2024 NIU Weekly - Huskie Football Update

husky fans welcome to a special edition of NIU weekly 20124 football not too far away NIU football getting through Spring ball now we're going through the summer months getting ready August 31st taking on Western it's not gonna be too far away uh looking forward to it we're to hear from Thomas hammock in just a little bit talks about the offense the defense what he got out of Spring ball that's all coming up but I want to remind you right it's here we got to get our season t tickets and it's time to get those renewals in season tickets as well get the 2024 season tickets right now renew or purchase new season tickets online anytime at NIU huskies.com my Huskies or call 815 753 pack that's 815 7537 225 during normal business hours the 2024 schedule includes six home games including five Saturday games looking forward to all the Saturday games six home games five on Saturdays season ticket prices start at $105 for general admission tickets and $152 for reserved Westside seating with parking included great deal discounts are available for alumni faculty and staff and senior citizens we want you to be in the stand starting August 31st the season kicks off taking on West Illinois be at Husky Stadium get your season tickets now to the 2024 season really looking forward to it not too far away couple months away get your season tickets now renew or get the new tickets looking forward to the 2024 season now it's time suck little football with the man Thomas Hammond well now you football's gotten through Spring ball now we look forward to the summer months new freshman coming in and getting ready for August 31st it all kicks off taking on Western Illinois and Thomas hammock joins me now and Thomas good to see you and and just talk about your thoughts and and what your team's progress you able to get through as you got through April and in Spring ball no I I really like the progress that we made uh this spring I thought that our team has matured have grown up uh we have a lot of guys that been through a lot of different experiences here number one it was great to keep them all in our program uh but number two it was good to see the maturation process of those guys becoming leaders and taking the ownership of our football team and and right now we are a player team uh and and I feel like that's the best type of Team you can have going into a season and I'm excited to see how we continue to develop throughout the summer uh in training camp we talked during or before Spring ball too just about how physical you wanted it to be and we saw the ones go against the ones and we saw some physicality uh during spring ball did you get the physicality that you wanted out of that yeah we definitely kept our Edge uh you know we were able to stay sharp uh and stay healthy which I think is critical course it's is finding that happy balance right of uh making sure guys don't get complacent making sure guys understand the urgency uh and the one thing about our football team is we have so much competition uh that that keeps guys coming back each and every single day to practice as best they can practice because although we have a lot of guys that's played uh and started games for us we have a lot of other guys with experience that want to little more playing time so for us we felt like the best way to uh protect our team stay sharp and continue to to improve uh was to get that one-on-one work uh this spring and we'll continue to do do that throughout fall Camp one of the biggest positives of last year's team was the defensive side Thomas and again going through Spring ball what did you see on the defensive side as you went through the last month well I think they're going to be a much improved unit um I think uh guys have have a better understanding of what we trying to do defensively uh we've been able to add more different uh schemes uh and that they can process because they have the foundation of of our defense so you can put more on them they've had experiences and it was really a challenge uh for us offensively this spring I mean the different looks uh that they give you uh the different guys that can Blitz Blitz the different uh multiple personnels uh I think our defensive staff did a great job this off season looking at the Baltimore Ravens looking at the San Francisco 49ers looking at the Houston Texans uh three teams that utilize uh multiple fronts uh interchangeable parts uh schematically I think coach benedetto puts it do a good job of making it simple uh for the players where they can play as fast as they can play and what you saw was really uh good Improvement on all three levels uh our defensive line our linebackers added you know a guy like Christian Ferman in the middle and then on the back end uh you saw guys uh getting their hands on the ball and and making interceptions that we haven't made since I've been here so we want to be opportunistic as far as creating turnovers um but at least but but still be sound in our ability to execute our our defense and they bring some juice too on the defensive side you know they'll they'll talk the game Thomas but they they've stepped up and and they've played well to to to to prove that talk and and be able to be out there and have a little Swagger too no I mean they they they have great Swagger and it's it's the best thing for our offense I mean to have the ability to go against a defense and a unit with nine starters returning lots of experience uh guy like Pierce oakr was out last year who started gain for us his back uh and it it it sharkens us um it makes the whole team better uh and it creates that edge um and that that mindset uh that we can continue to uh you know it's like it's like a a python you know squeezing people it's just we can continue to choke choke people out being able to play good in all three phases of our football team you mentioned two names Christian Ferman and newcomer and and Pier oons who's been part of the program what are some other names that stood out for you in the defensive side yeah I think Devonte Ali was uh an absolute Beast um this spring he made it very uncomfortable uh to to practice against and I think that's what you that's what you want to see you want to see a game recer up front Skyler Gil Howard is another guy Kate hin had his best spring uh to date um and it you always want to see your seniors play their best football uh then Rory Williams we obviously know he's a problem on the edge uh Ferman was was really good at the linebacker level Quinn erwe did a nice job feel like we got two guys there that that gives us a nice rotation uh Jadon dolphin um really is is you know a couple years at the position now he's comfortable we moved him to the whe linebacker spot uh less responsibility but uh more ability to make to be a playmaker Jan Buffett he really held down the nickel spot for us last year and and now he's he's he's taken off to a much higher level uh you know one cool thing about Jaan at the end of after the bowl game um James Essa thought that jine was a leader and needed to wear number one and so he presented number one to justan which I thought was a cool moment for a guy that's has really made a niche in our program with the way he does things am Aran knon Finley and bird uh and shy dney feel like we got four corns we can go out and win with uh Play Man coverage and play play lock down uh Nate backer all and Cyrus at the safety position then a young kid Santana Banner uh he's a guy that you know we wanted to play a lot more as a as a true freshman uh you know he won the red shirt we had other plans but we wind up red shirting him last year but he's certainly a guy to me I think could force his way into the mix as a as a guy on the backend of our defense offensively again you know about Trayvon Rudolph the interio brown of course we're have a change at the quarterback position but overall what did you see from the offense in the spring yeah no I I really like first of all the starts up front so you know we feel like I know people think we lost starters from last year and we did but I feel like we gained starters this year I think we have five returning starters back up front uh with Evan bus who missed time last year because of and Logan sheres Miss time last year because of his his Achilles those are two guys that started multiple years for us that are back healthy uh to add with JJ Lippy John champ and Evan malor all five of our guys up front have started uh at various times throughout their career uh they they experienced I think coach meals our offensive line coach has done a phenomenal job with that group getting them to buy in it's hard to come in with a veteran group group and get him to play better uh and they certainly play better um at the running back position a young guy like J Jaylen po uh he's going to force himself to have an opportunity to get reps uh Justin Lynch uh did a nice job we gonna have packages for him to to be involved in a variety of things he's good uh running back good catching the ball good blocking uh good lined up as a wide receiver so he'll have a a package and at the wide receiver position I feel like we got about six 7even deep uh at that position um you know guys that we feel like can make plays Kyle Thomas is a young guy that played at the end of last year Dane Partridge Kenji Lewis cam Thompson um you know keesan Pipkin uh is a guy that we we feel like he he's put himself in position to be a BigTime uh contributor for us and then that that doesn't count out tight ends Grayson Barnes and Jake appleget uh and Christian Carter uh those give us weapons to create mismatches so you know for us uh the way I look at it you know the two questions I get all the time is who's the quarterback and are you ready to play Notre Dame and and the great thing about where we're at is you know when you have a good team around the quarterback position there's no rush to make a decision uh we G to take out time and go through the process and see who separates them and so we got three guys we feel like we can win with uh they all bring uh a little bit something different to the party which I think is tremendous now we can uh this this summer uh you know we can plan different ways to use those guys and how we want to play offense to make sure we can maximize our team you mentioned that leadership upfront right with the offensive line and you're trying to find more Playmakers and you brought in some guys my receiver that tight end some of the names you mentioned again the more Playmakers you can get on this offense it's going to help with that quarterback position yeah I think uh you know guys got to make plays uh around them but also you know we have some quarterbacks that have the ability to use their legs which creates more plays so uh you know we'll find a happy balance of of you know who gives us the best chance to win uh as well as be a playmaker at that position because you know if you have a playmaker at that position um you know you can separate and and that's what we're trying to do we feel like we have a defense that if we can get the lead uh can really make it uncomfortable for people we really good on special team so now it's about separation and and and that's what we going to work extremely hard uh this summer uh to find ways to separate uh in games you talked a little bit about the summer expanding the schedule between now and fall Camp players return uh what are you looking forward to what what's the staff working on right now Tom yeah so from a staff perspective you know we're breaking down some opponents uh looking at some you know obviously we got a new pod with Bowling Green who we're not familiar with haven't played him in a couple years so you know we have an opportunity to look down the road and game plan and uh pre-plan uh you know we got a short week against Miami of Ohio a six day a six day turnaround so uh we have a chance in the summer to uh you know put things in position uh build libraries of how we want to play how we want to play situational football uh what's the best way to help us win uh where our players can can be able to pick it up in the summertime so our players come back May 20 we'll run our run test they everybody has to pass the run test uh and then then they'll start um into lifting on the on the 29th so uh excited about those guys where they're at I think they left on a on a great note obviously you know winning that bowl game gave us a lot of positive momentum going into the off season uh and to be able to have you know 30 plus seniors uh on on your team in this day and age of college football is is unique and is real and that I think that goes to speak about the culture of our program our players enjoy being here they like being here they treated it well uh and those things still matter uh to certain people yeah we definitely saw that Thomas a lot people stayed we didn't see a lot of turnover uh going into this season some other things that really have stood out academics new GPA record Thomas I know I you saw a graduation had some pictures out on social media it's an important part right student athlete and that student being most important and it seemed like you guys had a great semester yeah I think maybe I'm a dinosaur or something but I still believe in in the student athlete model right uh you want guys to to graduate uh have a great uh college experience but also be prepared for life and if you're not doing that as a coach then what are we doing and I think it's important for us and the way we do things and how we do things to continue to recruit individuals that you know want to go to school uh want to do things right want to uh play competitive college football at at the highest level uh and we found a nice niche with those type of individuals and I think we got to continue to do so because you know when it's not good everybody's asking what's the problem right know when it is good nobody says hey you guys have done a great job so uh for me personally is important uh to help these young men develop as men as people and then obviously in the process try to win as many games as we can win you men the 30 plus seniors on the RW so you got an incoming class coming in no two and bring in freshness into the program as always what excites you about this class coming in well I think you know the thing that excites me about this class is uh the amount of speed that's coming in uh we got we got seven guys that run under under 107 uh and I think that's important um you know I think uh you know what happens is sometime people get lost in recruiting rankings and stars um but recruiting rankings and stars was always a money grab right they they are trying to pay for subscriptions um what we do as a staff is evaluate the talent uh evaluate young men and see what they can project to uh and we got you know guys running 106 107 1068 1066 1074 uh you know coming in so we've been able to add a speed element um that we haven't had now you know the great luxury we at now is they will have to absolutely floor us uh to have a chance to to get out there and show what they can do but we got some spots you know kickoff returner uh we can you know use a guy that can be a great kickoff returner uh punt returner uh there are some situations where we can use some guys and spots that can create an advantage uh for our football team and so I'm excited to get those guys on campus is a great group but really this this group uh that we signed is really the refoundation of our program right you lose 33 seniors that means you have to have a group coming in that you feel confident about that can replace them and uh I like this class I think it may be our best class that we've signed uh to date now let's get them in and they have a year to to get themselves in position to be as good as they can be and then and try to get them to play hopefully by the rest freshman Seasons some other things I saw some videos some picks of the new field it's almost done right Thomas all down and uh having a new Turf coming in 2024 no it look it looks fantastic uh you know I I told the administration I was looking for a fast surface because we have a fast football team and uh they they they came through um it's is a tremendous surface uh those guys are working extremely hard on it can't wait to get our team on that and start sett on the field and understanding you know how we can play on that type of surface but uh the surface was phenomenal um I think it's very similar to Boston College which I thought was the best surface we played on last season and anxious to to welcome our team and and have the ability to get out there you're looking ahead again you talked about the new pod no divisional scheduling right it's just now one through 12 in the Mac it's going to be interesting how that folds out and now the 2024 schedule I mean going to Notre Dame at n State you got Western Illinois starting at home so as you guys as coaches have start to looked at it it's tough for fans and players not to think about going to Notre Dame going to NC State but also getting the job done early starting out at home trying to get a win Western allo but always exciting kind of looking forward I know you don't want to look too forward but it's always fun just looking like at the schedule 2024 and what could be time yeah no I I to me the great thing about the schedule is uh you got two games in the bi week so you get uh training camp and then two games almost like uh preseason games to figure out who you are what you're about uh what what what do you need to adjust uh for the Long Haul and obviously with a new quarterback back um at the helm who whoever wins the job you have a chance to really allow that guy to grow into the position uh after two games self Scout what he do well what didn't go so well and then obviously put him in position uh to be successful over the next 10 games hey you've been busy right balla PJ Champion Florida some good picks you've been over all over the place but you're you're representing NIU and and and trying to get the name out even more Thomas and you're always out and about and I know you're looking forward to just coming back home and and getting ready for the the summer yeah you know obviously getting out and and talking to donors and meeting donors and and and trying to uh you know raise money for our program is Paramount U we in a position where to me if we can enhance the experience uh for the young men in our program and find ways to strategically uh you know give them as much as we can give them uh we have a great product uh in in a good situation in a great recruiting area uh with great history of this program so I'm really really excited new Turf uh we got some other things in the works uh you know that I think could really enhance the student athlete experience because uh at the end of the day if you can make it good for the players and make it a great experience uh you know some things money can't buy uh and and so I think that's important for us to figure out who we are what we want to do and to me I want to make it great for our student athletes in our program we're going to love them up as coach Coes treat them like men help them develop uh and parents still put value on that so we're going to continue to do those things great catching up with you have a great summer and uh we're getting closer to the season looking forward to it appreciate it and go Huskies it was great talking to Thomas hammock again just getting his thoughts about Spring ball and I do think you're going to see more of talent From the Bench more just having depth on this squad you know he talked a little bit about the speed too we saw a little bit of that in Spring ball we know some of the incoming freshman are going to have some speed as well see what happens we get ready for the 20 24 season NIU football hey couple things coming up on the schedule uh we talked a little bit about going to Notre Dame NC State those tickets are now available by SE for season ticket holders and husky athletic fund members all right you can get those now the priority window is from May 20th through June 6 check your email or call the HF at 815 7531 1923 for more information again husky games at Notre Dame NC State they're available right now for season ticket holders and HAF members so get in there and get those tickets for Notre Dame and NC State don't forget you can see coach hammock and all the husky head coaches coming up June 4th through June 6 at this year's husky summer circuit hope you get out to the summer circuit it's GNA be a lot of fun head coaches and vice president director of Athletics and Recreation shant T Frasier will be out now here's the schedule right he'll be in Rockford at the Hard Rock opening act on June 4th at dickis and O Brook Terrace on June 5th and at the Pana Brewery on June 6 so Rockford on June 4th oakberg Terrace June 5th and Pana Brewery June 6 all right at the summer circuit events you have the chance to talk to all the coaches hear each them about their programs they're going to win some raffle prizes come out might have a chance to win some prizes get season tickets enjoy free appetizers and a cash bom find the registration Link at ni huskies.com so join us this season upcoming in June and the summer circuit again thanks for watching this special edition of Ni weekly and looking forward to the NIU football season coming up in just a couple months get those season tickets join us at the summer circuit but also subscribe to this YouTube CH Channel we have upcoming things press conferences interviews highlights and more we kind of tease you as you get ready for the 2024 season right here subscribe to this YouTube channel always thank you for watching appreciate Thomas hammock joining me as we get closer to the fall thank you go Huskies and stay tuned for 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