Marquette, MI – August 28th, 2025 – The past few seasons for Northern Michigan Football have been a struggle. They haven’t won a game since halfway through the 2022 season. In year three with Shane Richardson, the Wildcats look to change that. Last season, they almost took down that wall against Roosevelt when the game went to overtime, but suffered the heart-breaking loss (16-10).
The Wildcats haven’t announced an official starter at quarterback for tonight’s game against Minnesota State-Moorhead. In a recent press conference interview, Coach Richardson said Redshirt Freshman Duke Shavald, Redshirt freshman Trevor Theuerkauf from Menominee, and Junior Austin Ridl from Marquette are competing for the job. “We wanna be able to find a guy that we feel really comfortable with and who is in a good flow and a good rhythm,” Richardson noted.
The Wildcats, over the past few seasons, have begun recruiting more local talent. This year’s team will feature over 10 U.P. athletes, many players in different positions. The Wildcats will return three All-GLIAC second teamers in RB Jahi Wood, OL Daniel Bacock, and LB Jax Hertel. The wildcats will also have many starters returning for another year, as 30 lettermen return. The wildcats will play eleven games this upcoming season, with six taking place at the Superior Dome and five on the road.
The Wildcats will kick off their season tonight at 6:00 pm at the Superior Dome against Minnesota State Moorhead.
