Counting down Northwestern’s roster: 69-60

As the days tick away till Northwestern takes the field vs Michigan State and starts their 2021 campaign, we’ve got you covered with all the content you need to be ready for this football season.

Per tradition, we’re counting down the roster by jersey number from 99 to 0, while also providing stats, background and an outlook for each player’s projected role heading into the 2021 season.

The 60s are full of young offensive lineman that have potential to emerge as impact players.

69: Charlie Schmidt

OL | 6-foot-4, 297 pounds | Junior | Libertyville, Illinois

Likely role in 2021: Reserve offensive lineman

Schmidt sat behind Nik Urban and Ethan Wiederkehr a year ago, but was still able to appear in eight games and make a start against Michigan State. Schmidt will take on a similar role this season. Now with Urban graduated, Fitz turns to the sophomore Josh Priebe for the open spot at guard. Priebe will need to prove himself as the season progresses, so Schmidt will have his chance at overtaking him. For now, he’ll be the first off the bench.

68: Josh Priebe

OL | 6-foot-5, 295 pounds | Sophomore | Niles, Michigan

Likely role in 2021: Starting left guard

Priebe served as a backup guard as a first-year and appeared in eight games. According to a tweet yesterday from the Daily Northwestern’s Drew Schott, Fitz announced on Thursday that Priebe would be starting once week one rolls around, presumably next to Skoronski. That makes the left side of the offensive line two recruits from the 2020 class. Priebe is still a young player, but with the amount of game time he saw as a first-year and with his giant frame, he should fit in nicely as a starting guard.

66: Braeden Edwards

OL | 6-foot-6, 280 pounds | First-Year | West Des Moines, Iowa

Likely role in 2021: Redshirt

Edwards steps onto campus not ranked on 247 Sports and unlikely to see time as a first-year. The Iowa native has the size and athleticism to become a rotational player later in his Wildcat career, but the ‘Cats will likely wish to retain a year of eligibility by redshirting Edwards his first year.

65: Jackson Carsello

OL | 6-foot-4, 270 pounds | First-Year | Northbrook, Illinois

Likely role in 2021: Redshirt

Carsello was rated a three-star recruit by 247 Sports out of high school and figures to not get much play time in his first year. He is behind a long list of more experienced personnel and will see occasional snaps in a few games, but nothing more than that.

63: Dom D’Antonio

OL | 6-foot-4, 290 pounds | Redshirt Sophomore | Woodstock, Georgia

Likely role in 2021: Reserve offensive lineman

D’Antonio has seen action in nine games over his two seasons in Evanston, all in a backup position. He will take on the same role this season, but jumps higher up the depth chart. In the event of an injury, he would be one of the first to step in as a replacement.

62: Maxwell Skidmore

OL | 6-foot-7, 270 pounds | Sophomore | Spokane Valley, Washington

Likely role in 2021: Reserve offensive lineman

Skidmore is a funny case. While he is listed as a sophomore, he graduated high school in 2018 before going on a two-year mission trip to Peru. That means Northwestern has a more mature athlete at a younger academic year. Regardless, Skidmore is not ready to transition to a starting role and will profit from honing his skills behind the scenes this year.

60: Carmine Bastone

DL | 6-foot-2, 266 pounds | First-Year | St. Charles, Illinois

Likely role in 2021: Redshirt

The lone non-offensive lineman of the 60s is Bastone, who steps into a positional group loaded with upperclassmen. It will be difficult for him to break into the depth chart as a first-year that was not highly touted as a recruit, so a redshirt season will give Bastone time to grow and move up the pecking order.