Rob Harley’s first spring as NIU interim head coach arrives Wednesday with no rosters, vague answers, and closed practices to start the spring.

The secretive approach usually didn’t produce a winner in the Thomas Hammock era. It won’t be clear for months if it will work for Harley.

At his press conference Monday ahead of the start of spring practices, Harley said he didn’t know much of anything about how this team is going to look, instead focusing on vibes and vagaries.

Rosters weren’t available and practices won’t open until April 7. Only one practice, the spring showcase, will be fully open.

Are there going to be very many changes?

“I don’t know about changes,” he said.

Will he be handling the defensive calls during games?

“Through the spring we’ll look at that and just see what the best fit is.”

Are there plans to eliminate the spring showcase and get back to a spring game, something that sparks the fan base in other programs that NIU has been lacking recently?

“Ongoing, and we’ll see what we come up with,” he said, an answer that was undercut a few hours later by a release from the school saying the showcase will continue on as it has in the past.

What about the offense? Tony Petersen comes in from Illinois State and its appearance in the 2025 FCS National Championship game to take over as offensive coordinator for the Huskies. With Hammock and his love of the pro-style offense back in the NFL and dual-threat quarterback Ean Hamric coming in from Charleston, will things open up more for the Huskies?

After giving the stock answer about running the ball and winning explosive battles and field position, Harley actually gave a good bit of insight. He said the coaching staff is keeping an open mind heading into the spring and isn’t sure what things are going to look like.

“It’s going to look like 2026. And the only reason I say that is I’m not dodging any question, it’s just that I think every team is unique,” Harley said. “How many guys moved on? How many new guys are a part of this team? We’re going to highlight their skills and what they’re best at. If that looks like 2017, then it looks like 2017. If that looks like 2025, then it looks like that.”

When practices open we’ll know more, but it seems likely to be a three-way quarterback battle between Hamric and returners Jalen Macon and Brady Davidson.

Harley said the quarterbacks have been welcoming of Hamric, working together to improve, and used the phrase awesome multiple times to describe the group as a whole without getting into individual assessments.

Harley said at all positions, not just quarterback, the goal by the end of the spring is to have the penciled-in depth for the fall set.

Making it through all 15 practices, he said, is the No. 1 goal.

“Availability is your No. 1 ability,” Harley said. “We’re going to highlight that. The second thing we’re going to highlight is that those reps mean something. Each day is not like live or die, but as you accumulate these reps over time, that’s going to slot you into certain positions going into fall camp.”

The biggest thing Harley talked about, without using the word, was vibes. The team gets along. They spend time each week talking, as a full team, about certain passages from books, or quotes from athletes that resonate with them.

“How many teams in the country break it down on family? Probably 132 of 132 break it down on family, team, together, all those things,” Harley said. “But are we executing them on a daily basis? We’re not going to get in a room and spend 45 minutes ... to sing Kumbaya together. But we’re going to do stuff that’s going to help us.”

It’s nice to see, especially with a new coach with an interim tag, that the vibes are nice in the locker room. Of course, as Harley himself would point out, how many teams in the country would say they get along and have strong vibes right now? Probably 132 of 132.

Most of those 132 teams put themselves under a lot more scrutiny than the Huskies are with three closed practices and no true spring game.

Vibes from inside the house are great, according to those inside the house. What effect those vibes have on the product, or even what the product looks like, remains a gigantic question mark.