Ranking the 9 new Power 5 head coach hires this offseason
6. David Braun, Northwestern
Following the sudden firing of former Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald, Braun was facing an uphill battle as a first-time head coach leading a team coming off of a 1-11 season. However, Braun surprised many, leading Northwestern to a 7-5 record and a bowl game berth. This pushed the program to remove the interim tag from Braun and name him the full-time head coach.
Braun has proven he can lead the team through difficult times while also fielding a strong unit. However, there are questions still lingering about how he can build a program, what his program will look like and what he can do as a recruiter. Given how his first season went, Braun earns a bit more credit than the inexperienced head coaches on the list, but given how difficult it is to win at Northwestern and the mystery surrounding his program, Braun lands here.
