The college football and NFL are both in their offseason phases. Yet, they still manage to be tied in more ways than the NFL Draft and NFL Scouting Combine.
Each offseason, both of these levels seem to poach coaches from each other. On Wednesday, this continued with a surprising move by a respected Mountain West head coach.
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Northern Illinois head coach Thomas Hammock has stunned his team and conference as he has accepted an offer to become a Seattle Seahawks assistant coach. He will be the team’s running backs coach and senior assistant.
This will be the second time Hammock has been an NFL running backs coach. He coached the Baltimore Ravens running backs from 2014 to 2018.
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What is a bit of a shock is the fact that he is leaving his alma mater to take this job. One could expect, like an offensive coordinator or head coaching gig, to make a head coach take that change.
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Regardless, Hammock may have desired a chance of scenery after some up and down years at NIU. Things looked incredible for Hammock and NIU in 2024 when they upset Notre Dame on the road.
Sep 21, 2024; DeKalb, Illinois, USA; Northern Illinois Huskies head coach Thomas Hammock during the first half at Huskie Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
However, 2025 was not as generous to his program as they fell to 3-9. Now, that 2024 victory will soon become a distant memory as NIU looks to replace its head coach.
Hammock will reunite with Mike Macdonald. The two worked together in Baltimore from 2014 to 2018 before Hammock took his alma mater’s head football job.
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