Due to Mark's transfer, the next running back for the Wildcats will be senior Treyvon Green, who has great vision and a banger between the tackles who can gain extra yards after contact. In the slot they will have junior Dan Vitale who caught 62 balls and fives touchdowns in his first two years in Evanston. Siemian will have three senior wideouts to throw to in Kyle Prater, Christian Jones, and Tony Jones. Prater is a transfer from USC who had a decent spring winning him the final wideout spot. The two Jones are returning starters, and Tony excels at stretching the field while Christian has been Siemian's go to guy for the past two seasons recording 89 catches and over a thousand yards.
The offensive line all returns from last season although last year's starting RT Paul Jorgensen moves to the left side to protect Siemian's back. He is extremely mobile and will be depended on to protect while also creating holes for Green. At left guard, Fitzgerald will depend on Geoff Mogus, who started eleven games last year and has good upper body strength but needs to be more mobile and balanced. Senior center Brandon Vitable is a two-time co-captain and has a lot of experience and will be essential as the leader of the line. Junior Matt Frazier surged to earn job for final four games last year and is extremely good at moving his rusher and creating running lanes. At right tackle, their is a battle between sophomore Eric Olson and last years starting LT Jack Konopka. Olson definitely has a step up in the race and should be the starter on August 30 against California. The Wildcats lost All Big Ten kicker Jeff Budzien last year and will depend on junior Arthur Omilian for kicks.
DEFENSE: The defense last year was definitely a weakness and led to drop in wins. Along the defensive line, they lost DE Tyler Scott, and replace him with junior Deonte Gibson, who was big in the trenches and has a knack to get into the backfield. Fellow junior Dean Lowry intercepted two passes and forced a fumble during Northwestern's 4-0 start last season. In the middle of Fitzgerald's 4-3 scheme is two experienced and powerful seniors in Chance Carter and Sean McEvilly. McEvilly was injured for ten of the twelve games last season and is hoping to bounce back in his last season for the purple and white. Carter was last years starting defensive end but kicks inside because of his big body and ability to take down the runner inside.
Fitzgerald lost one of his main leaders in Damien Proby last year and will attempt to replace his production with highly productive senior Chi Chi Ariguzo, who had 197 tackles, six interceptions, and five fumble recoveries in the last two years. Beside him will be fellow senior Collin Ellis who had two pick-sixes last year and is know for the havoc he wrecks in pass coverage. To complete the solid group of linebackers in Evanston is junior Drew Smith who is competing with Jimmy Hall for the position but I give the nod to Smith because of he has more experience at the position, as Hall is converting from safety.
In the secondary, Northwestern has a very productive safety in Ibraheim Campbell, who is a four year starter and is an absolute ballhawk for Fitzgerald. Beside him will be big-hitting junior safety Traveon Henry who knows how to fill in against the run. Junior Nick VanHoose is a third year starter and is a very consistent playmaker for Fitzgerald and is a trusted corner. Matthew Harris is a young corner opposite of Van Hoose and is a solid contributor in special teams as well. Junior Chris Gradone will handle punting duties but is in a fight to keep his job with incoming freshman Hunter Niswander.
RECRUITING: Northwestern finished with the eighth best class in the Big Ten and the 47th best class in the country finishing with four four stars and ten three stars. Headlining the class is four stars Garrett Dickerson, Justin Jackson and Parrker Westphal. Dickerson is both a tight end and one of the top defensive end recruits in the country. It will be interesting how Fitzgerald will use his 6-4 240 pound body but my guess is he plugs him in on defense where he would make a bigger impact.
Justin Jackson was the number three all purpose running back for recruiting and may be able to get sometime on the field this year with the sudden transfer of star Venric Mark. Parrker Westphal and four star signal caller Clayton Thorson figure to be huge in the future for the Wildcats in the future as this is Siemian's senior year and Westphal's talent should move him up the depth chart in the future.
2015 Needs by Steve Wiltfong: The receiver position will be real important for Northwestern in the class of 2015 as they lose a lot of contributors following the season. Linebacker is also an area of need, and even though the Wildcats have recruited the quarterback position well in 2013 and 2014, they'll want to add another talented signal caller in 2015.
OVERVIEW: Northwestern will be properly led by Fitzgerald and quarterback Trevor Siemian and have stability along the lines to pose a threat in the weaker Big Ten West. On defense Chi Chi Ariguzo and Ibraheim Campbell will lead a unit that will probably make or break a team that could play there way into the Big Ten title game or have another underwhelming season.
LB Chi Chi Ariguzo
TE Dan Vitale
DE Dean Lowry
S Ibraheim Campbell
QB Trevor Siemian
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