Northwestern has promoted defensive coordinator David Braun to serve as interim head football coach for the 2023 season, the school announced on Friday. Braun was hired by Northwestern to serve as defensive coordinator in January, but will now be assuming the role of interim head coach in the wake of the school firing Pat Fitzgerald earlier this week.
"The opportunity to lead this team at this crucial moment in its history is not something I take lightly, and I'm grateful for the trust placed in me by [athletic director] Dr. [Derrick] Gragg and Northwestern leadership," said Braun. "Our focus today and every day moving forward is on supporting these men, many of whom have only been on campus for several weeks, in their preparation for the 2023 football season and the 2023-24 academic year."
The school fired Fitzgerald amid a hazing scandal that rocked the university as a plethora of former Northwestern players pointed out culture issues within the program. Northwestern initially handed down a two-week suspension to Fitzgerald to be served immediately, but as more allegations came to light, the school ultimately decided to part ways with the longtime football coach.
"The decision comes after a difficult and complex evaluation of my original discipline decision imposed last week on Coach Fitzgerald for his failure to know and prevent significant hazing in the football program," Northwestern president Michael Schill said in a statement. "Over the last 72 hours, I have spent a great deal of time in thought and in discussions with people who love our University -- the Chair and members of our Board of Trustees, faculty leadership, students, alumni and Coach Fitzgerald himself. I have also received many phone calls, text messages and emails from those I know, and those I don't, sharing their thoughts. While I am appreciative of the feedback and considered it in my decision-making, ultimately, the decision to originally suspend Coach Fitzgerald was mine and mine alone, as is the decision to part ways with him."
Braun arrived to Northwestern in January of this year, meaning he was not a member of the staff when the alleged hazing incidents took place. Before that he served as the defensive coordinator at North Dakota State, where he helped the Bison win FCS national championships in 2019 and 2021 and was tabbed as the FCS Coordinator of the Year in 2021. In both of those seasons, NDSU finished as the top-ranked scoring defense in the FCS. Prior to NDSU, Braun had stops at Nothern Iowa, UC Davis, Winona State and Culver-Stockton.
CBS Sports confirmed earlier this week that Northwestern will retain all of its assistant coaches for the 2023 football season. Braun and his the staff's first order of business will be keeping the Wildcats' roster intact. The transfer portal is closed for most of the country, but NCAA rules allow players to transfer without penalty for up to 30 days after a coaching change.
