Like clockwork, Northwestern’s spring transfer QB has arrived.
I told you they couldn’t keep me away.
Welcome back to the film room everybody! As the spring quarter draws to a close, football season is right around the corner. For the Wildcats, that means the annual tradition of heading to the transfer portal to find their signal caller for the upcoming year. Northwestern has had a transfer QB start each season since 2019, and 2024 will be no different when Mike Wright takes the field at the modified Martin Stadium.
Wright committed to David Braun and Co. after spending the last year in Starkville, Mississippi at Mississippi State. Before playing for the Bulldogs, Wright spent three seasons at Vanderbilt. We know he has the academic prowess to succeed in Evanston, but does he have the skills to succeed on the field? Let’s dive in and see what the newest Wildcat brings to the table.
The Stats
Across two institutions, Wright has started 13 games, accumulating 2,512 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He also added 1,364 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. In his three years starting, Wright has earned a 59.5 PFF offense grade; however, that is largely being carried by his 70.2 PFF rushing grade. When the ball is in the air, the fifth-year only posted a 48.7 PFF passing grade. In his career, he’s completed 55% of passes for an average of six yards per attempt. To put it in context, Ben Bryant averaged 6.4 yards per attempt last year.
While Wright has 15 Big Time Throws (a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window), the main concern of his game is his 32 turnover-worthy plays — that is roughly 2.3 turnover-worthy plays per start.
Based on his throwing chart, Wright has mostly kept the ball within a short distance of the line of scrimmage and performed better on play action, but as we all know, numbers do not tell the whole story. So without further ado, let’s dive into the tape.
The Good
Despite a limited number of reps, Wright has shown flashes of being a very good college quarterback. Luckily for Northwestern, his strengths fit perfectly into Zach Lujan’s system.
On the run
What makes Mike Wright so special is his ability to create in the open field. Whether it is a designed run, scramble or play-action pass, Wright finds ways to make plays with his legs.
This is a type of play I expect to be on Coach Lujan’s call sheet this season. This is a beautiful play design, running a fake-jet sweep QB counter. Due to the guard pulling to the jet side, the off-ball linebacker shoots the a gap to play flat down the line. Wright does a good job showing the ball at the mesh point before tucking and taking off. Now, the hole he runs through is big enough for me to pick up a first down, but Wright’s speed kicks into another gear, and no one was catching him. With the wind howling on Lakeside Field, having a QB that can turn on the afterburners is a big positive.
Keeping the play alive and moving the chains — nothing better than that. Kentucky rolls into a cover three look on the snap while keeping both linebackers sitting in the middle hole. The defense has this whole thing swallowed up, and Wright has no place to go with the football. Once he realizes the play is busted, he breaks the pocket and turns this into a scramble drill. The one thing that stands out to me is how he keeps his eyes downfield as he moves towards the sideline, giving time for a receiver to break open while firing a dot to keep the drive alive. Would I like to see him step up in the pocket instead of leaving through the back? Yes, but when you’re that good of an athlete, you can get away with things like this.
With how bad NU has been in the red zone in the past few years, forcing defenders to cover another body should be a welcome sign for ‘Cats fans. Because of Wright’s running prowess, the middle linebacker’s eyes are locked in on the QB, ensuring that he can pursue down the line of scrimmage should Wright make a dash for the endzone. Because of that, the tight end wrapping around the formation runs scot-free into the letters, and Wright does a good job gaining enough depth to get the throw off unimpeded. In the red zone, it is all about numbers. By forcing the defense to cover the QB, it takes an extra man out of pass coverage — usually a linebacker. With the linebacker flowing downhill, the middle of the field becomes vacated, which bodes well for A.J. Henning or any of the ‘Cats’ eight tight ends.
The Bad
While Wright has the tools to be a good quarterback, there is still a lot he needs to clean up if he is going to lead the Wildcats to a successful season.
Footwork
Much like most college quarterbacks, Wright struggles to keep his steps clean inside the pocket. Often falling to his back foot, he makes throws much more difficult for himself than it should be.
I know what you’re thinking, why is a touchdown pass in the bad category? Well, I want you to watch the gunslinger’s feet. He hitches once, and as soon as he feels the pressure, starts to fall to his back foot, making this a much more difficult throw. Yes, his arm gets the ball to his target, but my concern is how will his footwork hold up when under duress. One of Bryant’s greatest strengths was his clean footwork, and one of Brendan Sullivan’s greatest weaknesses was his footwork. If Wright looks more like the latter one of the ‘Cats’ former QBs, it will be a long season throwing the ball.
Protect the football
One of the biggest knocks against Wright is his inability to protect the football. Mostly as a passer, he gives defenses easy chances to make plays on the ball, digging his squad into a hole.
This is not good. Off the snap, Wright decides he wants to throw this hitch and locks in on the receiver; however, he fails to notice the safety sitting right on top of the route. Instead, the safety reads Wright’s eyes and jumps the pass for an easy interception. This is not even a one-read play, but it becomes one because Wright made the decision pre-snap. At the power-four level, failing to move the defender with your eyes is a guaranteed recipe for disaster for a QB, and Wright has done this on more than one occasion. If NU wants to succeed, Coach Lujan has to get this fixed in summer camp.
I’m not going to blame Wright entirely because the protection gets messed up, but sometimes you have to know when to cut your losses. It is never, and I mean never, a good idea to throw a jump pass off the back foot into the middle of the field. Nine times out of 10, he should have been picked off; however, these Big Ten defenses will make him pay if he leaves one up for grabs again.
Final Thoughts
If I had to give Mike Wright a player comparison, it would be a better version of Brendan Sullivan. Wright’s athleticism and running ability fit what Lujan wants to do on offense. Especially playing right on the shores of Lake Michigan, it would be difficult to run an air-raid style offense, so I don’t expect NU to ask Wright to do much through the air. If you thought Sullivan was going to be a dude, you will love Mike Wright. If you had your reservations, they’re the exact same as before. All in all, Wright’s tenure in Evanston will depend on what Lujan asks of him.
Do I think Mike Wright is going to tear up the Big Ten and be one of the premier signal callers in the conference? Not particularly, but do I think he can get Northwestern back to a bowl game for a second straight year? Absolutely. I think Zach Lujan knows how to play to Wright’s strengths, and Wright can play the position well enough that NU’s defense can do the rest.