2024 Northern Illinois
8–5 (4–4 Mid-American Conference), coached by Thomas Hammock. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest upsetBeat No. 5 Notre Dame 16–14Sep 7
Notre Dame was ranked No. 5 and favored to win.
- Most excitingLost to Ball State 23–25Oct 26
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | vs Western Illinois | W 54–15 | 92% |
| Sep 7 | at 5Notre Dame | W 16–14 | 19% |
| Sep 21 | vs Buffalo | L 20–23 | 66% |
| Sep 28 | at NC State | L 17–24 | 33% |
| Oct 5 | vs Massachusetts | W 34–20 | 78% |
| Oct 12 | at Bowling Green | W 17–7 | 42% |
| Oct 19 | vs Toledo | L 6–13 | 49% |
| Oct 26 | at Ball State | L 23–25 | 58% |
| Nov 6 | at Western Michigan | W 42–28 | 43% |
| Nov 13 | vs Akron | W 29–16 | 83% |
| Nov 19 | at Miami (OH) | L 9–20 | 33% |
| Nov 30 | vs Central Michigan | W 24–16 | 77% |
| Dec 23Bowls & playoff | vs Fresno StateFamous Idaho Potato Bowl | W 28–20 | 49% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Fresno State 28–20 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 6th in the Mid-American Conference.
In program history: The 14th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 61 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 3: 25
- Wk 4: 23
- Record
- 8–5
- Conference
- 4–4 tied for 6th in Mid-American Conference
- AP final
- Unranked peak No. 23
- Points
- 319–241
- Coach
- Thomas Hammock
- Elo
- 1533 +55 this season
- SP+ rating
- -3.5 No. 84 of 134; offense No. 115, defense No. 32, special teams No. 125
- SRS
- −1.1 No. 68 of 134 in FBS
- Returning
- 60% of last season’s EPA, No. 42 of 133
- Recruiting class
- No. 99 roster talent No. 124 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Wesley Beschorner
- Defensive coordinator
- Nick Benedetto
- Offense
- Spread
- Defense
- 4–2–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.06 | 41% | 1.27 | 90th of 134 |
| Defense | -0.00 | 38% | 1.21 | 15th of 134 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.06 off 0.04 def | 40% off 41% def | — | 97th off 28th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.4 | own 30 | 16% allowed |
| Defense | 3.1 | own 30 | 18% caused |
CORE rating 4.7, 51st of 134 (offense -2.6, defense -7.3).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Ethan Hampton QB | 1,608 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Ethan Hampton QB | 12 TD |
| Rushing yards | Gavin Williams RB | 749 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Antario Brown RB | 4 TD |
| Receiving yards | Trayvon Rudolph WR | 403 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Grayson Barnes TE | 4 TD |
| Tackles | Christian Fuhrman LB | 61 tkl |
| Sacks | Devonte O’Malley DT | 8.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Nate Valcarcel S | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2024 class
| Ivan Moore Jr. DE | ★★★ | No. 1460 |
| Ben Gustafson OT | ★★★ | No. 1581 |
| Ross Liegel DL | ★★★ | No. 1821 |
| A.J. Guida LB | ★★★ | No. 1863 |
| Adrian Thomas WR | ★★★ | No. 1880 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2024 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.802 |
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.826 |
| Receivers | 6 | 2.8 | 0.811 |
| Offensive line | 5 | 3.0 | 0.818 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.844 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.842 |
| Defensive backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.801 |
| Athletes and specialists | 3 | 3.0 | 0.820 |
| Whole class | 21 | 3.0 | 0.820 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 121
The 2024 roster121 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2024 line; 61 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 6
The 2024 portal Jake Appleget TE | ★★★ | from  Nebraska |
 Christian Fuhrman LB | ★★★ | from  Southeast Missouri State |
 Jalen Macon QB | ★★★ | from  Arkansas–Pine Bluff |
 Marc Pretto LB | ★★★ | from  Fordham |
| Andrew McElroy WR | ★★★ | from St. Thomas |
| Kenji Lewis WR | ★★★ | from Arkansas–Pine Bluff |
Transfers out 19
 Pete Nygra OL | ★★★ | to  Louisville |
| George Gumbs Jr. DE | ★★★ | to  Florida |
| Devin Lafayette S | ★★★ | to  Troy |
| C.J. Brown S | ★★★ | to  Bowling Green |
| Kiwaun Davis CB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Keshon Artis LB | ★★★★ | no new school on file |
| Caleb Jordan QB | ★★★ | to  Portland State |
| Trayvon Rudolph WR | ★★★ | returned to  Northern Illinois |
| Billy Dozier WR | ★★ | to  Butler |
| Bryce Harrison TE | ★★ | to  Stetson |
| Eli Reed WR | ★★ | no new school on file |
| Phillip Baynes LB | ★★ | to Tyler J.C. |
And 7 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2024 Mid-American Conference standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 Ohio | 7–1 | 11–3 | |
| Miami (OH) | 7–1 | 9–5 | |
| Buffalo | 6–2 | 9–4 | |
| Bowling Green | 6–2 | 7–6 | |
| Western Michigan | 5–3 | 6–7 | |
| Northern Illinois | 4–4 | 8–5 | |
| Toledo | 4–4 | 8–5 | |
| Akron | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
 Eastern Michigan | 2–6 | 5–7 | |
| Central Michigan | 2–6 | 4–8 | |
| Ball State | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
 Kent State | 0–8 | 0–12 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.