Temple QB Justin Lynch announces transfer to NIU

The Northern Illinois Huskies landed a quarterback—and a familiar name— in the transfer portal on Monday afternoon, when Justin Lynch announced on Twitter he will be headed to NIU to play for coach Thomas Hammock.

If the name sounds familiar, it’s because his older brother Jordan set all sorts of records for the school back when he played at NIU during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Under the elder Lynch, the Huskies went 24-4 and reached the Orange Bowl.It was a season in which Lynch finished third in the Heisman voting in 2013 (the highest a player from the MAC has ever finished).

Justin Lynch originally followed his older brother’s head coach, Rod Carey, out of high school, signing with the Temple Owls. Rod Carey woudl ultimately be fired at the end of the 2021 season, and Lynch took the opportunity to hit the transfer portal. The younger Lynch announced today that he would be headed home to Illinois to play for the Huskies.

Lynch, a freshman this year, saw action in eleven of the Owls’ twelve games this season. He completed 87 of his 153 pass attempts (56.9%) for 830 yards, with four touchdowns and four interceptions. He also ran the ball 75 times for 295 yards and a rushing TD.

It seems that the Lynchs just love to beat up on MAC schools, as his best game in 2021 came against Akron, as he threw for season-highs in yardage (255) and touchdowns (2), completing 19 of his 23 throws. He also ran it six times for 34 yards and a touchdown.