Division I · Mountain West Conference
Northern Illinois University Football
DeKalb, IL · the Huskies · Northern Illinois University overview
143
Roster
38 over the D-I cap of 105
$13M
Team budget
60th percentile in Division I
$92,301
Per roster spot
median $79,762
11
Coaches
1 head · 10 assistant
962
APR
96% of players retained
70%
Admitted
upper half for selectivity
Northern Illinois University fields a football team in the Mountain West Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 143 players, above the median of 119, with 1 head coach and 10 assistants. Team expenses were $13,199,127, above the median of $9.1M — $92,301 per roster spot, upper half of Division I football programs. Under the Division I roster cap of 105 in force from 2025-26, that is 38 over — cuts or attrition are likely, though players already on the roster may stay (230 of 261 Division I programs carried more than the cap). The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 962, about the median of 964, with 96% of players retained year to year. The school gave $4,742,119 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $16,639 per roster spot.
Among Division I football programs
Where this program sits against its 261 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#104Team budgetof 261 · Division I#120Spend per playerof 261 · Division I#22Roster sizeof 261 · Division I#131APRof 261 · Division I
Team budgets across the division
this programevery Division I football program
Roster sizes (cap 105)
this programevery Division I roster
The program
- Roster143 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap105 38 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 10 assistant
- Team expenses$13,199,127 for the year
- Operating expenses$1,457,878 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$92,301 division median $79,762
- Academic Progress Rate962 multi-year; 974 latest
- Players retained96% year to year
- Eligible96% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$4,742,119 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$16,639 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$383,206 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Rob Harley head coach | Interim Head Coach | not on file |
Put Northern Illinois University on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youSeptember 1 of junior year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school football players1,029,588 2024-25
- Division I roster spots31,184 261 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 33 3.0% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the football recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →11,358undergraduates · 15,504 students in all
Women 55% Men 45%
- Setting
- Suburb
- Type
- Public · Research university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →70%admitted · of 24,177 applicants
- Test scores
- Scores not considered
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 50%
Football
Full picture →143on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 105143
38 over — players already on the roster may stay
Academic Progress Rate962
96% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $13,199,127 $92,302 per roster spot · upper half of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 10 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $4,742,119
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $383,206
Cost
Full picture →$13,533net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $12,506
Campus safety
Full picture →2.42violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 16 burglaries · 56 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 35 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →18%of bachelor's degrees in business · 24 fields · Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research Northern Illinois University
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Football program143 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions70% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$13,533 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsBusiness · 18%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusSuburb · 11,358Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety2.42 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Football programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora University Division III · Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | 25 | 138 | $711k | — | 85% | |
| Rockford University Division III · Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | 27 | 101 | $426k | — | 57% | |
| North Central College Division III · College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | 34 | 142 | $1.1M | — | 58% | |
| Wheaton College (Illinois) Division III · College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | 35 | 127 | $1.3M | — | 90% | |
| Benedictine University (Illinois) Division III · Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | 36 | 143 | $447k | — | 77% | |
| Beloit College Division III · Midwest Conference | 42 | 71 | $435k | — | 57% | |
| Elmhurst University Division III · College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | 42 | 84 | $634k | — | 76% | |
| Concordia University Chicago Division III · Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | 49 | 84 | $423k | — | 93% | |
| Lake Forest College Division III · Midwest Conference | 53 | 111 | $521k | — | 59% | |
| North Park University Division III · College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | 54 | 110 | $745k | — | 73% | |
| Northwestern University Division I · Big Ten Conference | 56 | 109 | $38M | 995 | 7% | |
| Roosevelt University Division II · Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 59 | 126 | $2.9M | — | 94% |
Other football programs in the Mountain West Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Nevada, Las Vegas 8 over cap | 113 | $21M | $184,554 | 964 | vs | |
| University of New Mexico 12 over cap | 117 | $15M | $125,905 | 943 | vs | |
| University of Hawaii, Manoa 9 over cap | 114 | $14M | $121,552 | 949 | vs | |
| Northern Illinois University 38 over cap | 143 | $13M | $92,301 | 962 | vs | |
| University of Wyoming 12 over cap | 117 | $13M | $111,896 | 969 | vs | |
| University of Nevada, Reno 12 over cap | 117 | $13M | $110,970 | 987 | vs | |
| San Jose State University room for 2 | 103 | $12M | $115,902 | 952 | vs | |
| University of Texas at El Paso 9 over cap | 114 | $11M | $97,036 | 941 | vs | |
| North Dakota State University 25 over cap | 130 | $8.4M | $64,257 | 986 | vs | |
| U.S. Air Force Academy | — | — | — | 995 | vs |
Every Mountain West Conference football program · Football budgets ranked