How Cam Porter's tribulations shaped him into the player and leader Northwestern needs

Cam Porter’s college career has been anything but linear.

After showing promise as a freshman during Northwestern’s 7-2 season, rushing for 142 yards in a 28-10 win against Illinois and 98 yards in a 35-19 Citrus Bowl win over Auburn, Porter was poised for a breakout out role as a sophomore.

He had shown he could be a valuable part of the Wildcats’ offense. But that breakout never came after Porter tore his ACL doing pass-catching drills in August 2021.

A season gone. His momentum stopped.

“It's been a roller coaster,” Porter, now a graduate student, told the Sun-Times of his journey.

During those tough moments, Porter’s faith was tested. He relied on his Christian upbringing to help him through those dark, strenuous days of rehab. Instead of wallowing in what was being taken away from him, he focused on how he could use the setback as an opportunity to grow.

Porter returned in 2022 but rushed for just 286 yards with a 3.3 yards per carry, not displaying the same burst he had during his freshman season. But Porter rediscovered his form during the Wildicats’ surprising 8-5 season in 2023, one marred by the hazing scandal and subsequent removal of Pat Fitzgerald as coach.

The injury paused Porter's collegiate career, but was necesary for his development. The injury changed how his mindset. The reprive was enlightening and allowed him to tap develop as a leader and start to find his voice.

Porter's character is why his teammates voted him to wear the prestigious No. 1 jersey for Northwestern this season. The tradition began in 2011 and is voted on by the entire team. The jersey is handed out to someone who displays strong leadership traits. The Wildcats will be counting on Porter in a multitude of ways this season as the team navigates the revamped Big Ten.

‘Now you’re not only representing the [Northwestern] brand, but you have to be a very strong representative of that brand and make your brothers proud,” said former Northwestern offensive lineman Joe Spivak, who wore the No. 1 jersey for the 2021 season. “You're representing them too in a lot of situations, and Cam is going to do a great job of that.”

Running backs coach Chris Foster said he’s seen Porter, who has always been a leader by example, be more vocal.

“Anytime he's on the sideline and one of the backs comes off the field, he's coaching them up when they come off,” Foster said. “He's telling [teammates], ‘Hey man, great job.’ Or, ‘Hey, this is what they [defense] did right here on this play; you got to have your eyes here.’ He's always coaching them guys.”

Porter said his torn ACL forced him to be more of a leader. Being removed from the field challenged him to find other ways to be part of the team.

“When you're not on the field, you're forced to be a little bit more vocal,” Porter said. “Going through those difficult and hard times, I was able to learn different skills and improve in different areas that I normally wouldn't have worked on if I wasn't [injured]. That's where the leadership took a different took a different step, when I got injured.

‘He fits the style of offense’

Porter’s 2023 success carried right into his offseason. Knowing he possessed an additional year of eligibility, there was more intention in his work during the offseason. He constantly communicated with the strength and conditioning coaches regarding workout regimens and honed in on core strength to ensure he had the necessary balance. He developed mobility routines and worked with resistance bands to improve his ankle flexibility to improve getting in and out of cuts.

But improving his physical aptitude wasn’t all Porter had to learn this past offseason. He also had to acclimate to a new playbook after Northwestern hired Zach Lujan from South Dakota State as their new offensive coordinator. Lujan was a two-time national champion at South Dakota State, leaving with a 29-1 record over two seasons.

Lujan developed a potent rushing attack while manning the Jackabbits’ offense: South Dakota State averaged 6.3 yards per carry and 227.7 rushing yards per game under his watch. His affinity for running the ball should mesh well with Northwestern coach David Braun, who is a defensive-minded coach. Lujan’s offensive philosophy should also jell well with Porter. Porter has played for just one offensive coordinator over his college career and said it’s been challenging picking up a new offense but also reinvigorating.

“[Lujan] finds ways to get his playmakers in space,” Porter said. “There’s a lot more wide zone, which is different from what we ran last year. It’s exciting to let the defense flow a bit and have them move around rather than stay stagnant.”

The wide-zone run forces the defense to play sideline to sideline and sets up the play-action pass. The scheme requires the offensive line to work in unison to block an area and a for a running back to have a certain feel.

“[Porter] has started to understand the patience of letting things develop, which has really helped his game elevate,” Foster said.

‘He’s like a sponge’

Foster said that understanding starts in the film room. Porter’s fastidious nature has paid off as he’s started to understand how the coaches want him to tempo his runs. The coaches want him to survey and read the defense before exploding through the gaps.

“He's like a sponge, soaking everything up that you tell him," Foster said.

Given how talented the new Big Ten conference is, Northwestern will lean on Porter, and he’s up to the challenge. He said he’s excited about the challenge of facing some of the best teams in the conference, and given that Northwestern will have a transfer starter at Quarterback for the sixth year in a row, a lot of the offensive burden will be on his shoulders.

"The Big Ten is arguably the best conference in the country," Porter said, "I'm just excited to get it going."