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Jul. 14—SIOUX FALLS — Last July, the UND football program came to Missouri Valley Football Conference Media Day as a total mystery.
The Fighting Hawks were entering Year 1 of head coach Eric Schmidt, a four-man race for quarterback was about to take place at fall camp, the offense was in dire need of replacing wide receiver Bo Belquist and the defense was changing scheme for the first time in decades without the leadership of graduated linebacker Wyatt Pedigo.
As the 2025 season played out, Schmidt exceeded expectations and hit on key transfer portal additions while Jerry Kaminski emerged as the clear starting quarterback and Lance Rucker discovered a position change was a perfect match for his skill set.
So this season, UND has arrived at MVFC Media Day — represented by Schmidt, Kaminski and Rucker — with a bit of a new swagger. Although plenty of questions remain to be answered about 2026, this UND group has a lot of answers, too. This UND group comes to Sioux Falls with some expectations and reasons for Fighting Hawks fans to believe in a special season ahead.
With any new season, particularly one in the transfer portal era, proven talent is vital to building the program. Many teams are in desperate search for a quarterback, offensive line help and a productive pass rusher. The Hawks are set there.
In addition to his strong debut in Year 1 as a sophomore starting quarterback, Kaminski's offseason was highlighted by winning the skills competition at the highly respected Manning Passing Academy.
Rucker's retention was another key of the offseason — one that seemed almost far-fetched last fall considering today's college football. His single-handed dominance against Tennessee Tech in the first round of the FCS Playoffs paved the way for UND's first road FCS Playoff win.
If teams planned to load up on stopping Rucker in 2026, opposite edge Kaden Vig just added Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-American to his list of achievements. All indications are UND expects to be stronger on the interior in 2026 than 2025, as well.
Perhaps most importantly, though, UND's entire offensive line core returns, minus graduated senior Seth Anderson. The strength of the 2026 Hawks will be at the line of scrimmage with Trace Thaden, Liam Becher, Ben Buxa, Caleb Olson, Ayden Teeter and Isaac Cariveau all back with lengthy experience.
A year ago, UND shed its reputation for poor play on the road, despite early losses in tight finishes to Kansas State and Montana. When the league schedule rolled around, the Hawks blasted Northern Iowa on the road and Southern Illinois was booed into the halftime locker room by its own fans.
However, the offensive fireworks didn't last. The Hawks struggled offensively down the stretch — complicated in part by an injury to Kaminski. Eventually, UND ran out of juice — complicated in part by an injury to Rucker — in Texas at the hands of Tarleton State in the second round of the playoffs.
The building blocks, though, were laid for Schmidt's rebuild.
UND will now need to look to replace a pair of talented offensive weapons in running back Sawyer Seidl (Wake Forest) and wide receiver B.J. Fleming (Tarleton State). Defensively, UND will miss two standout seniors in linebacker Malachi McNeal and safety Zach Lewis.
Offensively, UND will turn to former offensive coordinator Danny Freund, who was wooed away from Grand Forks to South Dakota State a few years ago and eventually landed at Washington State.
The hope is Freund's return falls in line with Schmidt, who came back to UND after stints elsewhere with a more seasoned background and ready to take his second tenure to new heights.
Defensively, Schmidt has deservedly earned a high level of trust from fans after turning around a struggling 2024 defense in Year 1. He has another project in Year 2 but the overhaul doesn't feel nearly as heavy of a lift this time after what was accomplished a year ago.
Making things easier on Schmidt eventually will be the arrival of recruiting classes that have far exceeded UND's previous recruiting classes in the Division I era — at least in terms of competing offers for prospects.
This fall camp will be the first season of an arriving recruiting class that had Schmidt's staff's hands all over it. A year ago, rookie tight end Nathan Hromodka and rookie cornerback Grant Noland became immediate difference-makers from the 2025 recruiting class. The major 2026 recruiting wins could provide even more of a shot in the arm this season.
If last season's theme for UND in July was complete unpredictability, this July is about momentum. Schmidt and the Hawks have good vibes and UND fans should be excited about where that leads the program in 2026.
Continue reading...
The Fighting Hawks were entering Year 1 of head coach Eric Schmidt, a four-man race for quarterback was about to take place at fall camp, the offense was in dire need of replacing wide receiver Bo Belquist and the defense was changing scheme for the first time in decades without the leadership of graduated linebacker Wyatt Pedigo.
As the 2025 season played out, Schmidt exceeded expectations and hit on key transfer portal additions while Jerry Kaminski emerged as the clear starting quarterback and Lance Rucker discovered a position change was a perfect match for his skill set.
So this season, UND has arrived at MVFC Media Day — represented by Schmidt, Kaminski and Rucker — with a bit of a new swagger. Although plenty of questions remain to be answered about 2026, this UND group has a lot of answers, too. This UND group comes to Sioux Falls with some expectations and reasons for Fighting Hawks fans to believe in a special season ahead.
With any new season, particularly one in the transfer portal era, proven talent is vital to building the program. Many teams are in desperate search for a quarterback, offensive line help and a productive pass rusher. The Hawks are set there.
In addition to his strong debut in Year 1 as a sophomore starting quarterback, Kaminski's offseason was highlighted by winning the skills competition at the highly respected Manning Passing Academy.
Rucker's retention was another key of the offseason — one that seemed almost far-fetched last fall considering today's college football. His single-handed dominance against Tennessee Tech in the first round of the FCS Playoffs paved the way for UND's first road FCS Playoff win.
If teams planned to load up on stopping Rucker in 2026, opposite edge Kaden Vig just added Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-American to his list of achievements. All indications are UND expects to be stronger on the interior in 2026 than 2025, as well.
Perhaps most importantly, though, UND's entire offensive line core returns, minus graduated senior Seth Anderson. The strength of the 2026 Hawks will be at the line of scrimmage with Trace Thaden, Liam Becher, Ben Buxa, Caleb Olson, Ayden Teeter and Isaac Cariveau all back with lengthy experience.
A year ago, UND shed its reputation for poor play on the road, despite early losses in tight finishes to Kansas State and Montana. When the league schedule rolled around, the Hawks blasted Northern Iowa on the road and Southern Illinois was booed into the halftime locker room by its own fans.
However, the offensive fireworks didn't last. The Hawks struggled offensively down the stretch — complicated in part by an injury to Kaminski. Eventually, UND ran out of juice — complicated in part by an injury to Rucker — in Texas at the hands of Tarleton State in the second round of the playoffs.
The building blocks, though, were laid for Schmidt's rebuild.
UND will now need to look to replace a pair of talented offensive weapons in running back Sawyer Seidl (Wake Forest) and wide receiver B.J. Fleming (Tarleton State). Defensively, UND will miss two standout seniors in linebacker Malachi McNeal and safety Zach Lewis.
Offensively, UND will turn to former offensive coordinator Danny Freund, who was wooed away from Grand Forks to South Dakota State a few years ago and eventually landed at Washington State.
The hope is Freund's return falls in line with Schmidt, who came back to UND after stints elsewhere with a more seasoned background and ready to take his second tenure to new heights.
Defensively, Schmidt has deservedly earned a high level of trust from fans after turning around a struggling 2024 defense in Year 1. He has another project in Year 2 but the overhaul doesn't feel nearly as heavy of a lift this time after what was accomplished a year ago.
Making things easier on Schmidt eventually will be the arrival of recruiting classes that have far exceeded UND's previous recruiting classes in the Division I era — at least in terms of competing offers for prospects.
This fall camp will be the first season of an arriving recruiting class that had Schmidt's staff's hands all over it. A year ago, rookie tight end Nathan Hromodka and rookie cornerback Grant Noland became immediate difference-makers from the 2025 recruiting class. The major 2026 recruiting wins could provide even more of a shot in the arm this season.
If last season's theme for UND in July was complete unpredictability, this July is about momentum. Schmidt and the Hawks have good vibes and UND fans should be excited about where that leads the program in 2026.
Continue reading...
