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Pat Fitzgerald discusses Northwestern’s QB situation entering 2021 season
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With Peyton Ramsey no longer in the fold due to graduating, the Wildcats are going to look a lot different at quarterback for the 2021 season.
Earlier on Monday, head coach Pat Fitzgerald went into that during his media availability and provided an update on where the battle stands. It’s safe to say that it’s not done yet.
Pat Fitzgerald says the quarterback battle “will be done when it’s done” and he says he “doesn’t want to put a timetable on it.”
— Inside NU (@insidenu) August 9, 2021
The three likely candidates that are involved in this battle are Hunter Johnson, Ryan Hilinski (transfer from South Carolina), and Andrew Marty.
Fitzgerald even went out of his way to praise Johnson as well.
Pat Fitzgerald says that QB Hunter Johnson has “really benefitted from having consistency at the offensive coordinator position with Mike Bajakian.”
— Inside NU (@insidenu) August 9, 2021
Johnson has two seasons of playing experience, one in 2017 with Clemson, and then one in 2019 with Northwestern. He totaled 432 yards passing with one touchdown and four interceptions during that time.
As for Marty, he has some experience, but not a lot. He has only 150 yards passing on 14 completions with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Hilinski may have the inside track for the job due to more starting experience, especially after what he did in 2019. He threw for over 2,500 yards with the Gamecocks during that season with 11 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions in 11 games.
There likely won’t be an official answer on this until right before the start of the season, though Fitzgerald probably won’t mind that.