Northwestern extends football coach David Braun's contract through the 2031 season

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EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Northwestern has extended coach David Braun’s contract through the 2031 season.

The school announced the extension Thursday. Financial terms weren’t released.

Braun is in his fourth season at Northwestern and carries a 20-19 record into Saturday’s game with Colorado. Northwestern went 7-6 and beat Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl last season.

Northwestern vice president for athletics and recreation Mark Jackson said in a statement that Braun “is everything that we need in a head coach.”

“He recruits young men of high character who embrace our elite academic environment and who compete in the most competitive conference in the country,” Jackson said. “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.”

Braun arrived at Northwestern as a defensive coordinator on Pat Fitzgerald’s staff in January 2023 and was named interim head coach later that year after Fitzgerald was fired amid a team hazing scandal. Fitzgerald later sued the school before reaching a settlement.

Northwestern went 8-5 under Braun in 2023 after going 1-11 a year earlier, a turnaround that helped him get the interim tag removed from his title. After slipping to 4-8 in 2024, Northwestern rebounded to earn bowl eligibility last season.

The Wildcats opened the 2026 season by beating South Dakota State 34-18.

“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,” Braun said in a statement released by the school.

Before coming to Northwestern, Braun was a defensive coordinator at the Championship Subdivision level with North Dakota State, which won two titles during his tenure.

Braun was born in Lake Forest, Illinois, about 20 miles from Northwestern’s campus.

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