Drew Hare, football redshirt sophomore quarterback, deservedly lines up at No. 7 in Sports’ countdown of top 10 athletes.

Not only did Hare lead NIU to its third MAC Championship in four years, but he did it while replacing a legend in Jordan Lynch, sharing playing time at the position and never officially being named the starter.

In 14 games and 12 starts, Hare completed 59.5 percent of his passes for 2,322 yards and 18 touchdowns. He took care of the ball, being picked off only twice in 326 throws. On the ground, he ran for 900 yards and eight touchdowns, both of which ranked second on the team.

His focus this offseason will be on his vocal leadership, his deep passes, and throwing the ball on the run.

Bob Cole, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, gave Hare a grade of 80 out of 100 following the Huskie Bowl on April 11.

“I think he’s capable of quite a bit more,” Cole said, according to an April 13 Northern Star article. “Not that he’s playing bad right now, but I think there’s a lot more in there that we can get out of him. I think he feels the same way.”