Carifio: 5 burning questions heading into NIU fall camp

Bright and early Wednesday morning, the Northern Illinois University football team will take the field at either Huskie Stadium or the Chessick Center to open fall camp ahead of the 2023 season.

The 2022 season did not go according to plan for the Huskies, as injuries had a hand in turning a MAC championship team into cellar dwellers in the MAC West.

But what is fall camp if not optimism persevering? Here are five questions we’ll hopefully see an answer to before camp ends and the season begins Sept. 2 at Boston College.

1. Is Brock Lampe a secret weapon?

The junior fullback out of Kenosha, Wisconsin, has played 18 games in two seasons and has two career receptions.

Lampe had a strong spring – earning not only an offensive player of the week award from the coaching staff but winning a Hard Hat award for the spring from the coaches. Throw in coach Thomas Hammock’s love of the fullback position – just look at the impact hybrid RB/FB Clint Ratkovich had on the 2021 season – and you have the potential for a breakout season for Lampe.

2. What kind of impact does Trayvon Rudolph have?

The junior missed all of last season, and his injury in preseason camp was kind of a harbinger of things to come.

In 2021, he had a record-setting day against Kent State, making 14 catches for 309 yards. Both numbers were school and conference single-game records. In 2022, he was on the sideline in boot.

As a reminder, Hammock and the Huskies are very secretive about injuries, usually not even confirming if the reason a player is missing a game or practice is because of an injury or not. And obviously, that means the nature of an injury is not disclosed either.

Obviously, Rudolph will have a big impact on offense. But he’s also a dynamite kick returner, averaging 23.6 yards per return in his career. He also has returned two punts, a role that could be poised to increase as well with the graduation of Cole Tucker.

3. What happens if Rocky Lombardi gets hurt again?

Lombardi missed all but four games last season in what was supposed to be his swan song. But he was granted a medical redshirt and will return this year. Obviously, he has high goals and high ability, so frankly we know what his impact on the team will be.

But let’s get all Negative Nancy here for a minute. Let’s say Lombardi gets hurt again. Are the Huskies in better shape now without Lombardi than they were last year?

In theory, it seems like a resounding yes. Ethan Hampton – last year’s backup – got hurt shortly after Lombardi and missed the year. But Hampton was back for the entirety of the spring, taking all the first-string snaps and running the offense while Lombardi continued to heal.

So unless Lombardi and Hampton both get hurt, the Huskies should be very formidable at quarterback. And what are the odds of them both getting hurt? Well, what are the odds of them both getting hurt, again?

4. So how’s the secondary looking?

Last year, the Huskies were 101st in the country in pass defense. But Shaad Dabney is in from Kansas and Gabriel Amegatcher is here from Nebraska-Kearney and they are hoping to lead a revamped secondary.

Throw Amegatcher and Dabney in with returners like juniors Jashon Prophette and JaVaughn Byrd, sophomore Ty Myles and freshmen Jacob Finley and Amariyun Knightley, and that’s some depth as everyone has seen some level of playing time because of the injury woes last year.

And that’s not even getting into safety, where CJ Brown is back after leading the team in tackles the past two seasons. Plus, there’s Nate Valcarcel, Muhammed Jammeh and Cyrus McGarrell, who all had significant playing time last season. Plus transfer DaRon Gilbert, who started 11 games for Lafayette and was an All-Patriot League selection.

5. Is the front seven for the Huskies really, really good?

I mean, I’ve used the phrase scary good to describe the group more than once. Senior tackle James Ester is on all manner of preseason teams. Junior end Raishien Thomas keeps getting better, as does sophomore Devin Lafayette – who plays the team’s hybrid LB/DB position.

And then you get into the true linebackers which is the deepest defensive position by far.

So it seems like the front seven is really, really good. But a month of smashing into their teammates will provide even more clarity.