Football | April 8

DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University football team had seven student-athletes named to the 2026 NFF Hampshire Honor Society, the organization announced today.

Danny Cronin earned the honor for the third consecutive year, and first at NIU, while Aidan Tweedy qualified for the second straight season. Pierce Oppong held the highest GPA among the qualifiers from NIU with a 3.88 cumulative GPA. The four other NIU student-athletes named to the 2026 NFF Hampshire Honor Society includes Dasean Dixon, Andrew Glass, Justin Lynch and Ross Pedro.

Linebacker Danny Cronin – 3.767/3.43 UG – Business Administration/MBA
Defensive Tackle Dasean Dixon – 3.601 – General Studies
Kicker Andrew Glass – 3.22/3.467 UG – Exercise Physiology
Wide Receiver Justin Lynch – 3.415 – Sport Management
Tight End/Defensive End Pierce Oppong – 3.866/3.408 UG – Business Administration/MBA
Long Snapper Ross Pedro – 3.714/3.555 UG – Business Administration/MBA
Offensive Lineman Aidan Tweedy – 3.443/3.89 UG – Finance

To qualify for the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, student-athletes must be a senior in their final year of eligibility, a graduated player or a grad transfer that has earned a bachelor's degree in 2025. Student-athletes must have maintained a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.2 or higher and been starters or contributors during the 2025 season.

The NFF Hampshire Honor Society is celebrating its 20th anniversary and has recognized 23,568 student-athletes from 691 schools since 2007. The 2026 class includes 2,596 student-athletes from 365 schools, the largest group in the program's history.