Northern Illinois Enters the Mountain West With Questions on Both Lines
Northern Illinois limped to a 3-9 finish in 2025, going 2-6 in its final MAC campaign while ranking near the bottom of the country in total offense and scoring barely 17 points per game. The Huskies now move to the Mountain West for 2026, and they do so amid upheaval on the sideline: Thomas Hammock left in February to join the Seattle Seahawks' staff, and defensive coordinator Rob Harley was elevated to interim head coach. With an unsettled quarterback picture and heavy youth along both lines, this projects as a grinding transition year.
Offense
The most important call on offense is who takes the first snap, and there is no clear front-runner. Sophomore Brady Davidson, a traditional pocket passer, made a pair of starts as a true freshman and averaged 27 attempts in them. Senior Jalen Macon is a run-first athlete who is dangerous in the open field but was not asked to throw much. The staff also added a transfer arm in Ean Hamric, a dual-threat who put up roughly 155 passing and 61 rushing yards per game while leading his Division II program to a league title. Reports on who held the job late in 2025 are not consistent, and the offseason competition was described as wide open through the spring, so the pecking order remains genuinely unsettled entering fall.
DeAree Rogers is the anchor of the passing game. The 5-11 senior led the team with 46 receptions for 506 yards and three scores and gives the quarterbacks a dependable target. Rickey Taylor Jr. offers a downfield element, having paced the roster at 14.9 yards per catch even though injury cost him half of last season. Cam Thompson and Jason Fowler at tight end round out a group that badly needs steadier quarterback play to climb out of a passing attack that finished among the nation's worst.
Telly Johnson Jr. is the clear strength of the skill positions. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry, second best in the MAC, and rolled up 712 yards and four touchdowns, including an 80-yard burst against Eastern Michigan. He is a legitimate lead back capable of carrying a heavy workload, and the run game should stay the most reliable part of the offense.
The front is short on experience. Left tackle Ross Liegel and center Landon Hron are the only established returning starters, and the rest of the line skews young. Holding down the pass protection that the Huskies leaned on a year ago will hinge on those two setting the tone while newcomers settle into the interior and at right tackle.
Defense
The line is counting on internal growth. Defensive tackle Amari Washington made noticeable strides and has the staff encouraged that he can anchor the interior, with Montrel Canion expected to work alongside him after limited early snaps. Jay'shon Thomas looks like a lock for meaningful reps at defensive end after tying for second on the team with two sacks. Jacob McGhee, a transfer from the Division II ranks, is another name being asked to step forward up front.
There is turnover and opportunity at the second level. In the 4-2-5 look, Broderick Windham is shifting from safety to linebacker, and Cooper Mau will try to fend off Kimar Nelson, who flashed late in his true freshman year and could be a factor. With multiple veterans gone, former three-star recruit and true freshman Jack Murray is in line to start right away, drawing pointed praise from the interim staff.
The secondary carries whatever optimism the defense can muster, even as the unit as a whole returns very little production. Dev'ion Reynolds is the top cornerback after a 16-tackle season, with a transfer expected to start opposite him; Bryant transfer Liam Lindo and all-conference NAIA arrival Yassine Falke are both in that mix. Justin Harris headlines the safety group alongside junior-college addition Tyrese Stanley and veterans Malik Armstrong and Aaron Warren. The talent is there for this to be the defense's best position, but so much newness means the back end has to gel quickly.
Punter Jake Ference is back after averaging 43.7 yards per boot as a true freshman, giving the Huskies a settled leg in one phase. Place-kicker is less certain, with JJ Schlenhardt facing a challenge from a transfer for the job through camp. Rogers and Reynolds are again slated to handle punt and kick return duties, respectively.
Overview and Prediction
The schedule offers no soft landing into a new league. Northern Illinois opens at Iowa and also travels to Arizona early, then faces a Mountain West slate that includes Air Force, Wyoming, Hawaii, UNLV, San Jose State and Nevada. A defense returning only a sliver of its snaps from a group that already gave up more than 24 points per game is the biggest worry, and the offense still has to prove it can pass well enough to complement Johnson.
The preseason consensus pegs the Huskies near the bottom of the Mountain West, and that feels right. This was always going to be a difficult first year in a new conference, and the coaching change and quarterback uncertainty only deepen it. If the young lines mature and one quarterback seizes the job, NIU can steal a few games, but a step back in the win column looks likely before this rebuild finds its footing.