DeKALB, Ill. – After practicing in two separate groups for the first three days of 2024 preseason camp, the Northern Illinois University football team came together Saturday afternoon for the first full squad practice. NIU spent two hours in shorts, shoulder pads and helmets on the warmest day so far.
 
Head coach Thomas Hammock was pleased with the way the team handled the heat and the level of competition on Saturday.
 
"I think they braved the elements pretty well," Hammock said. "We've got a lot of guys competing and you can see that competition throughout the practice. I love the intensity and the urgency.  I thought the offense started with a good set. We did some plays from two-point range. We call it five shots and best of three win. As practice went along, the defense gained momentum. Our d-line is really, really strong up front. If we can block those guys, we have a chance to be successful on offense."
 
During 2024 spring drills, the NIU defense that finished 2023 ranked in the Top 25 in the country and returns nine starters, had the better of the offense through most of the practices.  So far this fall, Hammock has seen the offense respond with positive plays.  
 
"The offense is giving the defense a lot to think about," Hammock said. "They have to defend the whole field. They have to defend down the field, and they have to defend the run game. I love the creativity that the offense is presenting and that's going to make us better on both sides of the ball. In the spring, the defense would gain momentum and keep that momentum. So far in this camp, offensively, they are finding plays to stop the momentum and to turn the momentum in their favor."
 
Even with the whole team practicing together throughout the two hours, NIU continued to ensure that the younger players receive repetitions so they can continue to develop, just as they did during the split squad days earlier this week.  It's a philosophy to develop the entire roster that has been a hallmark of Hammock's teams over the past several years.
 
"We want to give those young guys reps," Hammock said. "We have a pretty good plan of how we want to continue to develop our whole team throughout the season. Those [young] guys are really working hard. They picked things up that we need to do, and I think it's only right to continue to try to find ways to give them reps. The plan is to try to give them 20 to 25 reps a day to try to get those guys developed."
 
Several of those young guys have already shown Hammock that they are ready for the reps with any group, beginning with redshirt freshman safety Santana Banner (Flint, Mich./Mountain View [Ga.] HS), who played in five games, including the bowl game, last year. Hammock also mentioned seven true freshmen on offense who have come out strong in the early workouts, going so far as to call the freshmen running backs the best group of his tenure.
 
"Santana Banner is a man," Hammock said. "He's going to be a good player. We have to make sure he plays under control all the time. We have four young freshman backs (Ahmir Smith, Romelo Ware, Telly Johnson and Elijah Porter) that are outstanding. I don't know if they can play this year, but they are outstanding. I think they are the best group we've had here. We've got two young wide receivers in La'Don Bryant and George Dimopolous that are really, really good, and we have a young tight end – Jason Fowler – who is playing well.  So we have some guys that you don't expect to come in from a physical standpoint and a mental standpoint and be able to take reps with the older guys."
 
On Sunday, the Huskies practice in full pads for the first time before an off day on Monday.
 
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