The Seattle Seahawks winning the Super Bowl last week might not have been a big surprise, but their most recent coaching hire did catch the football world off guard.
That’s because they plucked the sitting head coach of a Division I college football program to join their staff as an assistant.
From Northern Illinois to Pacific Northwest
ESPN was first to report Thomas Hammock is set to become the running backs coach for the Seahawks after seven years as the head coach at Northern Illinois.
The school soon confirmed it with an announcement showing gratitude for his time in Dekalb, Ill.
“Under Coach Hammock's leadership, the Huskie football program has achieved historic milestones on the field as well as academically over the last seven seasons," NIU director of athletics Sean Frazier said in a press release. "His passion for NIU and commitment to developing young men on and off the playing field will be his legacy.”
An NIU grad, Hammock led the Huskies to the MAC championship in 2021 and finished with a 35-47 record. Prior to being named Huskies head coach, he was the running backs coach for the Baltimore Ravens for five seasons.
His most notable victory at NIU was an upset of No. 5 Notre Dame early in the 2024 season, though the Huskies also won a pair of bowl games.
“Representing the Cardinal and Black of Northern Illinois University as a player, alumnus, assistant coach, and head coach has been the honor of my life," Hammock said in a press release. "To Sean Frazier, my mentor, thank you for the incredible opportunity to lead, guide, and mentor the young men in this program over the past seven years. I hope I have left a lasting impact on our players the way Coach Novak left one on me.”
Tough time to change coaches
The timing is not great for the Huskies for multiple reasons.
For one thing, the coaching carousel seemed to have stopped spinning in college football a few weeks ago so most prime candidates have already changed jobs.
The transfer portal opened and closed in January, and 2026 recruiting classes were finalized earlier in February.
Now the NIU players will have an opportunity to assess their options and transfer, adding a big task for Hammock’s replacement to make sure he can field a competitive team this fall.
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Beyond that, the Huskies are set to begin play in the Mountain West this fall, a step up in competition that also will come with extended travel including road games at New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV and Air Force (Colorado Springs).
They also go to Iowa and Arizona this fall for nonconference contests.
"These are exciting times for the Huskies as they enter the Mountain West Conference,” Hammock said. “I look forward to watching this team stay united, compete at a high level, and continue building under new leadership. I will always be proud to call NIU my alma mater, and I will always be cheering for the Huskies."
Who is replacing Hammock?
The school named Rob Harley interim head coach.
He served as defensive coordinator for the Huskies last season.
An Illinois native, the 43-year-old Harley previously worked at Florida International, Pittsburgh and Arkansas State.
“It was important to me to come to a place that has a long history,” Harley said when he was hired as DC last year.
“NIU has that history of winning, a history of success, a foundation and toughness that is defined by the mantra of the hard way. When you're a defensive coach, the hard way is the only thing it's about. We're going to give great effort, we're going to do our jobs, and we're going to play really tough. And the cherry on top is to be able to come back and do it at home, where I haven’t lived in 25 years.”
Harley was a walk-on defensive back at Ohio State from 2001-05, earning a national championship ring and two Big Ten championships, before going into local television in Columbus.
He began his coaching career in Columbus at Division II Ohio Dominican in 2010.
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How often does this happen?
Hammock’s decision might seem surprising, but it is certainly not unheard of.
In 2024, Chip Kelly actually tried to make a similar move according to reports. He was the head coach at UCLA but was reported to be trying to get an NFL assistant job.
Instead, he landed at Ohio State as offensive coordinator for one year, helping the Buckeyes win the national championship. He then became offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders, though that tenure ended in the middle of last season when Kelly was fired. Now Kelly is the offensive coordinator at Northwestern.
Also in ’24, Jeff Hafley gave up his job as head coach at Boston College to become the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. That move certainly looks like a smart one for Hafley, who was recently hired as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
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