Sources: Wildcats DC Braun to be interim coach

Northwestern defensive coordinator David Braun has been tabbed as the school’s interim head coach for the 2023 season, sources told ESPN.

Braun will serve as the interim coach in the aftermath of the firing of coach Pat Fitzgerald amid allegations of hazing in the Northwestern program.

Northwestern hired Braun to be the school’s defensive coordinator in January, which means he arrived after the hazing investigation was already initiated. Braun came from North Dakota State, where he won FCS Coordinator of the Year in 2021. During his four seasons at North Dakota State, Braun served as the coordinator and defensive playcaller on two national championship staffs.

Braun’s first task will be preserving the Northwestern roster, as many players and parents are upset at the handling of Fitzgerald’s departure. The Northwestern players have a window of nearly four more weeks in which they can transfer without penalty.

In a team meeting earlier this week, the Northwestern players expressed to president Michael Schill and athletic director Derrick Gragg that they wanted clarity on the program’s future and continuity in the coaching staff.

Braun had been essentially operating as the head coach since Fitzgerald’s firing on Monday. Players had expressed in the team meeting that naming him the interim coach would help give them some of the clarity and continuity they were seeking moving forward.

Braun arrived at Northwestern in the wake of Northwestern’s 1-11 season in 2022, as the school fired defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil as part of a staff shake-up.

This will mark Braun’s first season in FBS football, as he has worked at NDSU, Northern Iowa, UC Davis, Winona State and Culver-Stockton.