NIU football kicked off its 15-practice spring schedule Thursday morning with a nearly two-hour session inside the Chessick Practice Center.
The practice was open to the media and featured familiar and fresh faces on the roster and coaching staff.
As the team prepares for its next practice on Saturday, here are three takeaways from the Huskies’ first outing of spring ball:
QB1 ISN’T A DONE DEAL
With last year’s starting quarterback Ethan Hampton now at the University of Illinois after transferring during the offseason, NIU will begin the 2025 season with its third different starting quarterback in as many seasons.
As the competition for the starting job gets underway, redshirt sophomore Josh Holst appears to have the inside track as the only QB in the room with starting experience at NIU. Holst appeared in six games with three starts for the Huskies last season, including the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, where he passed for 182 yards and two touchdowns to earn the game’s MVP honors. However, redshirt junior Jalen Macon also got opportunities to showcase his skills as a potential suitor for the job.
During 11-on-11 drills Thursday, Holst and Macon shared a fairly even split of first-team reps with the offense, with each quarterback having their moments. Holst opened the drills with a huge run that appeared to go for a touchdown. He later hit junior wide receiver DeAree Rogers and redshirt freshman wide receiver La’Don Bryant for long run-after-catch plays.
Meanwhile, Macon showed off his arm strength with multiple deep shots downfield, including a long connection with redshirt junior wide receiver Dane Pardridge. Macon nearly had another big completion to sophomore wide receiver Gary Givens before the ball bounced off the latter’s facemask.
Though it’s difficult to take stock in a single practice, this season’s quarterback battle is hardly a foregone conclusion.
STACKED WITH YOUNG RUNNING TALENT
Though NIU won’t start emphasizing the run game until Tuesday – the day players will start wearing pads – Thursday’s practice offered a glimpse at the Huskies’ young platoon of running backs, which looks to replace the production of departed seniors Antario Brown and Gavin Williams.
Sophomore Telly Johnson Jr. and redshirt sophomore Jaylen Poe appear to sit atop the depth chart as they handled the lion’s share of first-team reps. Johnson is NIU’s top returning rusher after running for 480 yards on 103 carries and scoring four touchdowns as a true freshman a season ago.
Redshirt freshman Ahmir Smith also took valuable reps during offensive drills, catching passes from Holst and freshman quarterback Brady Davidson.
“We have a lot more depth this year,” head coach Thomas Hammock said. “We’ll be able to go five deep, six deep when the season hits. All those guys have the ability to go out there and be a 1,000-yard rusher.”
SETTING DEFENSIVE STANDARDS
Now in his third month holding the reins of a nationally reputed defense gutted by graduation and the transfer portal, NIU defensive coordinator Rob Harley said his focus this spring is building a philosophical foundation rooted in effort and toughness.
“All the scheme and all the calls and all the stuff doesn’t really matter if we don’t have a foundation of effort and toughness and all those things,” Harley said. “For me, Day 1, we needed a glimpse of that, and I think we got that.”
Though non-padded practices tend to favor the offense, Harley’s unit had its flashes. Redshirt freshman linebacker KJ McRae came up with the day’s only interception off a deflected pass during 7-on-7 drills, while redshirt junior cornerback Malik Armstrong came just short of snatching a second with a diving effort.
As the Huskies continue to build their foundations, they also seek to establish their defensive identity on the field.
“We want to bring heat,” Harley said. “We want to hunt the ball. We want to give great effort. We want to do our jobs and our assignments. We want to play tough – physically, mentally and emotionally.”
