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.
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.
3 months ago
