Northern Illinois has decided to keep it in the family for its next head coaching hire, set to name Baltimore Ravens running backs coach Thomas Hammock as the replacement for Rod Carey. Hammock was a 1,000-yard rusher during his sophomore and junior season when he played for the Huskies from 1999 to 2002.
The school announced the news in a press release on Friday morning.
"This is a huge hire," athletic director Sean T. Frazier said. "To be able to bring back a part of our tradition, particularly from the Novak era, and really unite all of our Huskies, and quite frankly, have someone who's iconic in our history books, is fantastic. I've known Thomas for a while, even before coming to NIU. He's always talked about NIU, The Hard Way, the tradition, the hard work, and the grit. All those things make it special to make this hire."
Hammock, 37, has been the running backs coach for the Ravens since 2014, but prior to his NFL experience, he spent more than a decade as an assistant at the college ranks. He carried the title of assistant head coach and running backs coach at Wisconsin from 2011-13, leading a room that included the likes of Montee Ball and Melvin Gordon. That followed gigs at Minnesota, where he was eventually promoted to offensive coordinator, and a two-year stint as running backs coach at NIU from 2005-06.
"I can't describe it," Hammock said. "It's an unbelievable feeling to have the opportunity to come home to a place that I love, to the school that has meant so much to me. I can't wait to get started with the players and have a chance to put a product on the field that the alumni and fans will be proud of."
