Head Coach: Thomas Hammock is entering his 7th season as the head coach of the Huskies with a 32-38 record. It was a very up and down early going but he steadied the ship. Hammock has a MAC championship on his resume, 2 bowl wins and he has some big time wins on his resume. He’s led the Huskies to wins over Georgia Tech, Boston College and of course over a Notre Dame team that didn’t lose again until the National Championship. Now he looks to continue to utilize that momentum to elevate the program further.
Program Outlook: Northern Illinois is a program with a great tradition of playing spoiler, they have numerous upset wins throughout their history but it’s not just upsets they also have 6 MAC championships and numerous winning seasons. The Huskies winning tradition overpowers the fact that they don’t have the most money available, they soon took pride in this fact wanting to become the next “Boise State” in terms of programs having success. Now they may have taken that too literally because they join the Mountain West in 2026, realignment has gone very far but that’s a topic for another day. All eyes are on the Huskies as they prepare for this new life while going on one last MACtion tour.
How does the 2025 Roster look?: Northern Illinois ranks dead last in the country returning 26.5% of their production per Punt and Rally’s returning production rankings. They caught a lot of attention and it appears programs came after their players. So where does this rebuild start? Maybe it’s not a rebuild at all. QB is the key position and Josh Holst appears to have taken control of the position which is encouraging, he’s a good runner which makes him more like the NIU QBs were used to seeing. The Huskies have a tradition of great backs coming through and that will continue, they lost a good one and now Telly Johnson who flashed a lot of ability as a freshman steps in to take over, he’s primed for a big year. The offensive line is going to at least be solid because they know how to develop them here but left tackle Evan Malcore will lead the group. Northern Illinois was strong on defense, the portal invaded it and it’s next man up in a lot of areas. The defensive line has its star in Roy Williams who was 2nd on the team in sacks last year, and Jalonnie Williams rotated in at times but will be a bigger part now, the portal was relied upon to help a bit here. The linebackers will be led by Quinn Urwiler another player who was involved but will now be expected to be the lead man. Corner Jacob Finley is now the leader of the secondary, he’s such a good cover corner and could be the best in the MAC this year. One side is set but the rest of the secondary is a little in flux as they had to utilize the portal some to help but I suspect this unit will be good.
Screenshot from FBSchedules.com
2025 Schedule Thoughts: Northern Illinois will face a unique challenge this year, but the schedule isn’t the worst. The non-conference will feature an opener against Holy Cross who may not be the easiest FCS for, although they’re coming off a down year last year. Then comes opportunities against Maryland and Mississippi State, Maryland is always the toughest in September and Mississippi State could be vulnerable. San Diego State struggled to a 3-9 finish last year but could be improved this year. Then comes the MAC schedule for the last time. NIU draws 3 of the top contenders, two of them on the road but they get some games against rebuilding programs as well. The schedule doesn’t get in the way of their goals too much overall.
Final Thoughts: A strange year is ahead for Northern Illinois, yes there’s realignment everywhere but not like this. Hardly anyone leaves the MAC but the Huskies did. Needless to say MAC rivals aren’t happy about it and NIU will enter 2025 with a target on their back. NIU will continue to play their game and aim to control time of possession. They did this for most of their games last year but not finishing drives cost them in 4 of their 5 losses, this year they need to play clean football. Don’t expect a rebuild, NIU will factor in the MAC race.
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