Projecting NIU football’s offensive starters after spring ball

By Skyler Kisellus, Senior Sports Reporter

May 5, 2025

NIU redshirt sophomore running back Jaylen Poe (28) celebrates with redshirt junior offensive lineman Abiathur Curry (55) after scoring a rushing touchdown during 11-on-11 drills in the team’s Spring Showcase on Saturday at Huskie Stadium. Curry and Poe are projected to have large roles on the Huskies’ offense this season. (Totus Tuus Keely | Northern Star)

NIU football is one step closer to its swansong season in the Mid-American Conference after wrapping up a four-week stretch of spring practices last week.

The 15 practices, including the annual Spring Showcase on April 26, offered an early glimpse at what the Huskies’ depth chart could look like in 2025. Of course, plenty can change once fall camp rolls around and more newcomers arrive on campus.

But for now, with spring ball in the books and May just underway, here’s the Northern Star’s early projection of who NIU’s offensive starters might be in the 2025 season.

Editor’s note: Check back Wednesday for defensive starter projections on northernstar.info.

Quarterback

Starter: Josh Holst (R-So.)

Backups: Jalen Macon (R-Jr.), Brady Davidson (Fr.)

Analysis: Heading into spring ball, NIU’s starting quarterback job felt like Josh Holst’s to lose. The Marengo product started three games last season, including the Huskies’ double-overtime victory in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, where he passed for 182 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for a team-best 65 yards to earn the game’s MVP honors.

After nearly a month of practices, head coach Thomas Hammock confirmed what already seemed apparent: Holst remains the frontrunner for QB1.

“Right now, Josh is the guy. Jalen (Macon) will be two and Brady (Davidson) will be three,” Hammock said April 26 following NIU’s Spring Showcase.

The competition isn’t over yet, though. Dartmouth University transfer Jackson Proctor is expected to join the team this summer and could shake up the depth chart during fall camp. But for now, Holst is the man to beat.

NIU redshirt sophomore quarterback Josh Holst (15) scans the field for an open receiver during a spring practice April 5 at Huskie Stadium. Holst is projected to be the Huskies’ starting quarterback in 2025. (Tim Dodge | Northern Star)

Running back

Starter: Telly Johnson Jr. (So.)

Backups: Jaylen Poe (R-So.), Romelo Ware (R-Fr.), Ahmir Smith (R-Fr.), Elijah Porter (R-Fr.), Justin Lynch (R-Sr.)

Analysis: Despite losing top rushers Antario Brown and Gavin Williams to graduation, NIU’s running backs unit looks poised to remain one of the team’s strongest units in 2025. This spring, Telly Johnson Jr., Jaylen Poe and Romelo Ware have formed a three-man rotation, with Johnson leading the way as one of the offense’s top playmakers.

NIU also added depth through the portal, landing Division II rushing leader Chavon Wright from the University of Charleston. With Ahmir Smith also expected to be in the mix, the Huskies’ backfield has the potential to be one of the best rushing attacks in the MAC, if not the Group of Five.

Wide receivers

Starters: La’Don Bryant (R-Fr.), Dane Pardridge (R-Jr.), Gary Givens (So.)

Backups: Rickey Taylor Jr. (R-Fr.), DeAree Rogers (Jr.), Kenji Lewis (Sr.), George Dimopoulos (So.), Jamari McIvory (R-Fr.), Thomas McCoy (R-Fr.)

Analysis: The trio of La’Don Bryant, Dane Pardridge and Gary Givens have operated as the first-team receivers all spring long. At the X, the 6-foot-4 Bryant offers size that neither Pardridge (5-foot-11) nor Givens (6-foot-1) have. Pardridge, the most experienced of the three with 26 career games, will line up in the slot. Givens, a transfer from Valparaiso University, is expected to be the Z after having an impressive spring capped by a 68-yard touchdown catch from Holst in the Spring Showcase.

Behind the starting three, NIU has more young receiving talents like Rickey Taylor Jr. and George Dimopoulos, not to mention another speedy slot option in Lenoir-Rhyne University transfer DeAree Rogers, so expect to see the ball spread around plenty this season.

NIU redshirt junior wide receiver Dane Pardridge (8) runs with the ball during a spring practice April 5 at Huskie Stadium. Pardridge is expected to be NIU’s starting slot receiver in 2025. (Tim Dodge | Northern Star)

Tight end

Starter: Jake Appleget (R-Jr.)

Backups: Jason Fowler (R-Fr.), Pierce Oppong (R-Sr.), Joe Stein (R-Fr.), Devon Akers (R-Fr.)

Analysis: Grayson Barnes’ surprise departure during the spring transfer portal window – followed by his commitment to West Virginia University – undoubtedly threw a wrench in NIU’s plans at tight end. With Barnes gone, University of Nebraska transfer Jake Appleget slides into the starting role after making six starts in 2024.

Behind him, Jason Fowler figures to be the No. 2 option. How the offense incorporates Pierce Oppong – who Hammock said will play both ways this season at defensive end and tight end – will be interesting to monitor.

Offensive line

Starters: LT Evan Malcore (R-Jr.), LG Abiathur Curry (R-Jr.), C Luke Skartvedt (R-So.), RG Lane Mahnesmith (R-Fr.), RT Thomas Paasch (R-So.)

Backups: Izuchukwu Ozoh (R-Sr.), Ross Liegel (R-Fr.), Michael Jimmar (R-So.), Jacob Welch (R-So.), Ben Gustafson (R-Fr.), Landon Hron (R-So.), Logan Gross (R-Fr.), Grey Rumohr (R-Fr.)

Analysis: NIU will have a new-look offensive line in 2025 after graduating five senior starters in the offseason. The only two returners with starting experience – Evan Malcore (20 starts) and Thomas Paasch (2) – will anchor the unit from the tackle spots. Paasch missed all of spring with a leg injury but is expected to return this summer.

At center, Luke Skartvedt seems to have the inside track on the starting job, though incoming Wayne State University transfer Aidan Tweedy could change that. The toughest spot to project is the guard spot opposite Abiathur Curry. Jacob Welch spent most of spring working at left guard – with Curry on the right. However, that alignment flipped in the Spring Showcase, where Lane Mahnesmith took first-team reps at right guard, while Curry kicked over to the left.

Though Welch has the edge in college experience, Mahnesmith has a 6-foot-8, 320-pound frame that provides a physically imposing option on the interior.

NIU redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Luke Skartvedt (53) and redshirt junior offensive lineman Abiathur Curry (55) line up before the snap during a spring practice April 5 at Huskie Stadium. Skartvedt and Curry are both expected to start on the Huskies’ offensive line in 2025. (Tim Dodge | Northern Star)

Kicker

Starter: Andrew Glass (Sr.)

Backups: Austin Bullock (So.), Jake Seibert (R-Sr.)

Analysis: Outside of its heroics against the University of Notre Dame, NIU’s kicking game was a consistent weak spot last season. Then-kicker Kanon Woodill made just 65% of his field goal attempts, with five of his kicks getting blocked.

“We were awful. That cost us games,” Hammock said of last year’s unit. “We want to make sure that doesn’t cost us games, and Andrew Glass is going to win us games.”

Glass, a transfer from Kent State University, brings a proven leg and four seasons of experience to DeKalb. He went 55-of-75 on field goals over 42 games while also handling kickoff duties for the Golden Flashes. In 2023, he earned second-team All-MAC honors after converting 15 of his 17 field goal attempts (88.2%).