Is Michael Kilbane starting?
Michael Kilbane is the projected starter at LDE for Northwestern Wildcats.
Redshirt junior · #47 · 6'5", 280 lbs
See full Northwestern Wildcats depth chart ›Depth at LDE · Northwestern Wildcats
- 14791Michael KilbaneStarter
- 29174Caden O'Rourke
- 39062Jack Trautmann
Northwestern Starting Lineup
- LDEMichael KilbaneThis player
- LDT
- RDT
- RDE
- WLB
- MLB
- LCB
- SS
- FS
- RCB
- NB
- RES
- RES
- RES
- RES
Top defensive linemen in the Big Ten
The Story
Elite-Tier Talent
A 3-star recruit out of St. Edward, ranked #579 nationally coming out of high school. In 2025: 42 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks. That's 8% of the team's production at his spot and 94th-percentile production nationally — good for a 91 overall (Elite tier).
- Jersey
- #47
- Class
- RS JR
- Height
- 6'5"
- Weight
- 280 lbs
Career Stats
| Season | Tkl | TFL | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 42 | 7.5 | 3.5 |
| 2024 | 20 | 3 | 2.5 |
| 2023 | 11 | 0.5 | 0 |
Regular-season totals from public sources. Derived splits (completion %, yards per carry, catch rate) aren't available in our current dataset.
Recruiting Profile
- Stars
- ★★★☆☆3-star
- Composite
- 0.8817
- National Rank
- #579
- High School
- St. Edward
- Hometown
- Lakewood, OH
Why this rating?
On a 88-rated defense; 94th-percentile production (×0.93 for competition level) put them +8 vs unit starters → 91.
2026 projection — based on SP+ (a respected team-efficiency metric; 2026 not published yet, using 2025), 2025 production, recruiting, and the 2026 transfer portal; capped to depth-chart order.
2026 Game Log
Oct 10WBALLTKL 3
- TKL
- 3
- SOLO
- 1
- SACK
- 0.5
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final W 45-14
Oct 3WPSUTKL 3
- TKL
- 3
- SOLO
- 2
- SACK
- 0
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final W 34-13
Sep 26LIUTKL 5
- TKL
- 5
- SOLO
- 2
- SACK
- 0
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final L 29-23
Sep 19WCOLOTKL 6
- TKL
- 6
- SOLO
- 4
- SACK
- 0
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final W 41-7
| OPP | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 10 | WBALL | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 3 | WPSU | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 26 | LIU | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 19 | WCOLO | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Michael Kilbane's 2026 game-by-game stat log.
The People's Ratings
Team Role
Overall ratings blend team strength (SP+), on-field production, and recruiting. Higher = more impactful.