The Huskies return a few key pieces which should keep them afloat, but also have some big question marks at major positions.
Last season the Northern Illinois Huskies got off to a slow start, starting 1-4 and averaging before turning things around and winning six of their last eight games, including their bowl game. The Camellia Bowl victory snapped an eight game losing streak in bowls and was their first bowl win in 13 years.
They did it by turning their offense around and quietly electing a new play caller. The season started with Eric Eidsness as the offensive coordinator and play-caller. However, after the Huskies averaged a mere 15.75 points and 285.5 yards per game and had a 1-3 record, head coach Thomas Hammock made a switch, promoting then-running backs coach Wesley Beschorner to the position. Under Beschorner, the Huskies offense was much more effective. Over their final nine games, NIU averaged 406.7 yards per game and nearly doubled their scoring output, netting 29 points per game.
NIU’s offense ended up finishing the year second in the MAC in yards per game (369.4) and was fourth in scoring (24.9). They were also second in rushing yards per game (179.6) and fifth in passing yards per game (189.8).
Can NIU repeat, or improve upon, those numbers this season?
Quarterbacks
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Departures:
- Rocky Lombardi (graduation)
- Nevan Cremascoli (transfer portal)
- C.J. Jordan (transfer portal)
- Mason Kidd (transfer portal)
Arrivals:
- Jalen Macon (transfer from Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
- Kenny Lueth (transfer from American River CC)
- Luke Marble (incoming recruit)
Incumbents:
- Ethan Hampton
- Josh Holst
Here’s what we do know: 1) Northern has five quarterbacks listed on their roster, with three juniors and a pair of freshmen making up the numbers and 2) there will be a new starter come August 31st, as Rocky Lombardi has finally run out of eligibility for the Huskies.
It will most likely be Ethan Hampton that replaces Lombardi, but the transfers might make it a battle in fall camps.
Hampton, a redshirt junior who has played in each of the last three seasons for the Huskies, hasn’t been terrible but he hasn’t been all that effective either. In his eight games, he has thrown for 968 yards and nine touchdowns with a completion rate of 57.6 percent while also tossing eight interceptions. The main criticism with Hampton is he checks the ball down often, only averaging 4.5 yards per pass attempt in 2023 (Lombardi’s was at 7.0 last season, his lowest with NIU). Northern has won just one game in which Hampton appeared— the 55-14 blowout win against Akron last season, when he came in to relieve Rocky after the Huskies had built up a 41-point lead.
The most likely candidate we’ll see up against Hampton is newcomer Jalen Macon. Macon, a six-foot-five junior, transferred in from Arkansas-Pine Bluff this offseason where he split time at QB with two others last year. In 2023, Macon was the most effective QB for APB and led the Golden Lions with 657 yards. He also completed 66.3 percent of his throws, and had three touchdowns to just one interception. However, he was sacked a bunch, being brought down fourteen times behind the line of scrimmage.
Another potential quarterback is Kenny Leuth. The junior transferred in from American River Community College. And if that college sounds familiar, it’s because tight end Grayson Barnes went there prior to NIU and was a teammate of Leuth’s back in 2022. The two also both hail from Rocklin, California. In 23 games for ARCC, Leuth amassed 3,530 yards, 41 TDs, and completed 58.2 percent of his throws. The team went 10-2 last year with him at the helm.
Holst, a redshirt freshman, did see some action last year for NIU as the compete team quarterback against the NIU defense but recorded no in game stats. And Marble, a true freshman, is a bit more dual-threat. Last season he threw for 654 yards and ran for an additional 271 yards, scoring 13 total TDs at the high school level.
Running Backs
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Departures:
- Billy Dozier (transfer portal)
- Kendrell Flowers (transfer portal)
- Christian Nash (transfer portal)
Arrivals:
- Telly Johnson Jr. (incoming recruit)
- Elijah Porter (incoming recruit)
- Ahmir Smith (incoming recruit)
- Romelo Ware (incoming recruit)
Incumbents:
- Antario Brown
- Gavin Williams
- Justin Lynch
- Garrett Gensler
- Jaylen Poe
Luckily for the Huskies given their lack of experience at QB, they return their top two running backs, including All-MAC first-teamer Antario Brown.
Brown, now a senior, finished 2023 with 1,296 yards (good for 15th in the NCAA in 2023) and averaged 6.1 yards per carry (second-best in the MAC) while scoring 10 times on the ground. Fellow senior Gavin Williams will back up Brown once again after averaged 5.1 yards per carry en route to 488 yards and three touchdowns in 2023.
Justin Lynch returns for his junior year as a threat to run or pass the ball. The former quarterback-turned-halfback didn’t see as much action last year as he did the year prior appearing in just five games. In 2023, he carried the ball 13 times for 88 yards and a score, while also being a perfect quarterback – going 1-1, for seven yards and a touchdown.
Freshmen Gensler and Poe both redshirted last season, with Gensler seeing no game action and Poe playing in just a single game (44 yards on six carries vs. WMU.)
They are joined by four true freshmen looking to make an immediate impact. Telly Johnson Jr. has ran the ball over 1,200 yards and scored 20+ touchdowns in each of his last two seasons in high school. Ahmir Smith had 1,700 yards and 31 touchdowns last year for Calhoun County High School and Romelo Ware had over 1,500 yards and 21 TDs last season. Finally there’s Elijah Porter, who is the younger brother to Trey Porter, a sophomore safety for the Huskies. Porter had 1,166 yards and 16 TDs on the ground and caught another 216 yards and three scores.
Wide Receivers
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Departures:
- Kacper Rutkiewicz (graduated)
- Davis Patterson (graduated)
- Billy Dozier (transfer portal)
- Trey Urwiler (transfer portal)
- Eli Reed (transfer portal)
Arrivals:
- Kenji Lewis (transferred from Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
- Andrew McElroy (transferred from St. Thomas)
- La’Don Bryant (incoming recruit)
- George Dimopoulos (incoming recruit)
- Jamari McIvory (incoming recruit)
- Rocky Rosanova (incoming recruit)
- Rickey Taylor Jr. (incoming recruit)
Incumbents:
- Trayvon Rudolph
- Christopher Gore
- Jalen Johnson
- Dane Pardridge
- Keyshaun Pipkin
- Kyle Thomas
- Cam Thompson
NIU has 14 wide outs on the roster: two seniors, a junior, four sophomores, and seven freshmen. That’s a lot of underclassmen.
That said, the Huskies’ electric playmaker, Trayvon Rudolph, returns for what should be his final season to give the room some senior leadership after a brief flirtation with the transfer portal. Last year, he led the Huskies in receptions (51) and receiving yards (531), but only had two touchdowns. He was also third on the team in rushing, running for 182 yards and a score on 22 carries.
Redshirt sophomores Jalen Johnson and Dane Pardridge are the only other wide outs returning with more than 100-yards last season. Johnson had 151 yards and a TD on 17 receptions while Pardridge caught 11 passes for 161 yards and a score.
Pipkin, Thomas, and Thompson each recorded stats last season, but were not major targets. Thomas, a redshirt freshman, led the trio with three grabs for 62 yards, while the sophomores, Thompson and Pipkin, netted ten yards on two grabs and a single pass for eight yards, respectively.
There are two upperclassmen joining the Huskies this season that will look to have an quick impact for the Huskies in Andrew McElroy and Kenji Lewis.
Lewis traveled with Jalen Macon from Arkansas-Pine Bluff, leading the Golden Lions last year in receptions (33), yards (401), and touchdowns (three). McElroy, a senior, joins the Huskies after a great year at St. Thomas [MN] (FCS) in 2023. McElroy led the Tommies with 525 yards and two scores on 39 receptions and had 191 kick return yards and 64 punt return yards last season.
Tight Ends
Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
Departures:
- Drew Cassens (transfer portal)
Arrivals:
- Jake Appleget (transferred from Nebraska)
- Devon Akers (incoming recruit)
- Jason Fowler (incoming recruit)
- Chase Schutty (incoming recruit)
- Joe Stein (incoming recruit)
Incumbents:
- Grayson Barnes
- Chris Carter
- Tristen Tewes
Northern has a lot of depth here, with eight tight ends listed on the roster— including moving one of last year’s best receivers, Grayson Barnes, from wide receiver to tight end.
Barnes is the big name to watch for as a receiving tight end after leading the Huskies with five receiving TDs last season. He was also second on the team in yards (422) and third in receptions (23). Carter, another massive player (at six-foot-seven), was tied for second on the team with two TDs and had 178 yards on his dozen catches. Tewes only managed three catches for 34 yards last season, but back in 2022 he was clutch, catching 15 passes for 180 yards and three TDs.
Jake Appleget must love corn. He is former Nebraska Cornhusker that now plays in DeKalb, a city known for their corn and Corn Fest. The sophomore played in six games last year for Nebraska, including their win over the Huskies, but did not record any official stats.
The four true freshmen are all huge as well. Schutty is the smallest at six-foot-four, Fowler stands at six-foot-five, Stein clocking in at six-foot-six, and the tallest being Akers, at six-foot-seven— but a mere 215 pounds. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them rotate in for a few snaps here or there, especially near the goalline with how tall they all are.
Offensive line
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Departures:
- Nolan Potter (graduation)
- Peter Nygra (transfer to Louisville)
- Bubba Hubbard (transfer portal)
- Tyler Pitcel (unlisted)
Arrivals:
- Izuchukwu Ozoh (position change from tight end)
- Logan Gross (incoming recruit)
- Ben Gustafson (incoming recruit)
- Lane Mahnesmith (incoming recruit)
- Aiden Olson (incoming recruit)
- Grey Rumohr (incoming recruit)
Incumbents:
- Abiathar Curry
- Landon Hron
- Michael Jimmar
- Christian Medlock
- Thomas Paasch
- Luke Skartvedt
- Jacob Welch
- Logan Zschernitz
- Matt Schooley
- J.J. Lippe
- John Champe
- Evan Buss
- Evan Malcore
- Drew Hoth
- Luke Pinnick
The Northern Illinois Huskies have had one of the best offensive line units in the MAC over the last… two decades or so. And they enter 2024 with some depth but lost a few big pieces from last season.
NIU, returns most of their five starting offensive linemen with two big holes to fill: those of Nolan Potter and Pete Nygra. Potter, who was signed as a undfrafted free agent to the Atlanta Falcons before being cut last week, played in 56 of NIU’s 57 games since 2019 and started 43 games for the Huskies. Nygra, who transferred to Louisville this off-season, started 12 games last year for the Huskies and 11 back in 2022.
With Nygra transferring out, the Huskies will turn to Logan Zschernitz to snap the ball. Zschernitz, a senior, returned from injury to play in the last five games of 2023. His 2022 season proved he can be a reliable piece of the puzzle after earning third-team All-MAC honors. Zchernitz has played in 39 games, starting 33 of those, but a change to center could have some bumps, as he has been primarily a guard during his career. Matt Schooley will also be in the mix after being the reserve center in 2023, as well as true freshman Aiden Olson, who as of July 11th, was listed as the backup to Zschernitz,
Seniors J.J. Lippe and John Champe should anchor the interior line around whoever plays at center, with Lippe expected to play at left guard and Champe expected to mirror Lippe at right guard. Lippe has started 33 games for the Huskies over the past three seasons, and was a third team All-MAC selection by Phil Steele last year. Champe enters the season as the player with the most appearances on offense, playing in all 45 games the Huskies have played since he joined back in 2020. He has also made 24 consecutive starts for NIU, dating back to week two of 2022.
At tackle, it looks like the Huskies will employ the Evans— Buss and Malcore— on the right and left sides, respectively. Buss, a senior, played in four games last season (starting three) and was able to redshirt to stay eligible for 2024. Malcore, just a sophomore, played in every game last year as a freshman and started seven of the last eight. Backing them up will Drew Hoth and Luke Pinnick. Hoth, a senior, started four games last season and appeared in eight, mostly as a left tackle. Pinnick, a junior, played in 12 games last season, primarily on the field goal unit.
Izuchukwu Ozoh has joined NIU’s offensive line this season. Last year, he was on the line but as a tight end for the Huskies, where he played in 11 games and started two. He was used primarily as a blocker on run plays so the switch to full O-linemen shouldn’t be too big of a jump for him.
Northern also returns seven linemen from last year that didn’t see playing time and five true freshmen.