After three preseason camp days, Marmion's Dane Pardridge decides to leave NIU for Rutgers. ‘No hard feelings.'

Chicago Tribune

07-08-2025

It's been a wild ride over the past few weeks for former Marmion standout Dane Pardridge.
A curious set of circumstances saw Pardridge represent Northern Illinois at a team day and take part in preseason camp before entering the transfer portal and ending up at Rutgers.
Pardridge, a redshirt junior with two years of eligibility remaining, kept it short and sweet.
'I just decided to move on — no hard feelings,' Pardridge said.
He preferred to leave it at that, but the timing does raise some eyebrows.
Pardridge, who was born and raised in DeKalb, participated in the first three days of the Huskies' preseason camp that began on Wednesday, July 30.
He announced over the weekend on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was entering the transfer portal, then made it official at a Monday meeting with NIU's compliance department.
On Wednesday, Pardridge reposted internet reports on the social media platform that said he had committed to Rutgers, located halfway across the country in New Jersey.
Last Sunday, he anticipated having to move fast.
'I've gotta figure out where I'm going to end up and learn the playbook and, hopefully, adapt quickly,' he said, realizing any team he joined also would have already started its fall camp.
Northern Illinois coach Thomas Hammock sent word through the university's sports information department that he would have no comment on the move.
Pardridge was NIU's leading returning receiver after catching 20 passes for 238 yards last fall. He finished with three touchdowns, scoring the team's first and last TDs of the season as the Huskies (8-5) won the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl 28-20 over Fresno State in double overtime.
Pardridge caught the team's opening TD on a 23-yard pass from senior quarterback Ethan Hampton in a 54-15 win over Western Illinois. Hampton, an Aurora Christian alum, left following the regular season and went to Illinois as a grad transfer.
On top of that, Pardridge scored the winning TD in the bowl game, catching a 25-yard option pass thrown by true freshman receiver George Dimopoulos.
There didn't seem to be any sign that Pardridge and NIU would be parting ways three weeks ago when he was one of six players attending the team's media day preview at Harry Caray's Restaurant in Chicago.
'Dane walked on and our walk-ons have been some of our best players,' said Hammock, who takes pride in developing players. 'They have an edge, a chip on their shoulders.
'I take a lot of pride in the fact that while Dane's dad, Curt, was a tremendous player here at NIU, Dane has made his own mark. I think it was important for him to do that last year.'
Curt Pardridge, who had 64 receptions for 1,074 yards during his career at NIU, also had 483 kick return yards for the 1985 MAC champions. He was selected in the sixth round of the 1986 NFL draft by San Diego, where he played one season.
'Dane is a tremendous returner for us and we feel like he's going to play a big role in our ability to change the field,' Hammock said at Harry Caray's Restaurant.
Pardridge, who had a punt return for a TD against Western Michigan in 2023, seemed excited at the prospect of working with new offensive coordinator Quinn Sanders. He's expected to open up the attack.
'We're going to spread it out a lot more and I think it will upgrade the opportunities,' Pardridge said then. 'I'm looking forward to it. I think we have six guys all competing for that No. 1 spot.'
In a one-on-one interview, Pardridge said he was looking forward to the Huskies' move to the Mountain West next season. At that time, he didn't foresee a chance of him transferring.
'It would have to be a really good deal for me to leave as I love it here so much,' he said. 'It's close to home.'
But with the portal, things change. It has been reported that Pardridge is expected to add depth to Rutgers' receiving corps.