NIU hires Ravens assistant Thomas Hammock as new head coach

Northern Illinois is hiring Baltimore Ravens running backs coach Thomas Hammock as its next head coach, a source told ESPN.

Hammock, a former star running back for NIU who later served as a Huskies assistant coach, will be introduced Friday at news conferences in both DeKalb and Chicago. He coached running backs at NIU in 2005 and 2006 and also held posts at Minnesota and Wisconsin before joining the Ravens in 2014. This will be his first head-coaching position.

SMU defensive coordinator Kevin Kane, who held the same position at NIU before joining the Mustangs in 2018, was a finalist for the job, according to sources. NIU also spoke with Indiana State head coach Curt Mallory, NIU offensive…