EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern University and Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun have agreed to a contract extension through the 2031 season, Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Mark Jackson announced on Thursday.
In his fourth season leading the Wildcats, Braun has guided Northwestern to 20 wins, including 11 Big Ten victories and two bowl wins. His 19 wins heading into this season — including 11 Big Ten victories — are the most by a Northwestern head coach through their first three seasons in 120 years. The 2023 consensus Big Ten Coach of the Year and the inaugural recipient of the Paul “Bear” Bryant Newcomer Coach of the Year Award, Braun became the first coach in program history to secure a bowl bid in two of his first three seasons.
“David Braun is the right leader today for Northwestern Football and for the years to come,” Jackson said. “He recruits young men of high character who embrace our elite academic environment and who compete in the most competitive conference in the country. David develops our student-athletes at a time when retaining talent has never been harder, and they choose to remain Wildcats when other options appear. He does it with a rare combination of relentless competitiveness and integrity. He is everything that we need in a head coach. With our continued investments in our Football program and with the opening of New Ryan Field in just a few weeks, the future of Northwestern Football is bright with David at the helm. We look forward to having David, Kristin and their family in Evanston for the seasons ahead.”
Braun was named Northwestern’s 30th head football coach in November 2023, after serving as interim head coach since July 2023. In his first season, he guided the Wildcats to an 8-5 overall record and a 5-4 mark against Big Ten opponents, the most conference wins in school history by a first-year head coach. Northwestern’s seven-win improvement from 2022 to 2023 was the largest by any FBS program in the country. With Braun serving as head coach and defensive coordinator, Northwestern finished the year on a four-game win streak and forced 22 turnovers, the fourth-best in the Big Ten. That team finished the season with a 14-7 win over the University of Utah in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl.
“I am so honored to have the opportunity to lead a storied football program at an institution that demands and expects excellence, instills character, and provides a transformative experience for its student-athletes on and off the field,” said Braun. “I am grateful to President Chiang and to Mark Jackson for the continued investment into our program, for their support of my family and our tremendous staff and for sharing in our belief of what Northwestern Football can become. Northwestern is a special place. Kristin and I are proud to call it home for many years to come.”
In 2025, Braun led the Wildcats to a 7-6 record, which included a four-game winning streak and a win on the road at Penn State. Northwestern’s defense surrendered only 19.8 points per game, a top 25 mark nationally, while generating 20 turnovers. The Wildcats capped off the season with a 34-7 win over Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl, the program’s sixth consecutive bowl victory and its largest margin of victory in any postseason game.