One of the biggest offseason traditions for Northwestern football is “Camp Kenosha”, in which the team takes an annual weeklong trip up to Wisconsin to continue their preseason training camp. Fans and players alike circle this week on the calendar, as it marks arguably the most important week of camp as the September 3rd home opener against Western Michigan University inches closer.

The Wildcats proved a lot of doubters wrong last season, emerging as a top team in the Big Ten with a 6-2 conference record and 10-3 overall record. Although Northwestern has somewhat of a new-look roster after losing some key contributors, the ‘Cats will look to translate last season’s success into an even better 2016.

Like every team in college football, there are many uncertainties surrounding Northwestern. Camp Kenosha is often when coaches discover the answers to these questions and figure out just how good of a team the ‘Cats have.

As Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcats search for their own answers, we explore the three biggest questions they should be asking as Camp Kenosha gets underway.

1. Can the Wildcats recover from losing so many star players?

This question is an obvious one, and there’s no way to know until the season begins. It’s easy to point to players on the roster and say they’re capable replacements, but there’s no way a team doesn’t suffer from losing the likes of Dan Vitale, Nick Vanhoose, and Dean Lowry among others. Those are legitimate star players, and only time will tell how much their presence will be missed.

In Vitale you had one of the most consistent offensive weapons the university has ever seen. The Tampa Bay Buccaneer draft pick could do it all, and was the exact definition of what Fitzgerald is looking for out of the superback position: he could block and catch as good if not better than anyone else on the roster, which is evidenced by the fact that he led all Wildcats receivers in receptions, yards, and touchdowns in 2015.

Junior Garret Dickerson is likely to get most of the reps at superback to replace Vitale, but it’s hard to see him coming close to his predecessor’s effectiveness. While Dickerson does have a solid amount of experience (appearing in a total of 24 games in his first two seasons at Northwestern), there’s a reason why he only had 12 catches a season ago. He’s a talented player with the potential to grow now that his reps will increase, but nobody expects him to be the type of player Vitale was.

Lowry and Vanhoose were incredible in their own right, and it showed as their college careers came to an end. Lowry was a 4th round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers, and the defense was absolutely lit up by Tennessee in the Outback Bowl that Vanhoose had to miss due to injury.

The one bit of good news for Northwestern when it comes to replacing Lowry, Vanhoose, and the other defensive starters that they’ll be without is the sheer depth they have on that side of the football.

Northwestern had one of the best defenses in the country in 2015, and that doesn’t happen without depth. Lowry and his ability to get in the backfield on a consistent basis will be missed, but senior Ifeadi Odenigbo poses about as solid of a replacement as you can hope for. The former four-star recruit will come into the 2016 season with a larger role, and he will look to build on the five sacks he had last year.

The same can be said for Vanhoose’s replacement, Keith Watkins II. The redshirt junior has a fantastic ability to tackle, and is a safe pick to be one of the Wildcats’ leading tacklers now that he’ll be starting more than just two games. As long as he works out any kinks in his coverage ability, Watkins shouldn’t be too big of a drop off from Vanhoose.

2. How much better can Clayton Thorson be?

If Clayton Thorson doesn’t show a lot of improvement in 2016, it’ll be hard for the Wildcats to do much of anything. It’s a wonder they were able to be as good as they were a season ago with their starting quarterback throwing nine interceptions and just seven passing touchdowns. He did run for five touchdowns, which is great to see from such an athletic quarterback, but Fitzgerald will need more from Thorson when it comes to throwing the football.

To Thorson’s credit, his offensive line was banged up and he was just a redshirt freshman. Both are extremely valid excuses, and give Northwestern fans reasons to expect a lot of improvement as he gears up for his sophomore season.

As long as his offensive line gives him protection and some of his younger receivers step up into playmaking roles, there’s no reason to think he can’t bounce back in a major way. He’s one of the most talented dual-threat quarterbacks in the conference, and the former Wheaton North High School star should be able to combine his speed and experience into a more successful sophomore season.

3. Will Anthony Walker and Justin Jackson play up to their expectations?

When you think of Northwestern football, you think of linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. and running back Justin Jackson. Jackson is the face of the offense, and Walker was deservedly dubbed “The Franchise” in a Northwestern promotional campaign this offseason.

Each lived up to the hype in 2015, with Walker having one of the greatest defensive seasons in Wildcat history and Jackson becoming just the fifth player in school history to post back-to-back seasons rushing for 1, 000 yards. Both were consensus All-Big Ten selections, and both will be tasked with carrying this team.

Can they do it? Absolutely. Their first two seasons with Northwestern speak for themselves. Walker and Jackson are both extremely capable of turning in all-time performances and leading this team to yet another successful season.

Will they do it? That’s another question. While neither player has given any reason for fans to doubt them, there’s no guarantee that they’ll put up the historic seasons that they’re being projected to have. If one or both of them take a bit of a step back this season, who’s next in line to carry the team to victories?

The Wildcats are a talented enough team to make some noise in the Big Ten this season. National media is almost exclusively focusing on Michigan and Ohio State, so many will forget the potential that Northwestern has.

Coming off a 10-3 season and returning their best offensive player, best defensive player, and their quarterback, the ‘Cats have the ability to be a real sleeper team. If they can answer the three questions above, don’t be surprised if Northwestern puts together another historic season.

Have any questions or thoughts as to how the Wildcats will perform this year? Reach out to me on Twitter and fire away!