Sometimes losing an assistant coach allows you the chance to get one of the top assistants in the country. Such is the case with Northern Illinois after they lost wide receivers coach Thad Ward recently. Ward left NIU for Champagne, Ill. to take the running backs coach position at Illinois, but the Huskies bounced back by hiring Bob Bostad to coach their offensive line.
What makes this hire such a good one is two-fold, the first being that Bostad has coached nothing but offensive lineman. Since 1990 he has continuously coached the big guys up front. He made his name as the offensive line coach under Bret Bielema at Wisconsin, where the Badgers finished with top-15 rushing attacks in each of his final four seasons in Madison.
Bostad then left the Badgers for the professional ranks, coaching along the offensive line for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans. Joe Tripodi is still listed as the offensive line coach for NIU, but Ward’s departure may pave the way for both to stay on staff.
After finishing in the top 18 nationally in rushing annually from 2009-14, Northern Illinois plunged to 41st in 2015.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
