Football | August 15
DeKALB, IL – It's the third phase of football, often bringing up the rear in the phrase "offense, defense, special teams". For many players on the Northern Illinois University football team, it is on special teams where they will have a chance to contribute to the team's success.
"It's what I like the most about special teams," said special teams coordinator and linebackers coach Cory Connolly. "You get a chance to truly coach everyone on the team. Sometimes as coaches we get isolated to just our position group and our side of the ball. I get to coach the offensive line on field goal. If there's a quarterback who's also a holder I get to coach him. All the skill players will be on those four core units. I embrace the role and love it."
While some of the specialists are new, the players who are covering and blocking on kicks and punts have experience.
"We have a lot of guys on special teams who are in backup roles who can play more snaps on special teams," head coach
Thomas Hammock said. "The first two guys who come to mind are
Trey Porter and
Elijah Porter. They are going to be core special teams guys for us. Those types of guys, like
Justin Lynch,
Keshawn Lyons,
Marc Pretto that can find those roles and work tremendously hard and understand the value of that third of the game give you the chance to have a complete football team."
On Wednesday, Hammock announced to the team that redshirt-sophomore punter Danny Vukovic (Kildeer, Ill./Lake Zurich) had earned a scholarship for this season. Vukovic backed up graduated senior
Tom Foley the last two seasons.
"He's developed and honed in on his consistency," Hammock said of Vukovic. "He has a tremendous leg and has done a phenomenal job this training camp. Danny will be a weapon for us flipping the field."
The Huskies also have a new placekicker in senior
Andrew Glass (Wheeling, W.Va./Kent State). Glass earned All-Mid-American Conference honors twice in four years at Kent State, earning second team honors in 2023. He was 15-for-17 on field goals that season with a long of 48 yards. In 2022 Glass made a 50-yard field goal against Ohio, only the fourth field goal in Kent State history of at least 50 yards.
"Andrew is as advertised and even better," said Connolly. "He's a real pro in the way he handles and prepares himself. He treats the practice reps like game reps and he's a great leader of the specialist group."
NIU opens the 2025 season on Saturday, August 30 at 2:30 p.m. against Holy Cross at Huskie Stadium. Season and single game tickets are on sale now for the 2025 NIU Football season. Season ticket prices for NIU's six 2025 home games begin at as little as $110 each for a general admission ticket. With the purchase of the Huskie 4-Pack (four or more tickets), pay $110 each for a reserved seat in sections A, B or F on the West Side. Reserved west side seats are priced at $152 or $170 with discounts available for NIU alumni, NIU faculty/staff, DeKalb County residents, seniors (62+) and members of the Varsity Club (former student-athletes). Tickets are also on sale for NIU's road games at Maryland and Mississippi State though the NIU Athletics Ticket Office.
Purchase tickets for the 2025 NIU Football season anytime online at
NIUHuskies.com/tickets. For more information, call the NIU Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225) weekdays between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. or email
huskiestickets@niu.edu.
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