Northern Illinois coach Thomas Hammock is heading to the NFL.
According to ESPN, Hammock is changing into the Seattle Seahawks’ working backs coach. Hammock has been the pinnacle coach at Northern Illinois for the previous seven seasons and, per the report, had “multiple NFL opportunities.”
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NIU went 35-47 in Hammock’s time with the college and was 3-9 in 2025. Before final 12 months’s struggles, the Huskies had made it to consecutive bowl video games in 2023 and 2024 and pulled the upset of the 2024 season once they beat Notre Dame in Week 2.
That was Notre Dame’s solely lack of the season earlier than the Fighting Irish misplaced to Ohio State within the College Football Playoff championship recreation.
Northern Illinois’ greatest season below Hammock got here in 2021, when the Huskies went 9-5. NIU received the MAC title that season with a 41-23 win over Kent State within the convention title recreation earlier than a 47-41 Cure Bowl loss to Coastal Carolina.
Hammock leaves Northern Illinois as the college embarks on a new soccer period. NIU, a longtime member of the MAC, has joined the remade Mountain West Conference in soccer for the 2026 season. The Huskies’ shortest street journey will probably be to Air Force in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Their different three street video games are at New Mexico, San Jose State and UNLV.
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While NIU is off to the Mountain West, the MAC took a lucrative financial offer from Sacramento State for the California college to be a part of the convention in soccer. Yes, a crew from Illinois is within the Mountain West and a crew from the capital metropolis of California is within the Mid-American Conference. College sports activities don’t make sense, typically.
Hammock replaces Kennedy Polamalu, who took a depart of absence from the Seahawks in December and was not set to return in 2026. The Seahawks secured the No. 1 seed within the NFC late within the season and went on to win Super Bowl LX over the New England Patriots.