By Bobby Narang
Northern Illinois University football is embarking on new era this spring.
In many ways, it will be a transformative season for the Huskies. In January, Northern Illinois announced it accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference as a football only member in 2026.
The Huskies, who celebrated their 125th season of intercollegiate athletics last season, have made 11 bowl appearances.
Leaving the Mid-American Conference has led to a vastly different schedule. The Huskies will play Air Force Academy, Wyoming, Hawaii, UNLV, San Jose State, Nevada, North Dakota State, and UTEP this season. The Huskies will open the season at Iowa September 5. The non-conference schedule includes a home game against Illinois State and a road tilt at Arizona September 19 along with a game at Huskie Stadium against Georgia State September 26. Northern Illinois reportedly will earn $34 million over the next six seasons to be a member of the Mountain West.
In addition, former star running back and coach Thomas Hammock decided to leave the program to take an assistant job with the Seattle Seahawks. Rob Harley was named to replace Hammock.
“It’s going to look like 2026,” Harley said of the offense. “We’re going to highlight their skills and what they’re best at. If that looks like 2017, then it looks like 2017. If that looks like 2025, then it looks like that.”
Harley said the Huskies will have an open competition this spring.
“They’ve got the right mindset,” Harley said. “It’s about competition. It’s about helping each other. It’s about, especially as you’re a new person coming in.”
The Huskies struggled last season scoring, averaging only 17 points per game and 285 yards of total offense.
“We have to win the run game,” Harley said. “We have to win the explosive battle. We have to win the field position, special teams, and we’ve got to win the turnover margin.”