Northwestern is expected to name defensive coordinator David Braun as their acting head football coach after the firing of Pat Fitzgerald on Monday, according to a new report.
Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, who was one of the first to report on the firing, Braun will be named the interim coach in the near future:
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In his letter to the school on Monday, President Michael Schill indicated that a decision had not yet been reached, and that Athletic Director Derrick Gragg would do so in coming days.
Braun was named the defensive coordinator at Northwestern in Jan. 2023 after a successful stint with North Dakota State, where he was named FCS Coordinator of the Year in 2021.
The school finished as the top-ranked scoring defense in the FCS twice under his leadership, and won national titles in 2019 and 2021.
Fitzgerald was fired as head coach in the ongoing aftermath of a hazing investigation that revealed harrowing allegations of sexual abuse and mistreatment within the program.
Originally, Fitzgerald was suspended for two weeks, but as new revelations from the report came to light, the school decided to part ways with him on Monday.