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Aug. 10—GRAND FORKS — As the UND football program reaches the midway point of fall camp, the Fighting Hawks' roster is growing in unexpected ways.
UND 2025 starters — long snapper David Neuberger and safety Jy Martin — were in attendance at practice Monday morning at Memorial Field in search of a fifth season of eligibility.
UND head coach Eric Schmidt said Monday both players fall under the Wisne vs. NCAA case in Colorado, which was ruled at the end of July. The ruling states all 2022 athletes who exhausted eligibility in four years are eligible for a fifth season in 2026.
The NCAA is appealing the ruling.
Martin and Neuberger join UND defensive backs Jonnie Wiltshire and Avery Scott in the pursuit of a fifth season. Wiltshire and Scott have slightly different situations in both Wiltshire and Scott have individually pursued legal action and have received temporary restraining orders from the courts ahead of trial dates seeking an injunction.
"It's where we're at in college football," Schmidt said. "I think both of those guys bring a maturity to our locker room, which is important. I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out in the next week, month, whatever it is."
Schmidt said the latest two additions place UND at a roster cap. Martin's spot opened when former safety Jett Sutton decided to move on from the program just before fall camp.
"We felt like (Martin) was the best opportunity for us to improve our football team," Schmidt said.
Neuberger, of Davenport, Iowa, started at long snapper the last four seasons and was named an Academic All-American last season.
Schmidt said Neuberger will enter a competition for the starter role with true freshman Samuel Kline, of Clarinda, Iowa.
"Sam is an elite long snapper," Schmidt said. "We went to all those camps and felt like if we could get Sam that would be a huge get for us. We still feel really strongly about Sam, too.
"(Neuberger) is going to battle with Sam here. Probably not many people know David because there's no bad snaps in games. He's a leader in that room."
Martin was the third-leading tackler for the defense last year and played roughly 600 snaps. He finished with 77 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and picked off a team-high four passes.
"He was unquestionably the smartest guy in our defensive backfield," Schmidt said. "He ran the show back there. I think you want to create some competition. The guys who came back who didn't think (Martin) was going to be around ... it creates some urgency for those guys to make sure they're on it here, knowing that he has the opportunity to come back."
UND opens the 2026 season on Thursday night, Aug. 27, at home against Long Island.
"We're making sure we bring in the right guys to add to the culture of our team," Schmidt said. "(Martin) is not an outsider; he's a proven leader who cares about this university and football team. He'll make the other guys better by his presence but then he'll pour into those guys. You played that many plays it's like having another coach. He has the right demeanor. He wants to see our team do well — it's not just about him."
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UND 2025 starters — long snapper David Neuberger and safety Jy Martin — were in attendance at practice Monday morning at Memorial Field in search of a fifth season of eligibility.
UND head coach Eric Schmidt said Monday both players fall under the Wisne vs. NCAA case in Colorado, which was ruled at the end of July. The ruling states all 2022 athletes who exhausted eligibility in four years are eligible for a fifth season in 2026.
The NCAA is appealing the ruling.
Martin and Neuberger join UND defensive backs Jonnie Wiltshire and Avery Scott in the pursuit of a fifth season. Wiltshire and Scott have slightly different situations in both Wiltshire and Scott have individually pursued legal action and have received temporary restraining orders from the courts ahead of trial dates seeking an injunction.
"It's where we're at in college football," Schmidt said. "I think both of those guys bring a maturity to our locker room, which is important. I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out in the next week, month, whatever it is."
Schmidt said the latest two additions place UND at a roster cap. Martin's spot opened when former safety Jett Sutton decided to move on from the program just before fall camp.
"We felt like (Martin) was the best opportunity for us to improve our football team," Schmidt said.
Neuberger, of Davenport, Iowa, started at long snapper the last four seasons and was named an Academic All-American last season.
Schmidt said Neuberger will enter a competition for the starter role with true freshman Samuel Kline, of Clarinda, Iowa.
"Sam is an elite long snapper," Schmidt said. "We went to all those camps and felt like if we could get Sam that would be a huge get for us. We still feel really strongly about Sam, too.
"(Neuberger) is going to battle with Sam here. Probably not many people know David because there's no bad snaps in games. He's a leader in that room."
Martin was the third-leading tackler for the defense last year and played roughly 600 snaps. He finished with 77 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and picked off a team-high four passes.
"He was unquestionably the smartest guy in our defensive backfield," Schmidt said. "He ran the show back there. I think you want to create some competition. The guys who came back who didn't think (Martin) was going to be around ... it creates some urgency for those guys to make sure they're on it here, knowing that he has the opportunity to come back."
UND opens the 2026 season on Thursday night, Aug. 27, at home against Long Island.
"We're making sure we bring in the right guys to add to the culture of our team," Schmidt said. "(Martin) is not an outsider; he's a proven leader who cares about this university and football team. He'll make the other guys better by his presence but then he'll pour into those guys. You played that many plays it's like having another coach. He has the right demeanor. He wants to see our team do well — it's not just about him."
Continue reading...
