NIU to make Kansas's Kevin Kane new DC, NC State's Uremovich new OC
Kansas linebackers coach Kevin Kane will be the new defensive coordinator for Northern Illinois coach Rod Carey, according to a source.
North Carolina State offensive line coach Mike Uremovich will be Northern Illinois’s offensive coordinator, per the source.
It’s a return to Northern Illinois for Kane, who spent four seasons with the Huskies before moving to Kansas in his current role for the 2015 season. Kane joined the Northern Illinois staff in ’11 as tight ends and fullbacks coach and moved to linebackers coach in ’12. He added special teams coordinator duties for his final two seasons.
Kane came to Northern Illinois from Wisconsin, where he worked for three seasons, first as a graduate assistant on the defense for two seasons before becoming a quality control assistant with the defense in 2010.
He got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Kansas, in 2006. Kane played for the Jayhawks from ’02–05 and was a two-time honorable mention All-Big 12 linebacker. In his final season at Kansas in 2005, he made 79 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions.
Kane replaces Jay Neimann as Northern Illinois’s defensive coordinator after Neimann left to take the same role at Rutgers under new coach Chris Ash.
Like Kane, Uremovich is also making a return to Dekalb after two earlier stints with the Huskies. He was a graduate assistant from 2001–02 and coached running backs and special teams in ’12. Uremovich takes over the offensive coordinator role from Bob Cole, who was not retained after the season.
Uremovich coached the offensive line at NC State for the past three seasons. He was head coach at University of St. Francis from 2005–11 and served as offensive coordinator at Waynesburg College from’03–04.
Before his first stint at Northern Illinois, he coached wide receivers at Benedictine in ’00, served in the same role at Providence Catholic (Ill.) High from 1998–99 and coached defensive backs at McCutcheon (Ind.) High from ’96–97.
Kane and Uremovich join the staff of Carey, who just finished his third season as the Huskies’ coach. Northern Illinois went 8–6 this season and reached its sixth straight Mid-American Conference championship game. Carey has a 31–12 record with the Huskies and won a conference title last season.
