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Cassie goes 1-on-1 with NIU football head coach Thomas Hammock
Thomas Hammock is coming off a 2024 season that included a win over Notre Dame and a bowl win. Cassie Carlson catches up with him about the upcoming 2025 football season.
This isn't your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it's my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
- Who do I think is good?
- Why do I think they're good?
- What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where Northern Illinois lands in my Ultimate 136.
NIU ranking: 106
Last year’s ranking: 95
Top player: CB Jacob Finely: Has played in 30 games with 13 starts in three seasons for NIU, recording 8 pass breakups (tied for most on the team).
[Northern Illinois' 2025 schedule]
RJ's take: Thomas Hammock’s Huskies went into Notre Dame Stadium and did what no one else could in 2024: win. After putting the money in the bag, the Huskies finished 8-5 and watched the team it beat play for the national title.
That’s how slim the margins are when you can hit the create-a-team button in modern college football. Hammock hit it hard in this cycle with 13 new players in Dekalb, Illinois — but he had to. Last year’s starter at quarterback, two top-tier tailbacks, four-star receivers and four elite defensive tackles all heard the siren call of the portal — just like former defensive coordinator Nick Benedetto, who made a lateral move to Fresno State.
Hammock also made a rather inspired hire in getting former Charleston coach Quinn Sanders to call his offense with a scheme that saw the Golden Eagles ranked No. 7 in total offense at the Division II level. Former Charleston running back Chavon Wright, who's now with the Huskies, carried the rock 354 times for 2,233 yards and 38 touchdowns in 12 games in Sanders’ offense last season. Read that again. Sanders might be forced to find that kind of production as he inherits an offense that returns just one wideout with more than 60 receiving yards last year.
[Check out RJ Young's Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]
NIU Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (+132) Under (-162)
FOX 32 Sports' Take: If the Huskies have proven anything under Hammock, it's that they'll have a shot in every game.
Rarely does NIU struggle to keep up with opponents, and they have two consecutive bowl wins under Hammock in the past two seasons. In a newer age of college football, the program has to find ways to keep up with the transfer portal and NIL. This year, NIU has adapted by plucking transfers from the FCS and Division II levels, while also adding players from Power 4 programs.
It'll be tough to restock and reload when some players depart for Power 4 programs, but Hammock was adamant the program would find a level of consistency among the chaotic norm of college football. Considering the success he's had at NIU is propelling the team to the Mountain West in a year's time, it's hard to argue against him. Expect NIU to out perform preseason expectations.