Last season was one to remember for Northwestern.

After being picked to finish 5th in the Big Ten West in last year’s media preseason poll, the Wildcats won the division and made their 2nd appearance in the conference championship game in 3 years.

But things are different this year. With coaching staff changes and new faces on the roster, there are major areas of concern for Northwestern in 2021.

1. How will Northwestern replace Cam Porter?

Cam Porter had a breakout freshman season in 2020, leading Northwestern with 333 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns. He was poised for a great 2021 campaign.

But on Aug. 17, Northwestern announced Porter suffered a “lower body injury” in training camp and will miss the season. Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald has to replace his leading rusher just a couple weeks before the season starts.

This means Northwestern won’t have its top 4 leading rushers from last year. Second-leading rusher Drake Anderson transferred to Arizona, quarterback Peyton Ramsey graduated and running back Isaiah Bowser transferred to Central Florida.

That leaves redshirt sophomore Evan Hull, who was Northwestern’s 5th-leading rusher with 209 yards, to replace Porter as RB1. The Wildcats added some help this offseason with graduate transfer Andrew Clair from Bowling Green, who rushed for 266 yards last year.

No matter who steps into Porter’s role, he’ll have some big shoes to fill.

2. How will the defensive scheme change?

Mike Hankwitz, Northwestern’s defensive coordinator since 2008, retired after last season, so Fitzgerald had to find a new head of the Big Ten’s best defense.

He went with a familiar face in Jim O’Neil, who started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Northwestern in 2003 and coached in the NFL the past 11 years.

O’Neil will have some fun pieces to work with, including reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year Brandon Joseph, who led the conference in interceptions during his All-America campaign in 2020.

Considering how great the defense was last season, how much will O’Neil change the system?

“It’s not blowing it up and putting in my system or ‘what are we carrying over from Hank’s system’ and the guys who have been on staff,” O’Neil said in his introductory press conference. “It’s ‘okay, this is what you guys believe strongly in, this is what I come from and what I believe strongly in, so let’s make it ours.’ ”

3. Replacing big names

The Wildcats lost a lot of production from last year’s team — so much so that they rank 126th out of the 127 FBS programs. It won’t be easy to replace Ramsey, All-America cornerback Greg Newsome II, sacks leader Eku Leota and all 3 starting wide receivers.

How will they fill those holes?

That’s the question Fitzgerald has to ask. While the quarterback competition is ongoing, he and O’Neil have to round out everything else. 

Redshirt junior AJ Hampton Jr. returns at cornerback and redshirt sophomore Cam Mitchell has also seen some time at CB, so they could team up to replace Newsome II. Wide receiver might be the tougher answer. Bryce Kirtz, who caught 6 passes last season, could be an option, as could Kansas transfer Stephen Robinson Jr. and JJ Jefferson, who opted out of the 2020 season.

When the season starts next month, it sounds like Northwestern fans will have plenty of names to learn.

4. A youth movement

With so much experience leaving the roster, Northwestern is looking to be a younger team in 2021.

Five defensive starters and 7 offensive starters are no longer around, so Fitzgerald will have to integrate many younger players into the system quickly.

He doesn’t seem too worried, though.

“We have got an exciting locker room,” Fitzgerald said at Big Ten Media Days. “I think we got as much depth and talent maybe in my time, but we’ll see how it plays out as we go through camp. We’re going to find out right away with a challenging opener Friday night against Michigan State at home, so we got a lot of work to do in these next six weeks getting ready for that game.”

If the young guys can adapt to their new roles quickly, that will almost certainly help Northwestern surpass expectations. But there’s sure to be a learning curve — at least for the early part of the season.

5. Will Fitz stay past 2021?

It seems like it’s become an annual question: Will Fitzgerald stay at Northwestern?

His name comes up in NFL coaching rumors all the time. Last year, though, it was reported that the coach would be open to NFL interviews before he signed a 10-year contract extension in January.

One big reason why Fitzgerald stayed in Evanston was his close relationship with former athletic director Jim Phillips, who left at the end of last year to become the ACC commissioner. Could the NFL rumors persist despite Fitzgerald’s big contract? Can new AD Derrick Cragg keep Fitz on campus? Could a job open that would lure him away from Northwestern?

We’ll just have to see how this year goes.