Northwestern posted an incredible bounceback season in 2020, rolling through the B1G West and into the B1G Championship Game.

Not only did the Wildcats make it to Indianapolis last season, but Pat Fitzgerald’s squad played Ohio State down to the wire. If not for a record-breaking performance by Trey Sermon, Northwestern would have likely come away with a conference title in hand.

As things stand, there are a handful of questions facing Fitzgerald and his staff entering the 2021 season. Peyton Ramsey is gone from the quarterback room, as are playmaking linebackers Blake Gallagher and Paddy Fisher. Additionally, long-time DC Mike Hankwitz has retired with Jim O’Neil stepping into the vacancy.

As we get set for preseason camp, here are the biggest questions facing the Wildcats.

How will the defense look under new DC Jim O’Neil?

Northwestern has to go all the way back to 2008 to see the last season with a new defensive coordinator. That was when Hankwitz took over, but he stepped into the role after years of experience as a collegiate DC. That experience included two years leading the defense at Wisconsin directly prior to stepping into the position at Northwestern.

O’Neil’s résumé is strong enough on paper. He has stops as a DC in the NFL at Cleveland and San Francisco and comes to the Wildcats after serving as the DBs coach at Oakland/Las Vegas from 2019-20.

Still, the most recent experience O’Neil has in the collegiate ranks came in 2006-08 as the safeties coach at Eastern Michigan. And the Wildcats are coming off a year where they allowed just 15.9 points per game. It’s up to him to keep that rolling right along without missing a beat.

Can South Carolina transfer Ryan Hilinski anchor the QB spot in a similar manner to Peyton Ramsey?

The impact that Ramsey had in his lone season at Northwestern cannot be overstated. His 61% completion percentage and 12-to-8 TD-to-INT ratio do not jump off the page but the offense was noticeably better.

However, fans should not have been surprised at the performance displayed by Ramsey. He had three years of experience under his belt while at Indiana, throwing for over 6,500 yards before landing with the Wildcats. Hilinski’s trajectory is a bit different.

There’s no denying Hilinski is talented after appearing in 11 games for South Carolina as a freshman in 2019. He completed 58% of his passes for 2,357 yards and 11 touchdowns with five interceptions. Unfortunately, Hilinski attempted just six passes in 2020 after losing the QB spot to two other players.

If he can find consistency similar to Ramsey, the Wildcats will be just fine. But a bigger learning curve is likely with Hilinski this time around.

Is Cam Porter ready for a feature role at RB?

Porter led the team in rushing as a freshman in 2020, but his usage was slowly ramped up. He had just eight carries entering the Illinois game before his breakout party.

In the game against the Illini, Porter carried the ball 24 times for 142 yards and two touchdowns. He would carry the ball 49 more times over the final two games of the season and ended the year with 333 yards and 4.1 yards per carry.

Now a sophomore, Porter will be expected to anchor the position moving forward. Drake Anderson and Isaiah Bowser are no longer around to contribute. Fortunately, redshirt sophomore Evan Hull will join Porter in the backfield. Hull has 495 yards over two seasons with the Wildcats while averaging seven yards per carry.

Who replaces star linebackers Blake Gallagher and Paddy Fisher?

The duo of Gallagher and Fisher will go down as one of the best defensive combinations in Wildcat history. From 2018-20, the two led Northwestern in tackles every single season.

The career of each stands out by itself. Fisher played from 2017-20, finishing with two 100-tackle seasons and a total of 401 career tackles. He added 24.5 TFL, two sacks, four interceptions, and 10 forced fumbles.

Gallagher also played from 2017-20, posted 127 tackles during the 2018 campaign, and finished with 332 career tackles. He also added 21.5 TFL, two sacks, and five interceptions.

Both Gallagher and Fisher were impressive alone. Together, they were the anchors of one of the nation’s best units for four seasons. Now, it’s next man up for Northwestern as the Wildcats search for replacements.

Can DL Samdup Miller return to form after a season off?

Miller was a key contributor and impact defender for Northwestern from 2017-19, but he opted out of the 2020 season. Now, he’s back for one more season in 2021.

Prior t0 2020, Miller appeared in 35 career games with 114 total tackles. He also added 17.5 TFL and 7.5 sacks. If Miller is back to his previous form, he will be a big boost to the defense.