A lot has gone down during Northwestern's bye week. Here are the two big headlines for NU football in the last few days and what they mean for the team.
Dwight White retires from football
Back in June, the redshirt sophomore cornerback discovered he has only one kidney, thanks to a medical condition called renal agenesis. After appearing in every game last season, he was hit in a practice before the season-opening game against Cal. That hit gave him a kidney contusion, and he hadn't appeared in any games so far this year. Because of the condition, White announced that he will retire from football.
He has been granted a medical noncounter scholarship, meaning that he will be able to finish out his academic career at Northwestern while not counting against the football team's 85-scholarship limit.
What it means for NU football: Not a whole lot. Sophomore Matt Harris and redshirt junior Nick VanHoose have held their own on the edge. White had a lot of talent and did make an impact in his redshirt freshman season. He appeared in every game, starting six of them. He tallied 26 total tackles, and tacked on an interception against Nebraska. If healthy, he would have been a great asset to have in the secondary this season. But, with Harris, VanHoose, and safeties Ibraheim Campbell and Traveon Henry out there and redshirt freshman Godwin Igwebuike making a big impact this year, this isn't the end of the world.
Linebacker Brett Walsh arrested, suspended from football team
Early on Sunday morning, redshirt freshman Brett Walsh was arrested for underage intoxication along with a University of Cincinnati football player. Allegedly, the pair broke a window while trying to retrieve property from inside a home. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald immediately suspended Walsh from the team because of the arrest.
What it means for NU football: Again, not a whole lot. Walsh has only seen action in four games, accumulating a total of three tackles. He played primarily as senior Chi Chi Ariguzo's backup and didn't see much play time. He could see more action in the future, as he is only a freshman, but we will need to see how this arrest plays itself out before thinking about having him back in the Northwestern lineup.