Having a successful college football season takes a village -- a coming together of coaches, other staff members, young talent, veteran leaders, etc. This year for Northwestern, there were some obvious stars of the show.
Anto Saka and Caleb Tiernan come to mind, an EDGE and a left tackle respectively who are both likely to be selected in the upcoming NFL Draft. Griffin Wilde was another key contributor, performing like a true WR1 game in and game out. The offensive line as a whole was notably fantastic all year.
But there were also some unsung heroes on this year's squad, players who won't get the credit they deserve but were absolutely necessary in getting the 'Cats to a bowl game this year. Here's a look at three guys I think deserve some recognition as we continue to get closer to Central Michigan:
Honorable Mentions:
K Jack Olsen, RB Robby Preckel, G Ezomo Oratokhai
I wanted to get the honorable mentions out of the way first because none of these guys deserve to be an afterthought.
Olsen was 19-of-21 this year on field goals with a season-long of 41 yards. He's also nailed all 20 extra points he's attempted so far this year.
Preckel stepped in when the team needed running back depth, and he did a good job giving the 'Cats production as the starter vs Illinois. He was buried deep on the depth chart, but he still came to play whenever his number was called.
Oratokhai was a full-on stud for this Wildcat team, but I'm putting him in honorable mentions because he was part of an offensive line group that wasn't exactly "unsung." Oratokhai, though, was certainly a surprise, dominating the line of scrimmage as a redshirt freshman.
P Luke Akers
Akers is finishing up a six-season college football career that started with two seasons at UCLA before four years in Evanston. Out of all those seasons, 2025 has been his best year to date. Akers is averaging 45.4 yards per punt, good enough for his career high by over two yards. His season-long is currently 59 yards.
Punter isn't a glamorous position, but Akers' impact was felt in the field position battle all season, as he gave Northwestern the best punting year it's had in a number of seasons. Akers himself wasn't nearly as good last season, and Hunter Renner was significantly worse the season before.
TE Hunter Welcing
Northwestern's third-leading receiver was tight end Hunter Welcing, who currently sits at 27 catches for 283 yards on the season. Those aren't game-breaking numbers, but Welcing gave the 'Cats consistent production at a position where they've struggled to get that at times in recent seasons.
Welcing gave quarterback Preston Stone a security blanket over the middle of the field, and Northwestern's signal caller was able to use him that way throughout the season. The senior also has two total touchdowns on the year.
DB Josh Fussell
Fussell missed some time due to an injury, but he was really good when he was on the field, especially for a sophomore defensive back. A lot of times, DBs in the Big Ten need more time to develop and be capable of keeping up with the best wide outs in the conference.
Fussell looked confident all year, and he led the 'Cats in passes defended with nine. He also finished with 28 total tackles and 15 SOLOs. Look for Fussell to be a lockdown corner against Central Michigan and roll that momentum over into the 2026 campaign.