New Northwestern offensive coordinator Zach Lujan breaks down portal recruiting, Wildcats offense

Zach Lujan never coached with David Braun before receiving a phone call about possibly heading to Chicago .

But with coaching circle connections and going head-to-head against Braun during his time at South Dakota State , Lujan had done enough to impress the Northwestern head coach. A back-to-back FCS national champion as South Dakota State’s offensive coordinator, he was named the 2023 FCS Coordinator of the Year and an AFCA 35 Under 35 participant.

In the last two years as his alma mater’s offensive coordinator, Lujan’s offense ranked sixth in FCS in both scoring offense (37.3) and total offense (449.9). He’s been at Northwestern since January, having to look to the portal this spring after Brendan Sullivan transferred to Iowa . The Wildcats added Mississippi State quarterback Mike Wright , who picked Vanderbilt over Northwestern as a high school recruit.

Zach Lujan caught up with On3 recently, providing insight on identifying a quarterback in the portal and revamping Northwestern’s offense.

On3: What’s it been like making this jump for you?

Zach Lujan: “It’s been good, getting uncomfortable in some ways with the new environment. I’ve been at South Dakota State for a decade, so finding out how to use the copier, let alone everything else, has been fun. I’m working with great people and working with coach [David] Braun and his leadership instead of competing against him which I did for a long time, it’s been an enjoyable process.”

On3: So David Braun was at North Dakota State and you were at South Dakota State, obviously a rivalry there. But you guys were never on the same coaching staff before making this move, correct?

ZL: “It’s a pretty bitter rivalry. For me, he was somebody I had known of and respected for a long time throughout the process and everything else he did that way. To have the opportunity to work with him after coming in and taking over in such a great manner in the way he did last year is incredibly impressive and speaks to him, his character and the character of the entire football team.”

On3: Had you guys really connected that much beforehand?

ZL: “I think specifically the Missouri Valley Football Conference , everybody knows everybody in some way, shape or form. It’s the whole Kevin Bacon six degrees of separation type of thing. So he actually played at Winona State with one of my junior college coaches. The current head coach at Winona State was the defensive coordinator of South Dakota State while I was there. There are a few other tie-ins there. Just a small, small world overall.”

On3: What’s it been like working with him? Obviously, he has a defensive background, and then you come in and try to figure out what type of offense you guys want to run. What have those conversations been like?

ZL: “Yeah, it’s been a lot of fun. In terms of the perspective he gives is different as a defensive coach, different than an offensive coach and how we view the game and problems that we can create or solve, in run game, pass game, whatever it is. When you watch us, you’re going to see kids who are going to play fast, play physical and play for each other. That’s who Northwestern football is going to be, and that’s what we’re really excited about.”

On3: How difficult is it to identify a quarterback in the transfer portal, especially in the spring, when it’s a shorter window and the talent pool is a lot different?

ZL: “Well, first off, the unique thing about transfer recruiting is trying to build a relationship and gain all the information in condensed windows. So it’s a lot of phone calls to try to paint a picture on who somebody is and in the same breath, get to know somebody directly.

“I don’t remember the exact timeline. It might have been a day or two beforehand he put out that he was going in. His first day in the portal, I shot him a message on Twitter and got on the phone with him later that night. Mike had been recruited by Northwestern in high school. It really came down to Northwestern and Vanderbilt in high school. So he had pretty extensive knowledge of the institution and who we are from that standpoint.”

On3: What do you look for in a quarterback in that situation?

ZL: “Kind of a unique thing, right, wrong or otherwise, I’ve had experience bringing in a transfer this time of year. When FCS football played during COVID in the spring season, Mark [ Gronowski ] tore his ACL in the national championship game. We brought in a one-year grad transfer, very similar, the first conversation was at the end of May. He was up here in early June and he ended up getting drafted. Now he’s with with Chiefs. Chris Oladokun is his name.

“There’s some background working in the portal for me. The big thing for us is making sure somebody checks all the boxes in terms of who Northwestern football is from a work ethic standpoint, character standpoint and obviously a talent/football standpoint. So it’s just trying to be all-encompassing with our evaluation. We needed to bring somebody in who had experience. And Mike’s experienced in playing and winning in the SEC.”

On3: Any differences in recruiting a portal quarterback in the FBS compared to the FCS?

ZL: “Like anything, it’s finding the right fit. That’s the most important piece of the puzzle. Not just bringing in somebody who can throw the ball or super athletic or whatever it is. It’s finding the right fit for the program and somebody who checks the boxes. The difficult part of transfer recruiting and evaluation is finding the right fit because of the truncated timeline in terms of getting to know somebody and everything else.”

On3: You’re really excited about what Jack Lausch also offers, too, right?

ZL: “We’re pretty excited about him, with three years of eligibility and his future. Jack played in the past as an athlete, a role change-up kid. Received some reps at receiver and jet motion, stuff like that. He was actually a really promising baseball player out of high school, an MLB draft prospect. But his leadership, his work ethic and the strides he’s made with understanding and mastering the offense have been really impressive.”

On3: You’re not going to be able to play at Ryan Field in your first year. How are you feeling about this stadium by the lake?

ZL: “I’ll tell you what. My office overlooks the Chicago skyline and all the construction here. There’s currently a sailboat on Lake Michigan with a beautiful, sunny day. It’s going to be a perfectly unique, unbelievably awesome environment for our guys and our fans.”

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