NIU head coach Thomas Hammock departs for job with Seattle Seahawks

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Afer seven years of service as head coach for his alma mater, Thomas Hammock is set to take the next step of his football journey, reportedly accepting a job as a halfbacks coach on the Seattle Seahawks staff under Super Bowl champion head coach Mike MacDonald.

On3’s Brett McMurphy was first to report on Wednesday morning, with the university acknowledging his resignation later on. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Wednesday morning Hammock is set to be the NFL’s highest-paid halfbacks coach.

“Representing the Cardinal and Black of Northern Illinois University as a player, alumnus, assistant coach, and head coach has been the honor of my life,” Hammock said via press release. “To [NIU athletic director] Sean Frazier, my mentor, thank you for the incredible opportunity to lead, guide, and mentor the young men in this program over the past seven years. I hope I have left a lasting impact on our players the way Coach Novak left one on me. …I look forward to watching this team stay united, compete at a high level, and continue building under new leadership. I will always be proud to call NIU my alma mater, and I will always be cheering for the Huskies.”

Hammock has 17 years of position coaching experience at both the professional and collegiate levels dating back to the early 2000s. Hammock previously worked alongside MacDonald on the Baltimore Ravens staff as a running backs coach under then-head coach John Harbaugh, crossing over from 2014-2018 prior to Hammock’s departure.

Hammock, a former Huskies running back in the 1990s, was meant to re-instill some local pride in the program after Rod Carey’s late move left NIU bereft on in-house options to continue the Jerry Kill/Dave Doeren legacy back in 2019. Over the years, Hammock’s undeniable energy and at-times shocking openness was a defining feature of his tenure, often getting emotional over his players and unafraid to give his opinion on the state of college athletics— prompted or otherwise.

“His passion for NIU and commitment to developing young men – on and off the playing field – will be his legacy; I know he has left a lasting impact on the players he coached and on his alma mater,” Frazier said via press release. “His genuine love for NIU made his decision to leave at this time very tough for him. A Hall of Famer, he will always be a Huskie and I hope all of Huskie Nation will join me in thanking Thomas for all he has given to NIU as we wish him all the best in the future.”

The ending results of his tenure were mixed, as Hammock concluded his stay with an overall record of 35-47 (23-31 in conference play), but there were certainly sparks of success throughout his seven years in DeKalb.

Under Hammock’s leadership, the Huskies would win the MAC West Division on tiebreakers over Central Michigan in 2021, completing a turnaround from 0-6 the previous season to MAC Champions against Sean Lewis’ Kent State squad. The Huskies were also MAC title contenders in 2023, finishing runner-up in the MAC West division race with a 7-5 record, and pulled off one of college football’s all-time upsets in 2024, taking down eventual national champion runner-up Notre Dame on the road to open the season and securing an Associated Press Top 25 ranking before finishing the year 8-5.

The Huskies went 2-1 in the postseason during his tenure, picking up back-to-back wins over Arkansas State in the Camellia Bowl in 2023 and the Fresno State Bulldogs at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in 2024.

However, the Huskies were also much too inconsistent to continue their legendary run of the 2010s under Hammock, with four of his seven seasons resulting in losing records. Three of those losing season were three wins or worse, including a winless season in the 2020 COVID campaign.

The Huskies will now turn to defensive coordinator Rob Harley to lead the football program as they look towards their inaugural season in the Mountain West Conference. A former Ohio State safety in the early 2000s under legendary head coach Jim Tressell, Harley has worked alongside Mark Dantonio, Pat Narduzzi and Butch Jones in his time as a defensive assistant.

Harley joined the NIU staff this past offseason from Arkansas State, where he previously served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator under Jones.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos