Northwestern is set to remove the interim tag from head coach David Braun, making him the full-time leader of the football program, according to a new report.
That report, from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, indicates that the school is “expected” to make the move official soon.
Braun, who was hired as the team’s defensive coordinator in January, was elevated to the role of interim head coach after the firing of Pat Fitzgerald earlier this year.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Braun has led the Wildcats to a 5-5 record on the season, including wins over Maryland and Minnesota and a 24-10 road victory over Wisconsin that has Northwestern one win away from bowl eligibility.
Northwestern will have their first opportunity at that sixth victory when they host Purdue at Ryan Field on Saturday. They’ll then wrap up the season in Champaign against Illinois on Nov. 25.
The success Braun has overseen comes just one year after the team lost 11 consecutive games, and also comes amid the ongoing fallout from allegations of systemic hazing within the football program that ultimately led to Fitzgerald’s dismissal.
NCAA
While a probe by attorney Maggie Hickey did not find “sufficient” evidence the coaching staff knew about the hazing, the school opted to fire Fitzgerald on July 10, saying that he bore the responsibility for the problems plaguing the program.
“As head coach of the football program for 17 years, Patrick Fitzgerald was responsible for the conduct of the program. He had the responsibility to know that hazing was occurring and had to stop it. He failed to do so,” the school said in a statement.
In the months since, Fitzgerald has filed a $130 million wrongful termination lawsuit.