Northern Illinois University head football coach Thomas Hammock added another Huskie to his coaching staff naming former NIU offensive lineman Jason Onyebuagu as the Huskies’ tight ends and fullbacks coach on Monday.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have Jason come back to NIU and be a part of what we’re building,” Hammock said. “He was a very successful former player here who understands the hard way, understands the history and everything about this program, and he can relate that to our players.
“He has a demeanor about him that I think fits well with our players and having another guy on the staff that brings experience with the offensive line gives us that much more pop in the run game. That’s what we want to be able to do is run the ball effectively this year, and having Jason as part of the staff here will help us do that.”
This is the second time Hammock was able to draw Onyebuagu to NIU. A four-year letterwinner for the Huskies from 2006-09, Onyebuagu was Hammock’s first signee during his tenure as an assistant coach at NIU. A 10-year collegiate coaching veteran, Onyebuagu brings a wealth of coaching experience and success with him back to DeKalb.
“This is one of those situations that words can’t describe,” Onyebuagu said of returning to NIU. “I’m coming back home to where I laid the groundwork and put in a lot of hard effort with people you love and people that grew to be lifelong friends. Now I get to breathe life into these young men here at the University as part of our football program, it means everything.”
Onyebuagu returns to his alma mater after spending the 2020 season at Southeast Missouri State where he served as offensive line coach. Prior to his season at SEMO, Onyebuagu was the offensive line coach at Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2019.
During his longest coaching stint at North Carolina Central, Onyebuagu worked as offensive line coach (2014), running game coordinator (2015-16) and co-offensive coordinator (2017-18) over a five-year period. He helped lead the Eagles to four-straight winning seasons (2014-17) in that stretch.
In 2016, NCCU captured the outright MEAC title, received its first national ranking as a Division I FCS program and earned a trip to the Celebration Bowl. The Eagles also defeated then-No. 9 ranked North Carolina A&T and broke the school’s single-season record for total offense with 4,614.
A native of Indianapolis, Onyebuagu began his collegiate coaching career in 2011 as an offensive graduate assistant at the University of North Carolina. In two seasons working with the Tar Heels’ offensive line, UNC earned a bid to the 2011 Independence Bowl. In 2013, Onyebuagu moved on to Syracuse where he spent the 2013 season as an offensive graduate assistant for the Orange. He was a member of a staff that led the Syracuse to a berth in the 2013 Texas Bowl.
The third NIU graduate on staff, joining Hammock and defensive ends coach Travis Moore, Onyebuagu participated in all 51 games of his Huskie career. A first team All-MAC selection in 2009 and member of former NIU head coach Jerry Kill’s Leadership Council, the Warren Central product helped lead the offensive line of the No. 1 rushing team in the league as the Huskies averaged 195.2 rushing yards per game. Onyebuagu, who also earned third team All-MAC honors in 2008, was a member of three bowl teams during his NIU career.
Onyebuagu, who graduated from NIU in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies, began his coaching career in 2010 as an assistant offensive line coach at his alma mater Warren Central High School.
After spending most of his career coaching offensive line, Onyebuagu is eager for the challenge of coaching a different position group.
“I think all coaches are looking for a challenge,” he said. “To learn a new position and new details I haven’t had to focus on in the past couple years has been a big challenge for me abd has pushed me to continue my growth as a coach.
NIU opens the season at Georgia Tech on September 4 before welcoming fans back to the stands at full capacity in Huskie Stadium beginning with the home opener versus Wyoming on September 11. Kickoff for the game is at 12:30 p.m. (CT) and the game will honor First Responders and Health Care Heroes, while also serving as a Welcome Back Fans celebration.
Season tickets for NIU’s complete six-game home schedule remain on sale with season ticket prices as low as $85. Purchase a minimum of four tickets for all six games via the Family Pack for just $90 per ticket (in sections B and F) or $66 per ticket (in sections A and G). Three-game or four-game mini-plans are also available with Mission’s 3-Game Mini-Plan priced at $79 (including processing), while Victor E.’s 4-Game Mini-Plan is $107.
To see all the ticket options and prices, and for more information on premium seating, see the Football Ticket Page at NIUHuskies.com. To purchase tickets, call 815-753-PACK (7225) or go to NIUHuskies.com/MyHuskies.