Northern Illinois might be the most interesting Group of Five program to figure out going into the season.
The Huskies pulled off the biggest shocker of the season with a win at Notre Dame, followed it up with losses in four of their next six games, rallied back to win four of their last five, including a bowl game against Fresno State , and then they lost just about everyone.
Personnel-wise, this is about as close to a total gut job as it gets. The world came for Northern Illinois players, and it wasn’t pretty. Ten, and counting, key Huskies are gone. It was a struggle to fill the gaps through the transfer portal, and head coach Thomas Hammock has to go with a youth movement to try for his fourth winning season in the last five years.
All of that, and this is a Mountain West team in 2026.
The final run in the MAC might not be anything amazing, but Hammock and his teams - again, Northern Illinois 16, Notre Dame 14 - have been overperforming more often than not. Sep 7, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Northern Illinois Huskies head coach Thomas Hammock watches in the first quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium.
- Just about everyone is gone from an attack that was among the best in the MAC, but struggled to score and didn’t have enough of a passing game. But it’s Northern Illinois. It will have a good offensive line.
Junior Evan Malcore is a good one at left tackle, and that’s it as far as starting experience. The front five isn’t a sure thing, but the depth is young and promising. There are options, but Aidan Tweedy from Wayne State should lock in at center and bring a little experience. - To keep this going, it’s Northern Illinois. It will run the ball. The main backs from last year are gone, but Telly Johnson had a promising freshman year with 480 yards and four scores. Johnson and Jaylen Powe should form a good rotation that can produce as long as the line does its job.
- There’s room for the passing game to grow. Josh Hoist was the No. 2 man last year behind Ethan Hampton. Hoist will add more of a rushing element at quarterback.
The receiving corps wasn’t used enough, but it was good. Cam Thompson is off to Mississippi State, top target Trayvon Rudolph left for Toledo, and tight end Grayson Barnes is gone to West Virginia.
The Huskies will scramble, but Dane Partridge is back after catching 20 passes with three touchdowns. He qualifies as the veteran leader of a very, very green group.
Roy Williams is a tweener fitting the edge/defensive end mode, and now he’s the star up front after finishing second on the team with 6.5 sacks. There isn’t a ton of bulk on the interior, but the transfer portal helped, and this bunch should move. - The linebackers will be fine. All of the top tacklers are gone, but the two in the 4-2-5 get to everything. Quinn Urwiler will be a statistical star in the middle, and Danny Cronin (Dartmouth) will instantly fit at one outside spot.
- The secondary has promise. Jasper Beeler (Saginaw Valley State) has great range and covers like a corner at free safety. Cornerback Jacob Finley is one of the team’s best defenders, and the transfer portal is helping form the rotation.
Again, he can run a bit and should be able to take off to keep the chains moving, but can he make the passing game more efficient? There will be a few more high-scoring battles this year, and the offense will have to keep up, as opposed to taking control. Hoist will have to be a playmaker.
A slew of transfers are coming in and taking over key spots, but Glass might be the most important. If Northern Illinois plays like it wants to, its games should be low-scoring and tight. Glass was a four-year factor for Kent State , but he didn’t get in a whole lot of work last season.
Former Huskie kicker Kanon Woodill made 17 of his 26 attempts. As long as Glass is above 70% on field goals, he’ll be a plus.
Top Transfer Out: Santana Banner, Soph.
Take your pick of any number of lost parts, but Banner has a world of upside with next-level size and great hitting ability, making 54 stops in his freshman year. He’ll be great for Missouri over the next few years.
2. Evan Malcore, OT Jr.
3. Jacob Finley, CB Jr.
4. Josh Hoist, QB Soph.
5. Jalonnie Williams, DE Sr.
6. Quinn Urwiler, LB Sr.
7. Danny Cronin, LB Sr.
8. DeAree Rogers, WR Jr.
9. Jaylen Poe, RB Soph.
10. Andrew Glass, PK Sr.
This one is all but starting over in some spots, but the schedule is decent enough to hope for at least a third straight bowl appearance.
CONTINUE READING
The Huskies pulled off the biggest shocker of the season with a win at Notre Dame, followed it up with losses in four of their next six games, rallied back to win four of their last five, including a bowl game against Fresno State , and then they lost just about everyone.
Personnel-wise, this is about as close to a total gut job as it gets. The world came for Northern Illinois players, and it wasn’t pretty. Ten, and counting, key Huskies are gone. It was a struggle to fill the gaps through the transfer portal, and head coach Thomas Hammock has to go with a youth movement to try for his fourth winning season in the last five years.
All of that, and this is a Mountain West team in 2026.
The final run in the MAC might not be anything amazing, but Hammock and his teams - again, Northern Illinois 16, Notre Dame 14 - have been overperforming more often than not. Sep 7, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Northern Illinois Huskies head coach Thomas Hammock watches in the first quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium.
Northern Illinois Huskies Preview 2025: Offense
X CFN , Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu , CFN- Just about everyone is gone from an attack that was among the best in the MAC, but struggled to score and didn’t have enough of a passing game. But it’s Northern Illinois. It will have a good offensive line.
Junior Evan Malcore is a good one at left tackle, and that’s it as far as starting experience. The front five isn’t a sure thing, but the depth is young and promising. There are options, but Aidan Tweedy from Wayne State should lock in at center and bring a little experience. - To keep this going, it’s Northern Illinois. It will run the ball. The main backs from last year are gone, but Telly Johnson had a promising freshman year with 480 yards and four scores. Johnson and Jaylen Powe should form a good rotation that can produce as long as the line does its job.
- There’s room for the passing game to grow. Josh Hoist was the No. 2 man last year behind Ethan Hampton. Hoist will add more of a rushing element at quarterback.
The receiving corps wasn’t used enough, but it was good. Cam Thompson is off to Mississippi State, top target Trayvon Rudolph left for Toledo, and tight end Grayson Barnes is gone to West Virginia.
The Huskies will scramble, but Dane Partridge is back after catching 20 passes with three touchdowns. He qualifies as the veteran leader of a very, very green group.
Northern Illinois Huskies Preview 2025: Defense
- The Huskies finished fourth in the nation in total defense, the pass rush was a killer, and only Western Michigan scored more than 24 points against them, and it was in a loss. The bigger programs swooped in and took away almost everyone of note. However, the line has players.Roy Williams is a tweener fitting the edge/defensive end mode, and now he’s the star up front after finishing second on the team with 6.5 sacks. There isn’t a ton of bulk on the interior, but the transfer portal helped, and this bunch should move. - The linebackers will be fine. All of the top tacklers are gone, but the two in the 4-2-5 get to everything. Quinn Urwiler will be a statistical star in the middle, and Danny Cronin (Dartmouth) will instantly fit at one outside spot.
- The secondary has promise. Jasper Beeler (Saginaw Valley State) has great range and covers like a corner at free safety. Cornerback Jacob Finley is one of the team’s best defenders, and the transfer portal is helping form the rotation.
Northern Illinois Huskies Key to the Season
Northern Illinois Huskies Key Player
Josh Hoist, QB Soph.Again, he can run a bit and should be able to take off to keep the chains moving, but can he make the passing game more efficient? There will be a few more high-scoring battles this year, and the offense will have to keep up, as opposed to taking control. Hoist will have to be a playmaker.
Northern Illinois Huskies Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss
Top Transfer In: Andrew Glass, PK Sr.A slew of transfers are coming in and taking over key spots, but Glass might be the most important. If Northern Illinois plays like it wants to, its games should be low-scoring and tight. Glass was a four-year factor for Kent State , but he didn’t get in a whole lot of work last season.
Former Huskie kicker Kanon Woodill made 17 of his 26 attempts. As long as Glass is above 70% on field goals, he’ll be a plus.
Top Transfer Out: Santana Banner, Soph.
Take your pick of any number of lost parts, but Banner has a world of upside with next-level size and great hitting ability, making 54 stops in his freshman year. He’ll be great for Missouri over the next few years.
Northern Illinois Huskies Key Game
Northern Illinois Huskies Top 10 Players
1. Roy Williams, DE Sr.2. Evan Malcore, OT Jr.
3. Jacob Finley, CB Jr.
4. Josh Hoist, QB Soph.
5. Jalonnie Williams, DE Sr.
6. Quinn Urwiler, LB Sr.
7. Danny Cronin, LB Sr.
8. DeAree Rogers, WR Jr.
9. Jaylen Poe, RB Soph.
10. Andrew Glass, PK Sr.
Northern Illinois Huskies 2024 Fun Stats
Northern Illinois Huskies 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen
Northern Illinois was all over the place last season, and that was with one of its best teams in ten years.This one is all but starting over in some spots, but the schedule is decent enough to hope for at least a third straight bowl appearance.
