Countdown to Camp 2012- 10 Questions with Coach Cat

Question #7

Q: What coaching staff changes have taken place from last year to this year?


A: We have had several coaching changes, but the "core" group of our coaches has remained the same. On the defensive side of the ball, we have added two coaches, Bryan McNulty and Nick Nikolich.

I have known Bryan for five years, while he was an assistant coach, and Head JV coach at Warren Township High School. Bryan was the DuPage Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year both his Junior and Senior year, while captaining the Naperville Central team. Bryan was named first team all-state by both the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, and the Champaign News-Gazette. After graduation, Bryan continued his playing career first at the College of DuPage where he was named the team MVP and all-conference before accepting a full scholarship to attend Northern Michigan where he became the teams starting linebacker. Coach McNulty will take over the safeties as Coach Parker will be coaching the Cornerbacks this upcoming season.

Coach Nikolich joined our staff during the spring, and brings an impressive football resume with him to our coaching staff. Coach Nikolich is a graduate of Libertyville High School where he was an all-area and all-conference player while starring at linebacker while captaining the 2004 7A State Championship team. Coach Nikolich was also named Academic All-State. After graduating from Libertyville, Coach Nikolich attended Illinois Wesleyan University. While at IWU, Coach Nikolich was named 2nd team All-American, as well as the 2009 Don Larsen CCIW Defensive Player of the Year. Coach Nikolich captained the 2009 team, which won the CCIW Conference Championship.


On the offensive side of the ball, Coach Mike Hansen, who served as our Corners coach in 2011 will move over and coach the Tight Ends, as we lost Coach Angulo from the spring semester to a full-time coaching position at Trinity International University.

We also lost Coach Dan Carter '10, as his new work schedule will not allow him to attend our practices. We are fortunate to have been able to replace Coach Carter with Chris Noble. Coach Noble, a native of Quincy, MA, is one of the most prolific passers in prep history in Massachusetts, still sitting in the top ten in many statistical categories. Coach Noble then attended the University of New Hampshire as well as Plymouth State, before moving the greater Chicago-land working with Allstate. Coach Noble has spent the past decade coaching at local high schools, including Lakes Community as well as a seven year stint at Vernon Hills High School. Coach Noble brings a wealth of experience, as well as extensive scouting experience to our program. I couldn't be more excited about what he brings to the table.


Additionally, Mike Pease, a local lawyer, will be joining the staff as a quality control coach, who will work with a number of our game day preparation and recruiting programs. Mike has a tremendous talent for analytics and his attention to detail is impeccable. I am looking forward to working with Mike as he begins his coaching career.