Report: NIU to hire Hammock as head football coach

Posted January 17, 2019 12:00 am

By Kaleb Carter kacarter@shawmedia.com

DeKALB - Northern Illinois will name its 23rd head football coach Friday, a news release from the school said, and Stadium's Brett McMurphy reported Thursday night that it will be former NIU running back Thomas Hammock.

The school declined Thursday to comment on that report to the Daily Chronicle.

NIU's news conference to announce the hiring will be at 10 a.m. Friday with an accompanying video stream on ESPN3.

Hammock, 37, has been the running backs coach for the Baltimore Ravens since 2014.

In 2017, Hammock coached unheralded second-year player Alex Collins to a near-1,000-yard rushing season as the Ravens won the NFC North title.

Prior to offensive coaching stints at Wisconsin and Minnesota, Hammock coached the running backs at NIU for the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

After graduating as a Huskie, Hammock was a graduate assistant at Wisconsin in 2003 and 2004. He coached standout Anthony Davis for the Badgers.

The NIU head coaching job became vacant when Rod Carey left after six complete seasons to become the head coach at Temple. Former Huskies assistants Joe Tripodi, Brad Ohrt, Melvin Rice Jr., Walter Stewart and Craig Harmon are confirmed to join Carey at Temple.

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