Jordan Lynch returns to Northern Illinois as RB coach
Northern Illinois is adding a familiar face to its staff, as former Heisman finalist Jordan Lynch has joined the Huskies as their running backs coach.
Lynch, whose third-place finish in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2013 marked the highest finish in Mid-American Conference history, most recently spent two years as quarterback with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL.
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“I always knew when I got done playing football, I wanted to get into coaching,” Lynch said in a release. “I just love being around the players and being back at NIU.
“When [head coach Rod Carey] started talking to me about the possibility of a position opening up here, I took some time and thought about it. I felt it was a great opportunity for me and I couldn’t pass it up. Some of my best memories of playing football have been here at Northern. To come back and help get the program get back to where it was appealed to me.”
Lynch is one of the best players in program history, having quarterbacked the Huskies to the Orange Bowl in 2012 before rushing for an NCAA QB-record 1,920 yards in 2013, when NIU had a 12-0 regular season.
Lynch, who also threw for 2,892 yards and 24 touchdowns during that historic 2013 season, setting five NCAA records as a redshirt senior.
“I only had to tell Jordan something once,” Carey said in a release. “When we were putting in a new play, or a new scheme, or developing the game plan and I was going over it with him, it was once and he got it. If he was wrong, you corrected him once and it was done. That was his gift and that ability to have what I call, ‘the one-effect,’ that makes a great coach.”
Lynch is the latest signal caller of his generation to return to his alma mater as an assistant coach. Kansas State recently added 2012 Heisman finalist Collin Klein as QB coach, while Notre Dame brought back Tommy Rees, who played QB for the Irish from 2010-13, this offseason as its QB coach.
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Matt Fortuna is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
