DeKALB | Leadership is something NIU head coach Joe Novak has stressed this spring.

And with only 10 seniors – four of which are starters – on the team, this season the head coach knew the juniors would have to step up.

For the first time in his 12 years at NIU, Novak has four juniors serving as his team’s captains.

Quarterback Dan Nicholson, wide receiver Britt Davis, defensive end Larry English and linebacker Tim McCarthy were voted to be captains by their teammates for the 2007 season.

The combination of four juniors marks the first time Novak will not have a senior as a captain.

“I think this shows that we will have strong leadership from our juniors on next year’s team,” Novak said. “With the size and make up of our senior class, we’ve been looking for people to step up and this answers at least some of the questions about who those people will be.”

Nicholson enters his first season as a starter already having started five games when former NIU quarterback Phil Horvath was injured.

In his career, the quarterback has completed 119-of-210 passes for 1,479 yards and 11 touchdowns.

An honorable mention All-Mac selection in 2006, Davis enters the 2007 season holding school records for catches by a freshman and sophomore. The junior has 99 career catches for 1,172 yards.

Although English did not practice this spring, he will be a defensive key.

The defensive end tied a school record with 12 sacks last season. Overall, English has 13 sacks, 23 tackles for a loss, and 133 tackles as a Huskie.

McCarthy comes back this season as the team’s top tackler as he has posted two straight 100-tackle seasons. Last year, the sophomore posted a career high of 111 stops.

“We always tell our players that this is not a popularity contest and to choose the teammates they respect and the ones who represent what we’re about as a program,” Novak said. “I’m very pleased with the team’s selections. They made four very good choices.”