B1G · College football program
Northwestern Wildcats Football
Clayton Thorson leads Northwestern in career passing yards (10,731) and Justin Jackson in rushing yards (5,440). In College Football 27, the Wildcats' projected starters average 81.6 OVR, 37th of 138 FBS teams.
- CFB 27 starter avg
- 81.6
- 37th of 138
- Players 80+ OVR
- 18
- 1 rated 90+
- Best unit
- Safety
- 85.5 avg · 14th nationally
- Record books
- 21
- career leaderboards
All-time career leaders
Northwestern football records
| Record | Holder | Total | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Career Passing Yards | Clayton Thorson | 10,731 | 2015–2018 |
| Career Passing Touchdowns | Clayton Thorson | 61 | 2015–2018 |
| Career Rushing Yards | Justin Jackson | 5,440 | 2014–2017 |
| Career Rushing Touchdowns | Justin Jackson | 41 | 2014–2017 |
| Career Receptions | D'Wayne Bates | 210 | 1995–1998 |
| Career Receiving Yards | D'Wayne Bates | 3,370 | 1995–1998 |
| Career Receiving Touchdowns | D'Wayne Bates | 26 | 1995–1998 |
| Career Tackles | Tim McGarigle | 545 | 2002–2005 |
| Career Sacks | Joe Gaziano | 30 | 2016–2019 |
| Career Interceptions | Brett Whitley | 15 | 1984–1987 |
| Career Field Goals Made | Brian Gowins | 58 | 1995–1998 |
| Career Completions | Clayton Thorson | 991 | 2015–2018 |
| Career Pass Attempts | Clayton Thorson | 1,696 | 2015–2018 |
| Career Total Offense | Brett Basanez | 11,576 | 2002–2005 |
| Career All-Purpose Yards | Justin Jackson | 6,298 | 2014–2017 |
| Career Points | Jeff Budzien | 280 | 2010–2013 |
| Career Tackles for Loss | Casey Dailey | 53 | 1994–1997 |
| Career Pass Breakups | Harold Blackmon | 48 | 1997–2000 |
| Career Forced Fumbles | Paddy Fisher | 11 | 2017–2020 |
| Career Punting Average | Luke Akers | 43 | 2022–2025 |
| Career Kick Return Yards | Stephen Simmons | 1,995 | 2007–2010 |
Across multiple leaderboards
Notable Northwestern players
- Clayton Thorson2015–2018
No. 1 passing yards (10,731) · No. 1 passing touchdowns (61) · No. 1 completions (991)
- Brett Basanez2002–2005
No. 1 total offense (11,576) · No. 2 passing yards (10,580) · No. 2 passing touchdowns (44)
- Len Williams1990–1993
No. 2 passing touchdowns (44) · No. 3 passing yards (7,487) · No. 3 pass attempts (1,076)
- Justin Jackson2014–2017
No. 1 rushing yards (5,440) · No. 1 rushing touchdowns (41) · No. 1 all-purpose yards (6,298)
- C.J. Bachér2005–2008
No. 3 completions (664) · No. 4 passing yards (7,319) · No. 4 passing touchdowns (43)
- Zak Kustok1999–2001
No. 5 passing touchdowns (42) · No. 5 total offense (7,116) · No. 6 passing yards (5,822)
- Damien Anderson1998–2001
No. 2 rushing yards (4,485) · No. 2 rushing touchdowns (38) · No. 2 all-purpose yards (5,271)
- Trevor Siemian2011–2014
No. 5 passing yards (5,931) · No. 5 completions (550) · No. 7 pass attempts (932)
- D'Wayne Bates1995–1998
No. 1 receptions (210) · No. 1 receiving yards (3,370) · No. 1 receiving touchdowns (26)
- Darnell Autry1994–1996
No. 3 rushing touchdowns (35) · No. 4 rushing yards (3,793) · No. 4 all-purpose yards (4,609)
- Tyrell Sutton2005–2008
No. 3 rushing yards (3,886) · No. 3 all-purpose yards (5,138) · No. 5 rushing touchdowns (31)
- Steve Schnur1993–1996
No. 7 passing touchdowns (32) · No. 9 passing yards (5,612) · No. 9 total offense (5,542)
All-time series
Northwestern rivalries
| Opponent | Rivalry | All-time series | First met | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Notre Dame | Battle for the Shillelagh | Notre Dame leads 38–9 | 1889 | L1 |
 Illinois | Land of Lincoln TrophyLand of Lincoln | Illinois leads 60–55 | 1892 | L2 |
 Michigan | — | Michigan leads 61–15 | 1892 | L9 |
College Football 27
Northwestern in CFB 27
| Player | Pos | Class | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ezomo Oratokhai | LG | So | 90 |
| Griffin Wilde | WR | Sr | 89 |
| Robert Fitzgerald | FS | Sr | 89 |
| Caleb Komolafe | HB | Jr | 88 |
| Aidan Chiles | QB | Sr | 86 |
| Josh Fussell | CB | Jr | 86 |
| Braden Turner | CB | Sr | 84 |
| Grant Seagren | LT | Jr | 84 |
Planning a Northwestern dynasty? See the Northwestern CFB 27 dynasty outlook for unit-by-unit ratings and the starters you lose after year one.
Tracked on CFB Clipboard
Public Northwestern dynasties
Fan-run College Football dynasties with Northwestern as the current program, shared publicly by their coaches.
- Northwestern CFB 27Michael Robinavitch · 5 seasons · 36–27
- 27.1Emmet Anderson · 4 seasons · 40–13
- JrichJustin Richardson · 3 seasons · 23–4
- Northwestern Perma DynasJeremy Stanton · 2 seasons · 8–5
- FirstBuild27Kaeden Snyder · 1 season · 2–3
Conference
B1G programs
Sources & notes
- CFB Clipboard — Career leaderboards researched and compiled by CFB Clipboard.
- EA Sports College Football 27 rivalry data — All-time series records as they ship in the game, before any dynasty games are played.
- EA Sports College Football 27 roster ratings — Ratings from “EA roster mroster_434_206.db” roster update, imported 2026-11-09 via Teamcrafters. Ratings change with each roster update.
Last updated Nov 9, 2026.