Michael Kilbane holds the LDE · Starter spot in Northwestern Wildcats’s edge room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Michael Kilbane is a 6'5", 275-pound left defensive end from Lakewood, Ohio, who attended St. Edward High School. A three-star recruit in the 2023 class, Kilbane played in eight games as a true freshman, recording 11 tackles and two quarterback hurries. In 2024, he appeared in 12 games and posted 20 tackles, three tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks while earning Academic All-Big Ten honors. As a junior in 2025, Kilbane broke out on Northwestern's defensive line, appearing in all 13 games with four starts and earning All-Big Ten Honorable Mention. He posted career highs of 43 total tackles, 17 solo tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks, also recording his first pass breakup.