Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Caleb Tiernan Finds Voice as Leader in Northwestern’s Trenches
10/1/2025 9:39:00 AM | Football
Caleb Tiernan has long considered himself a leader by example. Quiet by nature, Tiernan prefers to put his head down and let his play do the talking.
The 6-foot-7, 325-pound offensive lineman entered 2025 having made 25 consecutive starts at left tackle. Last year, Tiernan ranked fifth among all Big Ten tackles with an 82.3 PFF grade and earned an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection.
But Tiernan challenged himself to elevate almost every facet of his game as he entered his fifth and final season with Northwestern. Most importantly, the graduate student sought to cement his status as a vocal leader.
"Leadership is not something that came naturally to me," Tiernan said. "But I just felt during last year and, especially going into this offseason, that it was something the team needed.'
That concerted effort paid both personal and team dividends, with Tiernan's teammates electing him as one of the Wildcats' five captains in August.
Tiernan became the first offensive lineman to be named a captain since Josh Priebe in 2023.
"That speaks not just to his performance and the credibility that Caleb has built throughout the program over the course of the last five years, but him really stepping up as a leader this past offseason," Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun said of Tiernan's captaincy. "It's a reflection of the growth Caleb's made, and you could tell from his reaction that it meant a lot to him."
Offensive line coach Bill O'Boyle, who joined the Northwestern staff ahead of Tiernan's second full season at left tackle, said he's seen significant shifts in how the lineman carries himself both on and off the field since the 2024 season's conclusion.
"He used to never say two words," O'Boyle said. "But one thing I have seen him do, and this started in the spring, is be a lot more vocal. The guys respect the heck out of him. So not only does he do it on the field by his actions — he's still a man of few words — but when he speaks, everybody listens."
When Tiernan joined the program in 2021, he didn't have to venture far to find a model to emulate in Peter Skoronski. Tiernan watched how Skoronski commanded his teammates' attention and approached his preparation with unparalleled focus.
Tiernan said Skoronski demonstrated leadership without hesitation. There were no wasted words from the future Tennessee Titans standout.
"I'm not in the position I am now if I don't have Pete in that room in those early years," Skoronski said. Just seeing how he operated as far as at practice, watching film, in the weight room and how he was a leader [gave] great tools for me to watch and learn. A lot of that stuff is what I use today to help me out."
While both are simultaneously taking on the monumental tasks of protecting their quarterbacks' blindsides, Tiernan said he and Skoronski remain in frequent contact.
Just as Skoronski set the standard for his position group throughout his three-year tenure with the Wildcats, O'Boyle said Tiernan's day-to-day routine has become the benchmark for his fellow lineman.
"It's by example, and he's done that since Day One that I've been here," O'Boyle said. "Whether it be in the weight room at 5:30 in the morning, rolling out and taking care of his body, stretching, getting ready for practice. It's funny how the other linemen will see that, and now we've got guys coming in the weight room early, two hours before practice doing their thing."
In his first few seasons in Evanston, Tiernan found the recent professional prowess of Wildcat offensive linemen a bit daunting. He watched Rashawn Slater star with the Los Angeles Chargers and Skoronski handle the draft hype and national attention with an inherent calmness.
Tiernan said he spent too much time concerning himself with his critics as he started earning in-game reps, joking that he's since deleted the Twitter app from his phone. But now, Tiernan is starting to grasp the prospect of crafting his own legacy amid a storied recent run of Wildcat left tackles.
"Carving out a legacy is a tough thing to do, especially when left tackles go from Rashawn to Pete, who are both amazing NFL prospects," Tiernan said. "That was something early on that I shied away from. You have those two great guys and you don't really think you're there yet."
"But these past couple of years, I've started a lot of games at the left tackle position. I'm excited about what I've been able to do and what I'll continue to do for the rest of the year."
With Northwestern closing out non conference play on Saturday against ULM, Tiernan said the offensive line wants to build on a recent run of strong performances — especially on the ground. Even with graduate student running back Cam Porter sustaining a season-ending injury in Week 2, the unit's goal of having a 1,000-yard rusher this season remains unchanged.
As he gears up to face the No. 16 rushing defense in the FBS, Tiernan is ecstatic for the challenge.
"Watching them on tape, they're big, they're physical and they're really good at stopping the run," Tiernan said. "That's something we've talked about in our offensive line room. They take pride in that, and we take pride in running the ball."
The 6-foot-7, 325-pound offensive lineman entered 2025 having made 25 consecutive starts at left tackle. Last year, Tiernan ranked fifth among all Big Ten tackles with an 82.3 PFF grade and earned an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection.
But Tiernan challenged himself to elevate almost every facet of his game as he entered his fifth and final season with Northwestern. Most importantly, the graduate student sought to cement his status as a vocal leader.
"Leadership is not something that came naturally to me," Tiernan said. "But I just felt during last year and, especially going into this offseason, that it was something the team needed.'
That concerted effort paid both personal and team dividends, with Tiernan's teammates electing him as one of the Wildcats' five captains in August.
2025 'Cats Captains ?? pic.twitter.com/bCEZytfmDu
— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) August 21, 2025
Tiernan became the first offensive lineman to be named a captain since Josh Priebe in 2023.
"That speaks not just to his performance and the credibility that Caleb has built throughout the program over the course of the last five years, but him really stepping up as a leader this past offseason," Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun said of Tiernan's captaincy. "It's a reflection of the growth Caleb's made, and you could tell from his reaction that it meant a lot to him."
Offensive line coach Bill O'Boyle, who joined the Northwestern staff ahead of Tiernan's second full season at left tackle, said he's seen significant shifts in how the lineman carries himself both on and off the field since the 2024 season's conclusion.
"He used to never say two words," O'Boyle said. "But one thing I have seen him do, and this started in the spring, is be a lot more vocal. The guys respect the heck out of him. So not only does he do it on the field by his actions — he's still a man of few words — but when he speaks, everybody listens."
When Tiernan joined the program in 2021, he didn't have to venture far to find a model to emulate in Peter Skoronski. Tiernan watched how Skoronski commanded his teammates' attention and approached his preparation with unparalleled focus.
Tiernan said Skoronski demonstrated leadership without hesitation. There were no wasted words from the future Tennessee Titans standout.
"I'm not in the position I am now if I don't have Pete in that room in those early years," Skoronski said. Just seeing how he operated as far as at practice, watching film, in the weight room and how he was a leader [gave] great tools for me to watch and learn. A lot of that stuff is what I use today to help me out."
While both are simultaneously taking on the monumental tasks of protecting their quarterbacks' blindsides, Tiernan said he and Skoronski remain in frequent contact.
Just as Skoronski set the standard for his position group throughout his three-year tenure with the Wildcats, O'Boyle said Tiernan's day-to-day routine has become the benchmark for his fellow lineman.
"It's by example, and he's done that since Day One that I've been here," O'Boyle said. "Whether it be in the weight room at 5:30 in the morning, rolling out and taking care of his body, stretching, getting ready for practice. It's funny how the other linemen will see that, and now we've got guys coming in the weight room early, two hours before practice doing their thing."
In his first few seasons in Evanston, Tiernan found the recent professional prowess of Wildcat offensive linemen a bit daunting. He watched Rashawn Slater star with the Los Angeles Chargers and Skoronski handle the draft hype and national attention with an inherent calmness.
Tiernan said he spent too much time concerning himself with his critics as he started earning in-game reps, joking that he's since deleted the Twitter app from his phone. But now, Tiernan is starting to grasp the prospect of crafting his own legacy amid a storied recent run of Wildcat left tackles.
"Carving out a legacy is a tough thing to do, especially when left tackles go from Rashawn to Pete, who are both amazing NFL prospects," Tiernan said. "That was something early on that I shied away from. You have those two great guys and you don't really think you're there yet."
"But these past couple of years, I've started a lot of games at the left tackle position. I'm excited about what I've been able to do and what I'll continue to do for the rest of the year."
With Northwestern closing out non conference play on Saturday against ULM, Tiernan said the offensive line wants to build on a recent run of strong performances — especially on the ground. Even with graduate student running back Cam Porter sustaining a season-ending injury in Week 2, the unit's goal of having a 1,000-yard rusher this season remains unchanged.
As he gears up to face the No. 16 rushing defense in the FBS, Tiernan is ecstatic for the challenge.
"Watching them on tape, they're big, they're physical and they're really good at stopping the run," Tiernan said. "That's something we've talked about in our offensive line room. They take pride in that, and we take pride in running the ball."
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