Players from Illinois with no earlier college roster elsewhere in the data filled 39% of roster spots in 2016 and 28% on the 2026 roster.
In 2016, 42 of 107 roster spots were filled by Illinois players not previously rostered elsewhere in the data. On the 2026 roster, 32 of 114 fit the same definition. The number of players previously rostered elsewhere changed from 2 to 2.
The median hometown distance moved from 99 mi in 2016 to 249 mi on the 2026 roster.
Before and during the portal era
2016–18 compared with 2021–25
- In-state, not rostered elsewhere
- Previously rostered elsewhere
| Measure | 2016–18 | 2021–25 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-state, not rostered elsewhere | 39.4% | 35.8% | |
| Previously rostered elsewhere | 2.8% | 5.3% |
The 2026 roster
- 402 miAverage hometown distanceAverage hometown distance among 106 located players.
- 28.9%In-state28.9% of players with a known home state are from Illinois.
- 32.1%Backyard32.1% of players with a located hometown grew up within 100 miles of campus.
- 1.8%Previously rostered elsewhere1.8% of the roster appeared on another college roster in an earlier season.
Where Northern Illinois ranks
Homecoming Radius over time
The median hometown-to-campus distance, by season. The dotted line is the FBS median.
Roster composition over time
Where the in-state lens draws the line: home-state players with and without an earlier college roster, out-of-state players with and without one, and players with unknown geography. This chart begins where stable athlete IDs make transfer detection possible; the radius chart above carries the official-archive geography farther back.
Where do Northern Illinois's players come from?
| Season | Roster | In-state | Rostered elsewhere | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 114 | 28.9% | 1.8% | 249 mi |
| 2025 | 113 | 31.9% | 4.4% | 241 mi |
| 2024 | 122 | 36.4% | 4.9% | 182 mi |
| 2023 | 122 | 37.2% | 6.6% | 191 mi |
| 2022 | 120 | 41.7% | 5.0% | 152 mi |
| 2021 | 128 | 41.4% | 5.5% | 115 mi |
| 2020 | 121 | 46.7% | 2.5% | 88 mi |
| 2019 | 114 | 48.7% | 2.6% | 88 mi |
| 2018 | 91 | 46.2% | 3.3% | 99 mi |
| 2017 | 94 | 35.1% | 3.2% | 203 mi |
| 2016 | 107 | 40.2% | 1.9% | 99 mi |
| 2015 | 119 | 45.4% | 0.0% | 88 mi |
| 2014 | 117 | 42.7% | 0.0% | 89 mi |
| 2013 | 107 | 45.8% | 0.9% | 84 mi |
| 2012 | 109 | 45.0% | 1.8% | 88 mi |
| 2011 | 107 | 42.1% | 0.9% | 103 mi |
| 2010 | 113 | 48.7% | 0.0% | 94 mi |
| 2009 | 106 | 55.7% | 0.0% | 66 mi |
In-state shares use players with a known home state. Radius uses located hometowns.
Where the roster grew up
Located hometowns on the 2026 roster, with campus marked and the Homecoming Radius circled.
Homecoming Radius: 249 mi