Football | December 20

DeKALB, Ill. – Northern Illinois University Head Football Coach Rod Carey announced the signing of 24 players to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday as the Huskies' took advantage of the new December early signing period to lock up its 2018 class.
 
"Obviously, we are excited about the class," Carey said during a Wednesday morning press conference at the Yordon Center.  "[It was] a completely different Signing Day and Signing Day feel than I have ever been through before.  It does not lessen our excitement.  This is probably the best class that we have had here.  I know I say that every year, but this class is really a continuation of the class we signed last year, because that's when the recruiting process for this group started, just like we have already started recruiting for the 2019 class now."
 
The Huskies' 2018 recruiting class signed Wednesday includes 14 players from Illinois and nine more from the Midwest with Kewan Parker, a linebacker from Miami, Fla. (Carol City High School) as the lone outlier.
 
"[The emphasis on Illinois] was intentional," Carey said.  "Last year at this time, we saw the landscape of the class that the state of Illinois was going to have in 2018.  There are always great players and great football in the state, we have good connections with the high school coaches and Illinois was something we decided to go after starting last year at this time."
 
All but two of NIU's 14 Illinois recruits are from Chicagoland, while seven of the nine Midwest signees are from states that border Illinois, including three from Wisconsin, two from Indiana and one each from Iowa and Missouri.  The Huskies also signed Zhamaine March, a defensive back from Detroit, where NIU will play in the Quick Lane Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 26 versus Duke. 
 
Defensive backs, linebackers and wide receivers make up 14 of the 24 new Huskies with five defensive backs, five receivers and four linebackers.  NIU signed three linemen on each side of the ball, one quarterback, one running back, a tight end and a kicker. 
 
"Each year, in a perfect world, what you try to do is recruit a team, a starting 11 on each side and some specialists," Carey said.  "This year, we had to concentrate on DBs and wide outs because we are losing quite a bit in those areas with senior graduation.  Those are the guys that can come in right away, unlike on offensive and defensive line where it is rare that a younger lineman helps you right away, although we had that happen this year with Weston Kramer and Isaac Hawn."    
 
Carey said Wednesday's signings will likely wrap up most of the 2018 recruiting class and that, with the addition of the Early Signing Period for the first time this December and official visits this spring, he believes most signings will now occur in December going forward.  He credited his staff with putting the class together and being prepared for the changes in the recruiting calendar.

"My staff did an unbelievable job with this class," he said. "These guys are the ones out there working, so kudos to them. Except for a few [players], everybody was pretty much [committed] in August. The early signing day worked from that standpoint, I think, and that's a tribute to our staff."

NIU also continued preparations for its Quick Lane Bowl match-up with Duke on Tuesday, December 26 at Detroit's Ford Field on Wednesday.  The Huskies will practice in DeKalb on Wednesday and Thursday before departing for Detroit Friday. The Quick Lane Bowl kicks off at 4:15 p.m. CT/5:15 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN and the ESPN App.  
 
-- NIU --