Khristian Boyd sets high expectations for himself and UNI football in 2023

CEDAR FALLS — Northern Iowa senior defensive lineman Khristian Boyd is like any other college football player right now — in a grind of offseason weight lifting, conditioning and training.

For Boyd though, this summer is his last opportunity to polish his skills and help push his teammates back to the FCS playoffs and himself to a professional career.

And while the Panthers are not expected to receive much in the way of preseason hype after missing the playoffs in 2022 and finishing 6-5, Boyd said he likes the idea of being off the radar.

“I feel like it’s a great thing. Nobody is going to see us coming into the Iowa State game — and then they’re going to know,” Boyd said. “Being a senior and being one of the leaders on the defense it’s really a great feeling knowing that all these years of hard work is paying off.

“I’m really excited to see what this team can do.”

UNI meeting its own lofty expectations this fall will undoubtedly require improvement from its defensive line.

The Panthers’ 17 sacks last season was their lowest output since 2012 and tied for last in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with Western Illinois.

Boyd — who said he’s completely healthy for “the first time in a while” — mentioned he’s focused on improving his pass rush this offseason and feels the return of longtime defensive coordinator Jeremiah Johnson will play a large part in the entire defense getting back to its high-level program standard.

“It’s definitely great to have coach (Johnson) back. Just him being back gave life to our defense,” Boyd said. “Seeing the new guys come in and commit themselves like they’ve been here the whole time, it was very nice to see our defense make improvements (this spring).”

Those new guys Boyd mentioned are transfers Cartez Crook-Jones (Kansas State), Warren Peeples (Memphis), Grant Reasner (Drake) and Malik Stewart (Butler Community College).

The four represent depth — at least on paper — that UNI simply did not have a season ago. So, between its transfers and developing underclassmen, the thought is position coach Bryce Paup can once again get the group to flourish by rotating and keeping particular players fresh for the downs and distances they’re most effective on.

“I feel like we’re so deep right now on the d-line it’s going to help us out,” Boyd said. “Every time we rotate it’s going to be fresh guys coming in that are really good (and) I’m perfectly fine with that. Everybody is going to be able to eat the same.”

In the meantime, until fall camp begins in early August, Boyd will continue grinding away in the weight room and on the field. He also knows it’s important for him to leave his mark on the players coming behind him.

“Being a senior, being a leader on this team, I’ve got to go and show the young guys and show the new guys how it’s done,” Boyd said. “So, when they come in and it’s their time to be in that position, they know exactly how it’s supposed to look and how it’s supposed to be done.”