DeKALB, Ill.  – Ten members of the 2023 Northern Illinois University football team have been named to Athlon Sports' 2023 Preseason All-MAC Team with four receiving first team recognition as countdown to kickoff of the 2023 season hit 100 days on Thursday.
 
Athlon named senior offensive lineman Nolan Potter (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington HS), junior wide receiver Trayvon Rudolph (Crete, Ill./Crete-Monee HS) and defensive tackles James Ester (Detroit, Mich./Cass Tech) and Devonte O'Malley (Midlothian, Ill./Bremen HS) to its Preseason All-MAC first team. A three-year starter at right tackle, Potter earned first team All-MAC recognition from league coaches and Phil Steele in 2022 and returns to anchor a veteran offensive line for the Huskies. Rudolph, who missed the 2022 campaign with an injury sustained in preseason, looks to return to his 2021 form, when he led NIU in receiving with 892 yards on 51 catches and seven touchdowns en route to second team All-MAC honors.
 
Ester and O'Malley each started every game for the Huskies in 2023 with Ester contributing 28 tackles, six for loss, with two sacks and an interception in the end zone for a touchdown in NIU's win at Eastern Michigan. He was a second team All-MAC selection by Phil Steele and PFF.  O'Malley tied for the team lead with 5.5 sacks and recorded 36 tackles, seven for loss, in 2023. He has 11.5 career sacks to lead all returning NIU players.
 
Safety C.J. Brown (Canton, Mich./Walled Lake Western HS), offensive guard Logan Zschernitz (Spencer, Wis./Spencer HS) and running back Antario Brown (Savannah, Ga./Beach HS) received second team preseason All-MAC nods from Athlon Sports. C.J. Brown led NIU in tackles for the second consecutive season and has made 196 stops in 32 career games. Zschernitz is a 32-game starter while Antario Brown is NIU's leading returning rusher with a career average of 6.4 yards per carry and 1,227 career rushing yards.
 
Two more NIU offensive linemen were named to Athlon's All-MAC team for 2023 with sophomore center Pete Nygra (North Indianapolis, Ind./Brownsburg HS) listed on the third team and junior John Champe (Brookfield, Wis./Brookfield East HS) receiving fourth team honors. A third NIU defensive lineman, defensive end Ray Thomas (Racine, Wis./Washington Park HS), earned a third team preseason selection. He leads all NIU returning defensive linemen with 112 career tackles and led the Huskies in tackles for loss a year ago with nine.
 
NIU opens the 2023 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 2 at Boston College and welcomes Southern Illinois to Huskie Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 9 for the home opener.
 
Football season ticket prices for NIU's six-game home schedule in 2023 are unchanged from a year ago, beginning from as little as $97 annually for general admission (East Side) tickets with payment plans available. Reserved seat pricing on the West Side is $144 (sections A, B, F) and $162 (sections C, D, E) annually.  Purchase four season tickets with Huskie Family 4 Pack for even greater discounts. To review all the ticket options, including a new West Side general admission section, go to NIUHuskies.com/tickets or call 815-753-PACK (7225).
 
Through the new Build Your Membership plan, NIU fans can customize their game day experience by adding parking, hospitality passes and more to their season ticket orders on an a la carte basis. Premium seating opportunities – including in the chairback section and the SkyBox – are available. Find information on the opportunity to Build Your Membership or to directly support NIU Football through the Huskie Athletic Fund click here. 
 
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