John Brice, USA TODAY Tue, October 27, 2026 at 8:31 AM UTC · 1 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An individual with direct knowledge of plans at Northern Illinois told USA TODAY Sports over the weekend the Huskies are preparing to ramp up their search for a full-time head coach.
Former coach Thomas Hammock left NIU for the Seattle Seahawks in late February after seven seasons, prompting the Huskies to name Rob Harley interim coach.
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The Huskies (0-7), in their first season in the Mountain West, have yet to win a game and are coming off a 56-21 home loss to Hawaii, which traveled more than 4,000 miles for the game . NIU has lost every matchup against an FBS opponent by at least 18 points and also suffered a four-point loss to FCS program Illinois State.
As the Huskies prepare to intensify their coaching search, expect one familiar name to surface again: former NIU star quarterback Jordan Lynch.
A Heisman Trophy finalist during his playing career with the Huskies, Lynch had a brief professional career before becoming a highly successful Chicago-area high school coach. He has led Mount Carmel, his alma mater, since 2018.
Lynch's third-place finish in the 2013 Heisman race is the highest placing by a MAC player.
Hammock was 35-47 as Huskies coach, with three bowl appearances (including two wins). After back-to-back bowl seasons, NIU regressed in 2025, going 3-9 and finishing 11th in the MAC.
Defensive coordinator Rob Harley was named interim coach when Hammock left and the former Ohio State safety is still awaiting his first win in DeKalb.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NIU football coaching search could lead back to one of its biggest stars
Source: Sports
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