to expect from them heading into David Braun’s third season at the helm. We’ll kick the series off with a quarterback room that has gotten a little bit more interesting since the ‘Cats have posted up in Evanston for summer camp.
Overview:
Returners: Jack Lausch (R-Jr.), Aidan Gray (R-So.), Ryan Boe (R-Fr.)
Losses: Mike Wright (transfer to Eastern Carolina), Ryan Hilinski (graduated)
Newcomers: Preston Stone (graduate transfer from SMU), Gavin Frakes (graduate transfer from Virginia), Marcus Romain (true first-year), Sean Winton (true first-year)
For the first time since Braun assumed interim coaching duties in the summer of 2023, the third-year head coach will avoid the ritual of a long and drawn-out quarterback battle. Braun waited until the morning before kickoff to announce his Week One starter against both Rutgers in 2023 and Miami (OH) in 2024. There will be no secrecy this time around.
SMU graduate transfer Preston Stone was the man in the arena as soon as he stepped on campus this spring. Consistent readers of this site should have his 2023 stat line with the Mustangs memorized by now — 3,197 yards, 28 touchdowns, six interceptions and ten wins. Braun hasn’t formally announced that Stone will start against Tulane, but he said as much at spring practice back in April with his comment that he did not anticipate carrying the quarterback competition deep into the summer.
The quarterback room behind No. 2 is a different story. Jack Lausch started ten games for the ‘Cats a year ago, but there is a growing speculation that he will forego his redshirt junior season to focus on his baseball career. The hybrid quarterback-center fielder is spending his summer with the Williamsport Crosscutters of the MLB Draft League, where he is currently slashing .111/.268/.178 through 45 at-bats across 13 games, according to the league’s website. It is unknown if Lausch is even practicing with the football team this summer.
Northwestern brought in graduate transfer quarterback Gavin Frakes last week in a move that seems to be in preparation for the scenario that Lausch does not rejoin the football team. Frakes started five games at New Mexico State as a true freshman before transferring to Virginia, where he didn’t see game action in two years with the team. He has two years of eligibility remaining, and he is undoubtedly a name to monitor for the 2026 starting job as well.
Redshirt freshman Ryan Boe will be another interesting piece to monitor this fall. Boe made his collegiate debut last December against Illinois, featuring in an unorthodox two-quarterback offense alongside Lausch in Northwestern’s rivalry loss. That game was by no means a stereotypical garbage time audition. Boe saw action throughout the ten-point loss to the Illini, and he took snaps under center in a series of crucial moments that included a red zone possession with the ‘Cats trailing 28-13 midway through the third quarter. His involvement in that game almost makes me think that Braun knew there was a chance Lausch wouldn’t be with the team this season and wanted to see what he had behind No. 12 looking ahead to 2025.
Key Player:
Preston Stone
Northwestern’s hopes on offense run through the graduate transfer out of SMU. Key player doesn’t do Preston Stone justice.
Next question.
Big Question:
Can Stone’s success in the American Athletic Conference translate to Power Four competition?
Stone won 10 games as the starting quarterback for the Mustangs in 2023 but lost both of his two games against power conference opponents in Oklahoma and TCU. Stone’s average passer rating in his 10 victories against 8 teams from the AAC, one team from Conference USA and one team from the FCS was 190.35. His average from the two losses to TCU and Oklahoma was 101.8.
Passer rating is a flawed stat, and it does make sense that Stone’s numbers would dip against the two most talented defenses he would face all season. His numbers from those two losses weren’t all that bad either; 26-for-45 for 250 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 28-11 loss to Oklahoma, and 16-for-35 for 258 yards and two picks in a 34-17 loss to TCU. He was also sacked three times against the Horned Frogs, which is tied for his highest total on the season.
The arm talent is undoubtedly there for Stone, and his teammates and coaches have raved about his leadership chops as soon as he stepped on campus. Stone was benched for Kevin Jennings last season at SMU, but it quickly became apparent that the move was more reflective of Jennings’ elite talent than any shortcomings on Stone’s behalf. Jennings went 9-2 as a starter and earned Third Team All-ACC honors as he led the Mustangs to the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. The redshirt junior is on the shortlist of Heisman hopefuls heading into the fall.
Success against other Power Four schools isn’t always a prerequisite for Big Ten success. 2023 starter Ben Bryant proved to be more than adept under center despite worse overall passing numbers than Stone — though his numbers against opponents from the SEC and Big Ten while at Cincinnati were a little better. Mike Wright boasted a road win over a ranked Kentucky team on his resume while at Vanderbilt, but his shortcomings as a passer saw him benched after just two games.
Preston Stone’s resume is just about as good as anyone could expect given Northwestern’s other options in the portal, but the TCU and Oklahoma games do provide a little uncertainty from a guy who offers plenty of other things to be excited about.
Depth Chart
Projected 2024 QB Depth Chart
First String: Preston Stone
Second String: Gavin Frakes
Third String: Ryan Boe
I think it’s time to officially make the prediction that Jack Lausch will not be Northwestern’s backup quarterback in 2025. While we don’t have official word from Braun as to whether Lausch will be attending summer practices, we do know that he’s already played 13 games in the northeast-based MLB draft league, and Lausch was a limited participant in practices throughout the spring as he traveled with the Northwestern baseball team. The addition of Gavin Frakes feels like the final nail in the coffin. Wishing all the best to No. 12.
Stone brings a ton of excitement to the starting spot, but Northwestern’s QB room does not have a ton going for it in terms of depth. Frakes hasn’t played in two years, and he was spotty as a part-time starter while at New Mexico State. Boe has 13 career passing attempts to his name.
Yet Preston Stone is a Wildcat, and regardless of the inexperience behind him, Northwestern is in a better spot at football’s most important position than it was a year ago.