The consensus 2023 Big Ten Coach of the Year, David Braun was named Northwestern University's 31st Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach on November 15, 2023. He will enter his fourth season leading the Wildcats football program in 2026.
A two-time national champion defensive coordinator who was born roughly 20 miles from Northwestern's campus in Lake Forest, Ill., Braun secured the full-time head coaching job after previously being named Northwestern's interim head football coach on July 14 ahead of the 2023 season.
Braun totaled 19 wins in his first three seasons at the helm of Northwestern Football, which ranks second most in Northwestern history since 1900 by a Wildcat head coach over his first three seasons, and the most by an NU head coach in 120 years (Walter McCornack, 26, 1903-05). Braun’s 11 Big Ten wins over his first three seasons are tied for the most by a Wildcat head coach in program history. During his time at Northwestern, Braun has coached 28 All-Big Ten selections.
Most recently, in 2025, Braun became the first coach in program history to secure a bowl bid in two of his first three seasons. Northwestern’s dominant 34-7 win versus Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl marked the program’s sixth-straight bowl win. The 27-point margin of victory in its bowl game was Northwestern’s largest margin in postseason history. Additionally, Braun’s 19 wins in his first three seasons rank as the second most in that span in school history and the most since Walter McCornack’s 26 from 1903-05.
In 2024, Braun led the team to multiple conference road wins for the second straight season, claiming road triumphs at Maryland and Purdue. The Wildcats defeated the Terrapins 37-10, with the 27-point margin of victory being the largest for the program in a road game since 2017. Northwestern scored a walk-off touchdown in overtime to win at Purdue, 26-20, earning Braun’s second walk-off win over a conference opponent (Minnesota, 2023).
In 2023, Braun led Northwestern to an 8-5 record, capping off the season with a 14-7 win over Utah in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl. The Wildcats ended the season on a four-game win streak, also claiming victories at Wisconsin (24-10), against Purdue (23-15) in the final game at old Ryan Field and won The Land of Lincoln Trophy in the regular season finale at Illinois (45-43).
Braun’s eight wins in 2023 were the most by a Northwestern first-year head football coach since 1903, while his five Big Ten wins were the most by any first-year Wildcat head coach in program history. Northwestern's seven-win improvement from 2022 to 2023 marked the largest win improvement by any FBS team in the country. Braun was the only first-year Big Ten head coach to lead their team to a bowl victory in 2023. His eight wins finished the season tied for the most among first-year head coaches nationally.
Braun was named the consensus Big Ten Coach of the Year, selected by both the conference’s coaches and media voters as well as the inaugural Paul “Bear” Bryant Newcomer Coach of the Year Award recipient. He became the fifth different head coach in program history to earn the honor, joining Pat Fitzgerald (2018), Randy Walker (2000), Gary Barnett (1995, 1996) and Dennis Green (1982). In addition, he was selected as one of five finalists for the George Munger College Coach of the Year, joining Nick Saban (Alabama), Mike Norvell (Florida State), Steve Sarkisian (Texas) and Kalen DeBoer (Washington), and earned AFCA Regional Coach of the Year.
While also calling the defensive signals in 2023, the Wildcats ranked third in the Big Ten making 13 interceptions and placed fourth in the conference forcing 22 turnovers. According to S&P+, a tempo and opponent-based metric that measures efficiency, Northwestern recorded a defensive rating of 18.6, the 18th-best mark nationally. The Wildcats defense improved by surrendering 34.0 yards per game less than the season before Braun arrived to campus. Opponents scored an average of just 22.8 points per game, and Northwestern was even better on the road, holding its adversary to 21.3 points per game, the 20th-best mark nationally.
The Wildcats played exceptional ball control offense, turning the ball over nine times and fumbling a program-record one time. Northwestern’s turnover margin of 1.00 ranked third nationally.
Braun came to Evanston in January 2023 as the defensive coordinator after working in the same role at Division I FCS powerhouse North Dakota State for four seasons and leading the Bison to two FCS National Championships in 2019 and 2021. Under Braun, the Bison had the No. 1 scoring defense in the FCS twice over the last four seasons, including 2021 (allowed 11.1 points per game) when he was named the FootballScoop FCS Coordinator of the Year.
In 2019, the Bison led FCS in scoring defense (12.3 points allowed per game) and passing yards allowed (138.6 ypg), and ranked second in total defense (274.7 ypg) and passing efficiency defense (104.8). The defense recorded 17 total interceptions as NDSU went 16-0 and won the national championship.
His career began at Winona State (Minn.), where he played on the defensive line, serving as team captain, earning two all-conference honors, and helping his team to three Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championships and three NCAA Division II Playoff appearances. After graduating in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in social science education, Braun joined the Winona State coaching staff as a graduate assistant.
Braun then served as the defensive coordinator at Culver-Stockton (Mo.) for one year in 2010, before heading back to Winona State to serve as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 2011-2014. Braun worked the next two seasons at UC Davis, coaching the defensive line. He then coached at Northern Iowa for two seasons, where he coached the defensive line and outside linebackers, earning responsibilities as run game and special teams coordinator. In addition to his role as defensive coordinator at NDSU, he coached the team's safeties.
Braun and his wife, Kristin, are the parents of three: sons Lucas and Andrew, and daughter Blake.
Coaching Career
| Years | Position | Institution |
| 2023- Present | Dan & Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach | Northwestern |
| 2023 | Defensive Coordinator/Interim Head Coach | Northwestern |
| 2019-22 | Defensive Coordinator/Safeties | North Dakota State |
| 2018 | Special Teams Coordinator/Outside Linebackers | Northern Iowa |
| 2017 | Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach | Northern Iowa |
| 2015-16 | Defensive Line Coach | UC-Davis |
| 2011-14 | Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach | Winona State |
| 2010 | Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach | Culver-Stockton |
| 2008-09 | Graduate Assistant | Winona State |