New NIU Offensive Coordinator Roy Wittke won’t get to coach the all-time leading rusher in the history of NIU football, Garrett Wolfe.

The first-year offensive coordinator takes the helm of an offense steeped in running back tradition.

We talked to the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire product about spring practice and what the offense will look like without Wolfe.

Northern Star: What has working with Dan Nicholson been like?

Roy Wittke: Dan has been great so far. He has been eager, and obviously looks forward to the opportunity to be the No. 1 guy. He’s been in the back-up role before and has performed well when he has filled in because of injury. Being No. 1 is what he has worked for the last three years. He’s worked hard and done well the first couple of days. What has impressed me is the eagerness to do well and prove that he is worthy of being the starter.

NS: Is there a getting-to-know-you period between the new staff and players?

RW: Absolutely. But, the one thing that has impressed me most is that, as a whole, this is a great group of kids. They have a great work ethic; they want to do the things necessary to win. They’ve been helpful with me in making the transition, because with change comes some subtle changes in the way things are done.

NS: What is the most important part of spring practice?

RW: What is most critical is to get the core things done. Make sure the kids grasp our concepts, so when the fall arrives we can move rapidly. We’ve made strides and have progressed without a doubt, which has been critical with as much turnover as we’ve experienced.

NS: You take over a year after the most prolific rusher in NIU history, Garret Wolfe, departs. How do you fill his shoes?

RW: The old cliche is to see when you lose a great player like Garrett Wolfe, you don’t replace him. But the recent tradition of the program has been to fill those shoes. Garrett has been healthy and received a lot of carries the last few years. But I’m excited about Montell Clanton. And Justin Anderson has had some carries before. It may take more than one person. What is more important to me is to re-tool the offensive line because offensively, that is where everything starts for us. It is important that we find the right combination up front.

NS: Which leads right into the next question. How do you replace Doug Free?

RW: The thing is, right now, we might not have the guy with name appeal. No All-Conference, or All-American-type names. But, we may be deeper. We might have to be a better unit as a team. There might not be one guy with 350 carries, and we might have to roll some offensive line guys until we find the right combination. That is what the spring is good for.

NS: How does your offensive philosophy match with the NIU scheme?

RW: I think we match very well. I’d like to think that’s part of the reason I was hired. When you come into a program that has had this much success, you like to think if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. The core and base of what Coach Novak has established remains in place. As a staff, we’ve gone over the system with a fine-tooth comb to add or subtract some things to simplify the system.