David Braun reveals rallying cry to Northwestern players: 'Make the fall an incredible story'

David Braun is being tasked with leading Northwestern in 2023, during the immediate aftermath of Pat Fitzgerald‘s firing due to alleged hazing going on within his program.

His feet are being thrown into the fire, with Big Ten Media Days taking place in Indianapolis just a little over a week after he was named the interim Wildcats leader. However, he’s proving why he was chosen to steer the ship in the right direction.

Asked about what he told his players following the news that he was chosen to take charge, Braun eloquently explained what his rallying cry was, and it’s easy to see why Northwestern responded in grand fashion.

“The first thing that I told him was that it was my responsibility moving forward to give them clarity and direction,” started Braun. “And my intent was to be there to support and serve them moving forward. And I challenged the group. A lot of people have been impacted by — by decisions made, by things that — decisions that have been made over the course of the last couple of weeks, and our guys right now, in that facility, are going through a lot, and we have an opportunity to either run from that, or an opportunity to truly stare that adversity in the face, stare it down and go attack this opportunity to make the fall an incredible story, that truly embodies what this team is all about.

“I’ve challenged them with that, and I can say that they’ve responded to that challenge in an absolutely inspiring fashion.”

Clear, concise and respectful, Braun has Northwestern looking to prove their doubters wrong in 2023, while also keeping the alleged victims on their mind. It’s not going to be easy, and Braun isn’t pretending like it is, but he’s going to do the job regardless.

Whether or not Braun is chosen to lead Northwestern following the 2023 season remains to be seen, and there’s plenty of other factors at play for the Big Ten program. There will be a long process, full of complete vetting and many qualified candidates to choose from, but Braun has the unique chance to give the program’s decision makers no other choice.

If Northwestern does in fact come out and shock the world this season, there’s nowhere the Wildcats should turn except to the negotiating table, to make David Braun their full-time leader. Time will tell, but the fate of the future is in his players’ hands.