Originally published in the Chicago Tribune on August 26, 2006
By Reid Hanley

DeKALB -- Northern Illinois coach Joe Novak doesn't claim he can see the future. But he did have a vision of what offensive tackle Doug Free would look like in six years when he recruited him at Lincoln High School in Manitowoc, Wis.

Free then was a 6-foot-6-inch, 240-pound All-State defensive end with visions of his own, and they didn't include playing tackle. Novak correctly predicted Free, now 6-7, 302, would grow into an offensive lineman, but not necessarily one who could become the highest-drafted player in NIU history.

"If Wisconsin (coaches) would have known he'd grow like that, they would have recruited him," Novak says. "We're all guessing. I really felt if he didn't gain weight, he'd play tight end for us."

The fifth-year senior tackle and All-American candidate has become a rock on the Huskies' offensive line, starting 36 consecutive games. He's a two-time All-Mid-American Conference selection and is on the Outland Trophy watch list.

Free finished his first practice at NIU weighing 239 pounds. But a year in the weight room helped him build to 270 and become a third-team freshman All-American. He hasn't stopped growing or improving.

"I really didn't do anything special," Free says. "I just kept eating and lifting quite a bit. I kept putting on the pounds, tried to stay in shape. Pretty soon I was 300 pounds.

"When they told me they wanted to make me an offensive lineman, I was shocked."

Free says Minnesota-Duluth had indicated it would let him play tight end or defensive end.

"It was kind of a tossup: Should I go to Northern, or do I want to play a certain position?" Free says. "I decided to go to Northern. It was too good an opportunity to pass up."

Free had a chance to walk on at Wisconsin with the promise of a scholarship his second year. North Dakota and North Dakota State also recruited him, but Novak snared him.

Once he got into the Huskies program, he became a willing student of line play. Free's inexperience as a blocker was something of an advantage. He had no bad habits. Also he has great feet and speed that most offensive tackles don't.

He quickly became a blocker behind whom NIU could run and pass and has played an important role in the development of tailback Garrett Wolfe, the Huskies' other All-American candidate.

Teammates call him "Doug Freak" because of his athleticism. He runs a 5.0-second 40-yard dash, has a vertical jump of 29 inches and is compared to former NIU tackle Ryan Diem, now with the Indianapolis Colts. Wolfe, the leading returning rusher in the country, follows Free to daylight.

"You'll see him make a block at the line of scrimmage and then sprint downfield and block the safety," Wolfe says.

Free probably would have been an NFL draft choice if he had declared himself eligible after last season. Returning for his senior year, Free is listed as one of the top offensive linemen by several publications.

"I really wanted to come back and finish my college career," Free says. "I have one more semester of school and football, so that will be a nice transition. I never really had a dream of the NFL. I just live day by day."