NIU football: Marengo grad Josh Holst in mix for starting QB job

DeKALB – He’s technically still a freshman.

But in his second year with the NIU football team, Josh Holst finds himself in the middle of a competition for the starting quarterback job for the Huskies after one season as a QB on the scout team.

“Coming in last year, I was the young guy with a bunch of old people in the room,” the 6-foot-4, 192-pound redshirt freshman from Marengo said. “Now only me and Ethan [Hampton] are the only two, everyone else is new here. Everyone in the room is really cool. It’s really fun to be in that race and compete with all the other quarterbacks. It makes me better.”

Coach Thomas Hammock said Holst, Hampton and Arkansas-Pine Bluff transfer Jalen Macon are locked in a battle for the starting job when the season kicks off Aug. 31 against Western Illinois in DeKalb. The team is trying to replace Rocky Lombardi, who in three years with the Huskies led them to a MAC title and bowl win.

Hampton is the only one who has started for NIU, playing in 11 total games. The redshirt junior from Aurora Christian has completed 58% of his passes for 968 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Huskies are 0-7 in games in which he has thrown five or more passes.

Macon, a redshirt junior, appeared in six games last season for UAPB before missing the rest of the year. He completed 66% of his passes for 631 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

Holst doesn’t have the experience of his two competitors but was a three-time Northwest Herald all-area selection, including a first-team selection in 2022.

“He’s more confident in himself. He knows he has the ability to go out there and win the job."

—  Thomas Hammock, NIU head coach

He helped Marengo to the playoffs in 2021 and 2022.

“No. 1, he’s a great kid,” NIU offensive coordinator Wesley Beschorner said. “He’s been a winner. I know that just from his high school days. He’s a good athlete and a smart young man. I think all of that equals [being] a good leader. He’s not the most vocal guy in the world, but he does things the right way.”

Holst said in addition to trying to get his weight up, he’s working on becoming a more vocal leader as he looks to win the starting quarterback job.

“Even though I’m young I need to act like I’ve been here a while,” Holst said. “I need to be a great leader to all these older guys, even though I’m older than them.”

Hammock said Holst’s development in that regard is noticeable.

“He came in quiet, more reserved, more laid back,” Hammock said. “Obviously, he’s become more assertive. He’s more confident in himself. He knows he has the ability to go out there and win the job. When you have that level of confidence, now you have to be consistent day in and day out to try and go win it.”

Holst said he feels like he has a good balance of being able to read plays and stay in the pocket or scramble for a gain if he needs to. He said with the defense as strong as it is – it was a top-25 unit nationally last year in yards allowed – smart decision-making is key.

“That’s what you want, that’s the goal coming in,” Holst said. “You want to get reps in spring, that’s when I can show myself. Last year, I was on the scout team, did pretty good on there. It’s just taking every opportunity to just show I can do what I can do. I feel like I’ve shown that to the coaches and they obviously have seen it as time went on.”

Holst said he likes the offense installed by Beschorer when he took over the offensive coordinator position midway through last season.

Beschorner said Holst is doing everything he can to win the job.

“Anytime you’re doing the little things correctly, and maybe working a little harder than what we’re asking him to do, that gives you a chance to be in the running to be a starting quarterback or a backup quarterback or a guy that travels,” Beschorner said. “Those guys have been in a good battle. They’ve all accepted it as a leadership role as well.”