Losing three starters at once is tough enough for any football team, but losing three at the same position, especially when one is a surefire NFL Draft pick, isn’t something most coaches have to deal with.
For Pat Fitzgerald and Northwestern, its the stark reality of the 2017 football season, and life in the post-Anthony Walker era.
Northwestern entered spring practice without three key starters from 2016 as Jaylen Prater and Joe Jones graduated and Walker declared for the draft. Veteran Nate Hall was limited in practice as well, leaving Northwestern with five roughly five healthy linebackers.