Iowa Valley star Caleb Haack commits to Northern Illinois

8-Man standout is a 6-foot-9 WR and four-spot athlete

Iowa Valley senior Caleb Haack recently announced his commitment to play football at Northern Illinois University. / Northern Illinois/X

Caleb Haack is not your typical-looking 8-Man football player. No, the Iowa Valley star stands out in a pack.

But that is a good thing for Haack, who recently announced his commitment to Northern Illinois University to continue his career. The senior made his intentions known on social media with a post of himself and current NIU head coach Thomas Hammock. 

Haack has recorded 23 receptions for 584 yards with 12 touchdowns, averaging over 25 yards per reception this year. Iowa Valley will compete in the playoffs this coming Friday when they take on Southeast Warren. 

The Tigers won their first seven games before a 30-24 loss to Belle Plaine in the regular season finale. They scored at least 56 points in those seven wins, recording over 70 six times.

Haack is also an imposing figure on defense where he has 24 tackles for loss among his 40 stops with 3.5 sacks and an interception. As a junior, Haack caught 31 passes for 641 yards and six TDs while he had five receptions for 139 and two scores his sophomore season.

On the basketball court, he is coming off a 21-point, 13-rebound per night campaign in which he shot over 46 percent from the field while also blocking four shots a game. 

According to ESPN, the Northern Illinois 2025 recruiting class now has 22 commits including four from Iowa. Joining Haack are Iowa City High’s Tyler Rindels, Johnston’s Micah Cook and Bettendorf’s Amari Washington.

Northern Illinois is currently 4-3 overall heading into Saturday's game at Ball State. They had won back-to-back games over Massachusetts and Bowling Green before falling to Toledo last week.