thomas hammock Leaving Northern Illinois to Join Seahawks Coaching Staff
Northern Illinois head coach Thomas Hammock is leaving the program to take an NFL staff role, ending a seven-season run in DeKalb that included a signature upset and a conference championship. Multiple reports indicate Hammock will serve as the Seattle Seahawks' running backs coach with the added title of senior offensive assistant for the 2026 season.
Hammock heads back to the NFL after seven seasons at NIU
Hammock departs Northern Illinois with a 35-47 record, finishing the 2025 season at 3-9. His tenure included back-to-back bowl appearances in 2023 and 2024 and the program's most famous win under his watch: a road upset of No. 5 Notre Dame in September 2024 (ET), the Fighting Irish's only loss before they later reached the College Football Playoff title game.
The best campaign of Hammock's NIU era came in 2021, when the Huskies went 9-5, captured the Mid-American Conference title with a 41-23 win over Kent State and reached the Cure Bowl, falling 47-41 to Coastal Carolina. Those highs helped raise Hammock's profile after he initially left the NFL following an earlier stint as an NFL running backs coach from 2014–18.
Why the move matters for Seattle and Northern Illinois
Hammock will fill the role vacated when a running backs coach took a leave of absence in December 2025 (ET) and was not expected to return for 2026. The Seahawks enter the coaching change as a championship team, having secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC late in the season and gone on to win Super Bowl LX. The new hire reunites Hammock with staff members he coached alongside previously and adds a coach with head-coaching experience and known success developing collegiate runningbacks.
Early coverage indicates Hammock chose the NFL opportunity over multiple other offers and is expected to command a notable salary for the position. He will be tasked with grooming pro-level backs in a high-expectation environment and contributing to offensive game planning as a senior offensive assistant.
Ripples for NIU and college football realignment
Hammock's exit arrives as Northern Illinois prepares for a major shift: the Huskies will begin play in the reconfigured Mountain West Conference for the 2026 football season. The move alters the program's travel profile dramatically; NIU's shortest road trip in the new setup will be to Air Force in Colorado Springs, with other conference road games at New Mexico, San Jose State and UNLV.
The broader shuffle that placed NIU in the Mountain West also included a swap in the Mid-American Conference, which added a California-based program from Sacramento to its football membership. The changes underline how realignment has reshaped regional footprints and scheduling logistics and will test NIU's depth and recruiting as it adjusts to new opponents and longer travel in 2026.
As the Huskies begin the search for their next head coach, athletic department leaders must balance short-term roster stability with long-term direction in a tougher conference slate. Hammock leaves a mixed legacy of postseason appearances and program highs alongside seasons that fell short of expectations; the timing of his departure sets up a pivotal offseason for Northern Illinois and a new chapter in his coaching career at the professional level.
