CHICAGO, Ill. -- Seventh-year head football coach Kyle Rooker has announced his updated 2025 coaching staff, including promotions and additions of familiar faces. The Vikings are coming off back-to-back five-win seasons for the first time in program history and Coach Rooker feels this fine tuning will further aid that positive growth.
Rob Nichols, now in his fourth season with the Vikings, will develop the wide receivers while also working as the Offensive Coordinator, previously serving as the Defensive Coordinator for North Park. Nichols has extensive experience on the offensive side of the ball and he will mentor 2024 all-conference selections Jereme Ombogo and Wesley McCloud.
Clay Martin earns the promotion to Defensive Coordinator this upcoming season after serving in the Co-Defensive Coordinator position in 2024. He is also the Special Teams Coordinator and will develop defensive backs for North Park. Martin was instrumental in improving the Vikings' defense in 2024, coaching three All-College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) linebackers in Jaydin Miller, Juan Nieves, and Egan Bender.
Speaking of Bender, the Vikings' top tackler from 2024 was quickly promoted from Defensive Graduate Assistant in the spring to the Blue & Gold's full-time Linebackers Coach. The first-team all-conference linebacker led NPU with 80 tackles last season, the second-best mark in the CCIW, posting double-digit tackles across five different games. Coach Rooker noted Bender "excelled in recruiting this spring, helping us bring in one of our most talented classes yet."
Another All-CCIW player in Josh De Luca will bolster Coach Rooker's staff, using his thorough experience on the North Park offensive line to coach that same position. Coach Rooker said "the OL gained tremendous growth this spring" and that's no surprise with the addition of De Luca. The second-team All-CCIW pick helped he Vikings obtain123 first downs through the pass and averaged 25.10 points per game in 2024. De Luca and the NPU line did not allow a sack against Millikin and they surrendered just one in the Vikings' OT win at Augustana.
One of the most familiar names for North Park Football, Matt Eck, remains on the North Side for another season alongside his teammates and Coach Rooker, this time on the sidelines as a Quarterbacks Coach. Eck led the league's 2024 QB's in Passing Yards with 2,403 and Passing Yards per Game with 267.0. He was 3rd in Passing Touchdowns with 21, 3rd in Completion Percentage at 64%, and 4th in Quarterback Efficiency (144.5). His 2,732 passing yards last season established a new all-time mark for North Park Football and his 26 passing TD's tied TD Conway's 2014 record for the top spot as well. He holds NPU's all-time spot in Passing TD's with 71 across his four seasons.
