It finally happened.
The Northwestern football program issued a release Sunday that long-tenured offensive coordinator and offensive quarterback coach Mick McCall would not return to the program next year.
Here is the full statement, released this morning:
#FireMcCall has served as a rallying cry around this fanbase for quite some time now, and now, that cry has become a reality. After 12 seasons, the reign of Mick McCall is over.
McCall’s Evanston tenure, which began in 2008, incidentally came during one of the program’s most successful stretches ever, but his offenses hardly ever cracked the top half of the country by any measure. It wasn’t until this season, when Northwestern’s offense plunged to the bottom of the FBS in scoring and advanced metrics, that Fitzgerald finally pulled the plug.
Former Northwestern players took to social media to react to the news. Here are a few notables:
It’s a celebration https://t.co/Z2RPn6KyfF
— Solomon Vault (@4XSOLO) December 1, 2019
https://t.co/SRiQSaJqbp pic.twitter.com/Gff739lwO9
— Cam Q. (@KingQueiro21) December 1, 2019
After Northwestern closed the door on a 3-9 season yesterday with a fifth-straight win against rival Illinois, Wildcat fans now have their biggest offseason question heading into next season.
We published this shortlist a few weeks ago, and Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune also released his own this past Saturday.
For now, we can only speculate, but there have already been a few names thrown around into consideration for who the successor could be.
Buckle up, folks. The post-McCall era is officially upon us.