Football | August 12

DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University football team has become synonymous with running the football in the 21^st century. From current head coach Thomas Hammock to Michael Turner, Garrett Wolfe, quarterback Jordan Lynch's 2013 Heisman campaign and more current backs like Harrison Waylee and Antario Brown, the Huskies have been proficient in the ground game. This year's corps of running backs will prove to be no different.
 
"I feel like this is our best, most complete backfield that we've had since I've been here," said Hammock who enters his seventh season as head coach. "We've had elite runners in the past, but as a group we have five to six guys that can go out there and be a tremendous weapon for our offense."
 
Last season the Huskies averaged 203.8 yards per game on the ground, which put NIU second in the Mid-American Conference and 16^th in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Three different Huskies had a 100-yard rushing game in 2024 but two of them – Antario Brown and Gavin Williams – graduated. Sophomore Telly Johnson Jr. (Augusta, Ga./Hephzibah) rushed for over 100 yards in back-to-back wins against Western Michigan and Akron, finishing the season with 480 yards and four touchdowns in six games.
 
"Telly has stacked a great spring ball with a great fall camp," said running backs coach Ty Boles. "He's becoming a complete back. Whether its running the ball hard, catching the ball, pass protection and blocking on the perimeter, he's been doing a good job."
 
The Huskies bolstered their depth in the running back room with senior transfer Chavon Wright (Opa Locka, Fla./Charleston), who played for offensive coordinator Quinn Sanders at the University of Charleston. Wright led all of NCAA Division II in 2024 with 2,233 rushing yards and 38 touchdowns. He finished the 2024 season leading all of NCAA football with 75 career rushing touchdowns and sixth with 4,926 career rushing yards.
 
"He has a lot of experience in a group full of freshmen and redshirt freshmen," Boles said. "Those guys joke around and call him 'unc', short for uncle. He's come in and helped the young guys adapt to this new system."
 
"I've always been looking for something in our backfield and I couldn't pinpoint what it was until I saw Chavon run these last two weeks," added Hammock. "He has great contact balance, great vision, one-cut ability. He was a tremendous pickup. He knows the offense inside and out, is a great competitor, and has elevated the play of everyone else in the room because they understand he's a guy with 5,000 yards rushing."
 
Half of the running back room this season is either redshirt-freshmen or true freshmen. Romelo Ware (Orlando, Fla./Olympia) saw action in last year's Famous Idaho Potato Bowl victory. Lazaro Rogers (Fort Myers, Fla./East Lee County) rushed for over 4,000 yards in his last three seasons at East Lee County High School with 43 touchdowns.
 
"We've had a lot of information on guys coming into the program who have played as freshmen, whether it's Harrison Waylee or Jay Ducker or Antario Brown or Telly last year," Hammock said. "These guys have come in and matured much quicker. They've learned the offense and now we're in a system that gives those guys the opportunity to show their complete skillset. I'm excited to watch them compete each and every day and go out there and play when the season starts."
 
NIU opens the 2025 season on Saturday, August 30 at 2:30 p.m. against Holy Cross at Huskie Stadium. Season and single game tickets are on sale now for the 2025 NIU Football season. Season ticket prices for NIU's six 2025 home games begin at as little as $110 each for a general admission ticket. With the purchase of the Huskie 4-Pack (four or more tickets), pay $110 each for a reserved seat in sections A, B or F on the West Side. Reserved west side seats are priced at $152 or $170 with discounts available for NIU alumni, NIU faculty/staff, DeKalb County residents, seniors (62+) and members of the Varsity Club (former student-athletes). 
  
Purchase tickets for the 2025 NIU Football season anytime online at NIUHuskies.com/tickets. For more information, call the NIU Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225) weekdays between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. or email huskiestickets@niu.edu. 
 
--NIU--