DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University football program and head coach Thomas Hammock announced the addition of 26 players, including 24 freshmen and two junior college transfers on Wednesday.
“We have a lot of guys coming back we feel good about but we’re looking for ways we can build our team moving forward and yesterday was a good start,” said Hammock. “We’re always going to look forward to building our team with high school student athletes first and yesterday was just the tip of the iceberg.”
Of the 26 signees, NIU signed six from the State of Indiana, five in-state products, three players from Georgia and two from Florida. Defensive line is the largest incoming group with six followed by offensive line (four), wide receiver (four) and linebacker (four).
“One thing about us, we trust our eyes in the evaluation process and put a lot of work and thought into how we evaluate, why we evaluate and the way that we evaluate,” said Hammock. “The great thing about this class is 17 kids are mid-year, which gives us an opportunity to add depth and competition on our roster.”
The incoming freshmen from Illinois are Jaiduan Cranford (Metamora, Ill./Metamora Township), Kellen Gamble (Homewood, Ill./Homewood Flossmoor), Cristian Harkins (Lombard, Ill./Montini Catholic), Asa Johnson (Aurora, Ill./Aurora Christian) and Cian Mahoney (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin).
The 2026 class includes players from 13 different states. The two incoming junior college transfers are Glen Weber, a tight end that a spent the last two seasons at Modesto Junior College, and Joseph Nnamuchi, a defensive lineman from Garden City Community College.
NIU Football will move into its first season with the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026.
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