Northwestern is expected to hire Southern Illinois defensive coordinator DJ Vokolek to a to-be-determined role on the Wildcats' coaching staff, according to a report from ESPN on Tuesday.
Vokolek would fill the vacant spot on Northwestern's on-the-field coaching staff created by Pat Fitzgerald's firing and David Braun's promotion to head coach.
Eastern Washington defensive coordinator Jeff Copp was previously in talks to fill the role, but Copp tweeted last night that he is remaining at EWU.
Go Eags! That’s the tweet. pic.twitter.com/1RBtLO6sfE
— Jeff Copp (@CoachJeffCopp) August 1, 2023
"We’re in a difficult situation," Braun said at Big Ten media days last week. "It’s going to take a special person that’s going to say, ‘I’m going to leave my job, and I’m going to run, I’m going to run to the fire.’ This person better put the student-athlete as their top priority, better show up and not pretend to have a bunch of answers or solutions of what we’re going through. Meet these guys where they’re at, listen to them and build a quality relationship. And then be there to just make sure that our staff that’s currently in place can continue to stay in a rhythm or routine that we created over the spring.”
Northwestern is also set to hire longtime college head coach and current USFL head coach Skip Holtz in a senior advisory role.
The Wildcats open the season Sunday, Sept. 3 at Rutgers (noon ET, CBS).
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.