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Northwestern starts spring practice on Wednesday, and while we likely won't get a depth chart and aren't allowed to report on most practices this year, here's our look at who we expect to be the leaders for starting spots heading into the fall.
| Position | Starter | Backup |
| Quarterback | Clayton Thorson (RS Fr) | Matt Alviti (So)/Zack Oliver (Sr) |
| Running Back | Justin Jackson (So) | Auston Anderson (RS Fr)/Warren Long (Jr) |
| H-Receiver | Miles Shuler (Sr) | Solomon Vault (So)/Stephen Buckley (Jr) |
| Y-Receiver | Christian Jones (Sr) | Austin Carr (Jr) |
| Z-Receiver | Cameron Dickerson (Sr) | Pierre Youngblood-Ary (Sr) |
| X-Receiver | Mike McHugh (Jr) | Andrew Scanlan (Jr) |
| Superback | Dan Vitale (Sr) | Garrett Dickerson (So) |
| Left Tackle | Blake Hance (RS Fr) | Shane Mertz (Sr) |
| Left Guard | Geoff Mogus (Sr) | Adam DePietro (Jr) |
| Center | Brad North (So) | Ian Park (Jr) |
| Right Guard | Matt Frazier (Sr) | Adam DePietro (Jr) |
| Right Tackle | Tommy Doles (RS Fr) | Eric Olson (Jr) |
| Defensive End | Dean Lowry (Sr) | Xavier Washington (So) |
| Defensive Tackle | CJ Robbins (Sr) | Tyler Lancaster (So) |
| Defensive Tackle | Greg Kuhar (Jr) | Sean McEvilly (Sr) |
| Defensive End | Deonte Gibson (Sr) | Max Chapman (Sr)/Ifeadi Odenigbo (Jr) |
| SAM Linebacker | Drew Smith (Sr) | Jaylen Prater (Jr) |
| MIKE Linebacker | Anthony Walker (So) | Brett Walsh (So) |
| WILL Linebacker | Joseph Jones (Jr) | Traveon Henry (Sr)/Nate Hall (RS Fr) |
| Cornerback | Nick VanHoose (Sr) | Parrker Westphal (RS Fr)/Keith Watkins (So) |
| Safety | Traveon Henry (Sr) | Kyle Queiro (So) |
| Safety | Godwin Igwebuike (So) | Terrance Brown (Jr) |
| Cornerback | Mattew Harris (Jr) | Marcus McShepard (So) |
| Kicker | Jack Mitchell (Sr) | Hunter Niswander (RS Fr) |
| Punter | Hunter Niswander (RS Fr) | ??? |
| Kick Return | Miles Shuler (Sr) | Solomon Vault (So) |
| Punt Return | Miles Shuler (Sr) | Solomon Vault (So) |