Call it a sign of the times.
Destined to draw a lot of attention with it being the only FBS head coaching job "open" - although defensive coordinator Rob Harley has been elevated to interim head coach and is expected to lead the team for its inaugural season in the Mountain West - highly decorated former Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch felt like he had to get ahead of media speculation (whether its now or down the road) that will show no fear in attaching names to the opening at Northern Illinois.
So the very successful high school head coach at Mount Carmel (Chicago, IL), where he has won five total state titles since taking over prior to the 2018 season, released a statement, reaffiriming his commitment to arguably the top high school program in the state of Illinois.
"There will always be speculation in this profession, and I want to be clear and get ahead of any rumors, but Mount Carmel is home. I love this school, I love our players, and I love our community. I am happy at Mount Carmel and fully committed to continuing what we've built here."
"Mount Carmel is home. I love Mount Carmel. I believe in our young men, our staff, and our community. What we are building here is special, and I'm looking forward to making history as we strive for five this season."
The "strive for five" comment to end his statement points to his pursuit of five straight state titles for the powerhouse program.
In four years as the head coach at Mount Carmel, Lynch has led continued a prolific tradition at the school that started with longtime head coach Frank Lenti. The iconic high school leader at Mount Carmel led the school to 12 state titles over a 34 year career before stepping away following the 2017 season.
It didn't take long for Lynch to get Mount Carmel back on top of Illinois high school football. By 2019 Lynch had led the Chicago based program back to a state title, with his younger brother Justin leading the way with five rushing touchdowns in the state title win over Nazareth Academy (IL).
Lynch has since the program to four straight state championships in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.
A decorated former Husky and 2013 First-Team All-American after leading NIU to a 24-4 mark as a start in his final two seasons in DeKalb, Lynch voted the MAC MVP, and Offensive Player of the Year twice, and was a second-team All-American following the 2012 season.
Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame last month, Lynch spent one season as the quarterbacks coach at his alma mater under head coach Rod Carey heading into the 2017 season. He took over at Mount Carmel later that year, in December of 2017.
A number of FBS programs have tried the high school to FBS head coach jump, with recent examples including UNLV hiring Tony Sanchez away from Bishop Gorman (20-40 from 2015-19) and more recently UAB hiring Lipscomb Academy (TN) head coach Trent Dilfer (9-21 from 2023-25).
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.