Five student-athletes from the Northern Illinois University football team were named to the National Football Foundation’s Hampshire Honor Society on Wednesday.

The Huskies named to this year’s NFF Hampshire Honor Society are:

James Ester, Defensive Tackle, 3.333 GPA, Communications, Detroit, Mich.

Tom Foley, Punter, 3.603 GPA, Finance, Peoria, Ill.

J.J. Lippe, Offensive Lineman, 3.764 GPA, Leadership and Management, Milwaukee, Wis.

Nolan Potter, Offensive Lineman, 3.328 GPA, Organizational/Corporate Communications, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Tristen Tewes, Tight End, 3.843 GPA, Environmental Studies, Pleasant Plains, Ill.

This is the 15th consecutive year NIU has been represented on the Hampshire Honor Society. It is the third straight year NIU has had at least four student-athletes selected.

Potter earned All-Mid-American Conference honors for the third straight season in 2023 after his second selection to the All-MAC First Team. He led an NIU offensive line that ranked in the top 30 in the nation in fewest sacks allowed while leading the MAC in rushing offense in conference games. Potter started 42 games over the last five seasons with Lippe starting 33 games across the offensive line. Lippe was also named to the Academic All-MAC and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team this season.

Ester earned his third All-MAC selection in his career with his 2023 All-MAC Second Team honors. He made a career-high 48 tackles in 2023 with 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. The Huskie defense finished the 2023 season sixth in the nation in passing yards allowed, 23rd in total defense and 26th in scoring defense.

This is the second consecutive year Foley and Tewes were named to the Hampshire Honor Society. Foley, whose “pass” to kicker Kanon Woodill resulted in a touchdown in the Huskies’ 21-19 Camellia Bowl win over Arkansas State, averaged 40.6 yards per punt this season with 20 inside the 20-yard line. He was named the MAC West Special Teams Player of the Week on October 23 after averaging 53.2 yards per punt against Eastern Michigan. Foley kicked the third-longest punt in NIU history against the Eagles, a 79-yard punt that was the longest by a Huskie since 1941.

Tewes played in 12 games and started five at tight end in 2023. He caught three passes for 34 yards and has 28 receptions for 315 yards in 44 career games.

Members of the Hampshire Honor Society must be a senior who completed their final year of eligibility in 2022 or a graduated player who has been out of high school at least three years. They must have been starters or significant contributors while achieving a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.2 or higher. A record number of 1,989 players from 339 schools qualified for membership in 2024.