As we continue the countdown to the best player in the MAC, the fourth-best player comes from the defensive powerhouse that is NIU.
Yes, it’s weird to say, but for the past two seasons it has been the Northern Illinois Huskies defense, not offense, that has terrorized the MAC. Over that time, no unit has had more depth and skill than that of the Huskie linebackers. And Kyle Pugh is one of the best.
Pugh, now entering his senior season, grew up just 80 miles east of NIU in Chicago Heights, Illinois. In his final two seasons from Bloom Township High School, Pugh slaughtered this foes, en route to a combined 217 tackles.