After Northwestern made official the hiring of new defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil, he fielded questions from the Northwestern media for the first time last Thursday. Here are three things we learned from that press conference, along with head coach Pat Fitzgerald’s media availability, which preceded it.

His NFL experience will play a major role in his college coaching

After news got out about O’Neil’s hiring last month, many fans wondered whether or not his experience coaching at the professional level — where he’s spent the last 11 years — would translate to success leading a unit of college players.