Nikolich has become ‘the heart and soul’ of Libertyville football

Attending Libertyville football games as a kid, Aleks Nikolich watched with fascination as the spectacle unfolded in front of him.

The players were much bigger than Nikolich was at the time, the crowd was boisterous and the lights were exceedingly bright.

One other detail stuck with him.

“I remember watching how serious it was and how much dedication everyone was putting into it,” Nikolich said. “In high school and beyond, every kid wants to do anything they can to win.

“I figured it would be part of my process for me to play in that stadium and was optimistic about how much bigger the sport could get for me.”

Nikolich has made it happen. As the 6-foot-5, 280-pound senior offensive lineman enters his third varsity season for the Wildcats, he has offers from Butler, Dayton, Drake and St. Thomas and has drawn interest from several other colleges.

Nikolich can become the third person in his immediate family to play college football, following in the footsteps of his father, Dan, a former Drake defensive lineman who is Libertyville’s director of football operations, and his older brother, Luka, a 2024 Libertyville graduate who plays receiver at Lake Forest College.

“It used to be the other way around with me being the little brother,” Nikolich said. “But then came 70 pounds and 4 inches since sophomore year.

“I remember watching my dad play in men’s league games when I was young. So it means a lot to me that I’ll get to continue to play at a higher level. It’s an opportunity to meet new people and grow even more.”

Playing left tackle, Nikolich hopes he can help the Wildcats (5-5), who lost in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs last year, grow into a more successful team. They will travel to Geneva for the season opener on Aug. 21.

“I like the constant competition and physicality that comes with playing offensive line,” Nikolich said. “On the line, it’s truly you going one-on-one or two-on-one the whole play. My job is to win that battle, and if I do, it will do wonders for the team.”

Physicality isn’t the only part of football that Nikolich enjoys.

“There’s a huge thinking aspect as a game goes on,” he said. “You’re trying to figure out their calls and anticipate, and the better you are at it, you’ll have a better picture of what will work for the offense.”

Getting ahead of the competition starts in practices.

“We go back and forth all the time about the mental aspect,” Libertyville senior offensive lineman Colten Siebert said. “Aleks is always focused on getting to the next step, partly because he wants to understand football so well.”

Nikolich feels much better equipped to handle the challenges at left tackle after starting last season.

“I was a little timid at the start of the season,” he said. “There were times I would second-guess myself or overthink things. I would take a great first step and then get distracted by someone out of the corner of my eye.”

Nikolich was playing at a much higher level by the end of the season.

“I was noticing it, and my coach kept telling me to trust myself,” he said. “I made a sharp shift around the third or fourth game. I knew I needed to get my act together and go full speed at all times.”

Once Nikolich was more comfortable, he could make better use of his strength, which is impressive.

“He is really strong, and that partly comes from him being one of our hardest workers,” Libertyville coach Tim Budge said. “He never comes off the field on offense, and everyone really respects him. He’s one of those guys who’s the heart and soul of our program.”

Budge isn’t exaggerating about Nikolich’s strength. Nikolich is the only player in the Wildcats’ 1,300-pound club. His top efforts in the three areas — bench press, squat and dead lift — are 315 pounds, 425 pounds and 565 pounds, respectively. It’s a milestone that took a great deal of effort to achieve.

“Only two others in my time have gotten there, so it means a lot to me,” Nikolich said. “I remember not being able to bench one plate as a freshman, so that shows how far I’ve come. It’s a lot easier to run-block when you can squat more than your body weight.”