Northwestern freshman linebacker Nigel Glover entered the transfer portal Monday, the first Wildcats player to do so since the school fired coach Pat Fitzgerald on July 10.
Glover, an Ohio native, was an ESPN four-star recruit and Northwestern’s highest-rated prospect in the 2023 class. He committed to play for Fitzgerald and Northwestern in April 2022 and signed in December. Glover considered several other Big Ten schools before picking Northwestern, including Iowa and Illinois.
The NCAA allows players to enter the transfer portal for 30 days after a head-coaching change at their school. Northwestern fired Fitzgerald three days after concluding an investigation into hazing allegations within the program.
After details of the hazing incidents appeared in The Daily Northwestern, university president Michael Schill said he was reassessing Fitzgerald’s discipline and eventually fired the coach, even though the school’s investigation did not find evidence Fitzgerald knew of the problems.
Northwestern on Friday named defensive coordinator David Braun as interim head coach. The team is set to begin preseason practice in several weeks and opens the season Sept. 3 at Rutgers.