DEKALB, Ill. – One of the nation's top preseason college football publications,
Phil Steele's College Football Preview, has named four Huskies to its first team, and 10 Northern Illinois University players to one of its four All-MAC squads.
Steele's preseason All-MAC team features eight NIU defensive players and two Huskies from the offensive side of the ball. First teamers Jack Helfin,
Antonio Jones-Davis,
Kyle Pugh and
Jordan Steckler lead a Huskie team that ranks No. 12 on Steele's Experience Chart.
The defending MAC Champions, who are predicted to finish second in the MAC West by Steele, return 52 letterwinners and 16 starters to a team that posted an 8-6 record last season, including a "Boneyard" win at BYU and a 30-29 come-from-behind upset victory over Buffalo in the MAC Championship Game to earn its fourth league title in the last eight years.
Linebackers Jones-Davis (130) and Pugh (106) ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, in tackles for NIU last season, while Heflin is the Huskies' top returner in sacks with 6.0 in 2018. Steckler started 10 games for NIU in 2019, all at right tackle.
Tailback
Tre Harbison and safety
Mykelti Williams were named to the second team, while defensive tackle
Weston Kramer and cornerback
Jalen McKie earned a place on the third team. Linebacker Lance Deveaux and safety
Trayshon Foster were tabbed to the fourth team.
Harbison averaged 5.0 yards a carry en route to NIU's first 1,000-yard rushing season by a tailback since 2015. Williams and McKie led the Huskies in interceptions in 2018 with two a piece. Deveaux, Foster and Kramer ranked in the top-10 in tackles for NIU last season, ranking fourth, seventh and eighth, respectively.
NIU alumnus
Thomas Hammock, who was hired as the Huskies' 23rd head football coach in January, makes his head coaching debut August 31, 2019 when the Huskies welcome in-state foe Illinois State to Huskie Stadium.
Season tickets for the 2019 NIU Football home schedule are on sale now, starting at as little as $60 for an East Side (general admission) season ticket. Purchase four tickets for family or a group of friends on either the East or West Side for as little as $55 or $75 per person with the Huskie Family Pack, including the ability to purchase tickets at those rates for additional people. For groups of less than four, reserved seats on the West Side are priced at either $125 (sections C, D, E) or $110 (sections A, B, F, G) each, while senior citizens (62+), NIU Faculty and Staff, members of the NIU Alumni Association or the NIU Varsity Club can purchase a ticket in any West Side section for $110.
To renew or purchase new season tickets and #JointhePack for 2019, click the links above, which are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Tickets are also available by calling 815-753-PACK (7225), emailing huskiestickets@niu.edu or stopping by the NIU Athletics Ticket Office in the Convocation Center, which is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
-NIU-
