The Northwestern Wildcats have signed David Braun to a three-year contract extension, according to ESPN's Pete Thame. His contract now runs through 2031 and will have a "significant salary increase."
Braun was named Northwestern's interim head coach ahead of the 2023 season after they fired longtime head coach Pat Fitzgerald. He is 20-19 as their head coach overall and 11-16 in conference games. He won the full-time job after going 7-5 during the regular season. He was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year and led them to win the Las Vegas Bowl, securing their first eight-win season since 2018.
They were unable to maintain that success in 2024, going 2-8 overall and 2-7 in conference play, but bounced back with another winning season in 2025. The Wildcats
went 7-6, ending the season with a win in the GameAbove Sports Bowl, becoming the only coach in program history to win two bowl games in his first three years as the head coach.
The Wildcats are 1-0 to start the 2026 season, beating South Dakota State 34-18 in Week One. They will face their first FBS opponent this weekend when the Colorado Buffaloes come to town. It will be their final game at Martin Stadium, their temporary stadium on the shore of Lake Michigan.
They are set to open the new Ryan Field against the Penn State Nittany Lions on Friday, Oct. 2. It will be the 100-year anniversary of the first time the original Ryan Field hosted a football game. The stadium cost $850 million to renovate as they continue to invest in the program under Braun's leadership.
Sources: Northwestern and coach David Braun have agreed to a new contract, extending him through the 2031 season. Braun had been on his initial deal, which came after he earned the job as the interim in 2023. His prior deal had been through 2028, so this adds three years and… pic.twitter.com/tELmigAUjf
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 17, 2026
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Northwestern signs David Braun to contract extension
