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Group of Five football: 3 coaches who’ve surpassed expectations in 2021

By Jacob Ellerbee

Oct 1, 2021; Logan, Utah, USA; Utah State Aggies head coach Blake Anderson takes reviews a play on the scoreboard during the second half against the Brigham Young Cougars at Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2021; Logan, Utah, USA; Utah State Aggies head coach Blake Anderson takes reviews a play on the scoreboard during the second half against the Brigham Young Cougars at Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports /
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Group of Five football
Thomas Hammock, NIU football coach in the Group of Five (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

1. Thomas Hammock, Northern Illinois

NIU football seems to have found the man who will get the Huskies back to double-digit wins seasons like they experienced in the early 2010s.

Thomas Hammock, who is in his third season at the helm for NIU, got off to a rocky start for the team in which he played from 1999 to 2002 as a running back.

In his first season, the Huskies floundered to a 5-7 record. Last year, NIU went the entire season without a win. This season they are 7-3 and in first place in the MAC.

They have two more opportunities to add to the win column: at Buffalo Nov. 17 and a home contest against Western Michigan.

NIU has been so pleased with Hammock’s turnaround they gave him a contract extension to keep him in DeKalb through 2026, according to ESPN.

Hammock has made prior coaching stops with Wisconsin, Minnesota and the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. At just 40 years-old, Hammock has an opportunity to build something special at Northern Illinois.

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