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An Elmhurst native with experience as both a coordinator and position coach, Rob Harley has joined the Northern Illinois University football coaching staff as defensive coordinator, NIU head coach Thomas Hammock announced Friday.
“I am excited to add Rob Harley as our defensive coordinator,” Hammock said in a statement. “He was on a national championship team as a player and has worked for Coach [Mark] Dantonio [at Michigan State] and Coach [Pat] Narduzzi [at Pitt], two coaches I have a lot of respect for. He will bring his expertise on defense to our team and continue to move us forward on that side of the ball. Rob is an excellent fit into our culture and ‘the hard way’ mentality.”
Harley replaces Nick Benedetto, who left in December to take the defensive coordinator position at Fresno State - the team NIU beat in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl just weeks earlier. The Bulldogs hired NIU defensive line coach Jordan Gigli earlier this week.
The Huskies were top 20 in multiple defensive categories this season but lose a lot of key pieces to both the transfer portal and graduation.
Harley comes to NIU after four seasons as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Arkansas State, where his defense helped the Red Wolves to back-to-back bowl appearances in 2023 and 2024 - including a loss to NIU in the 2023 Camellia Bowl. Under Harley, Arkansas State ran an aggressive and opportunistic defense as the Red Wolves went from just two wins in his first season there (2021) to an 8-5 record in 2024.
Prior to Arkansas State, Harley spent six seasons as linebackers coach at Pitt under head coach Pat Narduzzi, a former NIU assistant coach, while also serving as the Panthers’ recruiting coordinator during his final four years.
“It was important to me to come to a place that has a long history,” Harley said in a statement. “NIU has that history of winning, a history of success, a foundation and toughness that is defined by the mantra of the hard way. When you’re a defensive coach, the hard way is the only thing it’s about. We’re going to give great effort, we’re going to do our jobs, and we’re going to play really tough. And the cherry on top is to be able to come back and do it at home, where I haven’t lived in 25 years.”
The Elmhurst, Illinois product from York High School earned three letters at safety at Ohio State (2001-05) and was a member of their 2002 national championship team. In Harley’s final three seasons, Ohio State posted a 29-8 record, including victories in the Fiesta Bowl following the 2003 and 2005 seasons.
He began his coaching career in 2010 as the defensive backs/linebackers coach and assistant special teams coordinator at Ohio Dominican University, an NCAA Division II program, before moving on to Michigan State where he spent two seasons (2012-13) as a graduate assistant. At Michigan State, he worked with the Spartans’ offense and special teams in 2012 before moving over to defense in 2013 and assisting with the linebackers as well as special teams.
Harley is the second new member of the Huskie coaching staff officially introduced to date. Earlier this week, NIU welcomed Quinn Sanders as the new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
The NIU Football team wrapped up the 2024 season with an 8-5 record, culminating with a double overtime victory over Fresno State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and highlighted by a 16-14 win over fifth-ranked Notre Dame, the first win by a Mid-American Conference team over a Top Five team.