Zach is back for the final time in 2024—just in time to talk about Northwestern landing a transfer commitment from former SMU quarterback Preston Stone! He begins by discussing the high-caliber player the Wildcats are getting in the move (1:05), before talking about what the program must do to support a player like Stone (9:30). Next, he gives his thoughts on NU's reliance on the portal for starting quarterbacks and lauds David Braun and Mark Jackson for the commitment to improving the roster during the December transfer period (15:29). He then pivots to men's basketball, discussing Northwestern's dominant victory over DePaul in the penultimate non-conference game (19:26). He compliments the versatility this year's team and how it thrives on turning defense into offense, while contextualizing the one-of-a-kind performance Brooks Barnhizer had in the win (28:18).

The Bleav in Northwestern podcast is back and there's plenty of news to talk about. Zach begins by discussing the On3 prediction that the Wildcats will land SMU quarterback Preston Stone in the transfer portal (2:13). Then, he welcomes on Wildcat Report's Matt Shelton to reflect on the end of the 2024 football season and talk about how NU has approached the early transfer portal window (8:05). The pair discuss where the 'Cats have prioritized their transfer recruiting efforts (15:45), while also going over the key departures for Northwestern (28:51). After a brief conversation about national signing day (35:48), the two pivot to basketball and talk about how this particular team has already convinced them that it's worthy of making the NCAA tournament (39:59). They laud the development of Brooks Barnhizer and Nick Martinelli (43:31), while also expressing some concern over Chris Collins's short rotations (51:52).

Northwestern football saw its hopes of making a bowl effectively come to an end over the weekend against Michigan and Inside NU's Adam Beck joins Zach to lament a rather disappointing season for the Wildcats. The two discuss how it's been to watch this team struggle to look competitive and maintain any consistency this season (2:23) while also breaking down the jobs done by head coach David Braun and Zach Lujan (9:07). They also revisit the decision to bench Mike Wright in favor of Jack Lausch and whether or not Northwestern will seek to stick with the latter going into 2025 (16:22). Next, they look ahead to the rivalry week game against Illinois and talk about what can be salvaged in a game against an impressive Illini team (23:35). The pair ends with their initial thoughts on the start of the Northwestern men's basketball season and how the team has navigated nonconference play thus far (37:25).