Northwestern enters the 2021 season with high hopes but a need to replace some pieces on both sides of the ball.

In particular, the Wildcat defense is replacing star linebackers in Paddy Fisher and Blake Gallagher. Both of those players are off to the NFL with Northwestern also bringing in new defensive coordinator Jim O’Neill to replace the retired Mike Hankwitz.

With so much shuffling going on, Northwestern will need its secondary to step up in a big way. That group is headlined by star safety Brandon Joseph, but a different defensive back stood out to BTN’s Howard Griffith during the bus tour’s stop in Evanston.

Griffith highlighted the work of Cameron Mitchell as one player to keep an eye on for the Wildcats:

“There are a lot of veterans back there that can really go get the football,” explained Griffith. “Cam Mitchel is a guy that really stood out to me today, so I’m anxious to see this team, particularly the secondary.”

Mitchell recorded 18 tackles during the 2020 season with 0.5 TFL, 0.5 sack, an interception, and 4 passes defended.

Northwestern is among those teams to get a test right out of the gate with a B1G opponent in Week 1. The Wildcats start the season vs. Michigan State on Sept. 3 before contests against Indiana State, Duke, and Ohio.