Breaking: Quarterback Peyton Ramsey will not return to Northwestern next year

On Friday afternoon, Peyton Ramsey indicated that his career as a Northwestern Wildcat is over, per his Instagram.

With the added year of eligibility thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was speculation that Ramsey could return for a sixth season. When confronted with this question after both the Big Ten Championship Game and the Citrus Bowl, Ramsey did not provide any answers.

Ramsey was a three-year starter at Indiana, passing for over 6,500 yards and 42 touchdowns. He battled with current IU starter Michael Penix Jr. throughout the 2019 season before transferring for his final year of eligibility to Northwestern.

As a Wildcat, Ramsey stabilized NU’s quarterback situation, which saw the offense rotate through four signal-callers to the tune of six passing touchdowns and a completion rate of just under 50% in 2019.

Ramsey passed for 1,773 and 12 touchdowns, helping the ‘Cats go from 3-9 last season to 7-2 and Big Ten West Champions in 2020. His consistency and decision-making routinely enabled the offense embark on long, time-consuming drives to score points or flip the field.

He capped his career as a Wildcat by earning MVP honors in Northwestern’s Citrus Bowl victory over Auburn. The Cincinnati native went 24-of-35 for 291 yards passing and 3 touchdowns. He rushed for 50 yards and another score.

With Ramsey no longer in Evanston for next season, NU’s quarterback competition should be interesting. Hunter Johnson and Andrew Marty should return, as well as Aidan Smith, who opted out ahead of the season but saw action in 2019. Zac Krause and Carl Richardson, as well as incoming freshman Brendan Sullivan, will also be in the quarterback room. It would not be surprising to see the Wildcats bring in a transfer at the position.