Marquette, MI – August 10th, 2026 – A new era of Northern Michigan football officially gets underway this week.
Wildcats fans will get their first opportunity to see the 2026 team in action Saturday at 5:30 p.m. inside the Superior Dome, as new head coach Matt Janus leads Northern Michigan onto the field for an intersquad scrimmage. The scrimmage will give fans their first look at the Wildcats under Janus, while also providing the coaching staff with an early opportunity to evaluate the roster and begin sorting out several position battles before the regular season.
Janus takes over the program after spending the previous six seasons as the head coach at Wisconsin–La Crosse, where he built the Eagles into one of Division III’s premier programs. During his time at UW–La Crosse, Janus compiled a 45-14 overall record and a 29-6 conference mark while leading the Eagles to five consecutive NCAA Division III playoff appearances. He also guided the program to back-to-back Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships in 2022 and 2023. The 2023 season was particularly impressive, as Wisconsin–La Crosse went undefeated at 7-0 in conference play, earning the program’s first outright WIAC championship since 2004.
Janus is now tasked with bringing that success to Marquette and helping the Wildcats take the next step. He replaces Shane Richardson, who stepped down as Northern Michigan’s head coach following the 2025 season. Assistant coach, Billy Lindquist, took over as interim head coach and guided the Wildcats to victories in their final two games of the season. Northern Michigan defeated Davenport 47-45 in a wild four-overtime thriller before closing the season with a dominant 45-11 victory over Wayne State. Now, the Wildcats turn the page and begin the Janus era.
Dobert Leads the Way
One of the biggest reasons for optimism entering the new season is the return of star running back, Noah Dobert, who is only a redshirt sophomore. Dobert is coming off a record-setting 2025 campaign that earned him recognition at both the conference and national levels. The running back was named a D2CCA Second Team All-American, a D2CCA All-Super Region 3 First Team selection and the GLIAC Offensive Back of the Year. He was also named to the All-GLIAC First Team. Dobert finished the season with 1,656 rushing yards, setting a new Northern Michigan single-season record. He also broke the school’s single-game rushing record when he exploded for 406 yards against Wayne State in the final week of the regular season. That performance earned him D2Football.com National Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Dobert started all 11 games at running back and led the Wildcats with 263 rushing attempts and 15 total touchdowns. He was also named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week three times. His biggest performances came when Northern Michigan needed them most. In each of the Wildcats’ three victories during the 2025 season, Dobert rushed for more than 240 yards and three touchdowns. He also surpassed 100 rushing yards in six games. With Dobert returning, Northern Michigan enters the 2026 season with one of the conference’s most explosive offensive weapons.
Quarterback Battle Remains Wide Open
While Dobert gives the Wildcats a proven playmaker in the backfield, one of the biggest questions heading into the season remains who will take the snaps. Northern Michigan went through several quarterbacks last season, and the competition under center appears to be wide open heading into Janus’s first season. The Wildcats currently have eight quarterbacks competing for the job: senior Adain Hoard, redshirt sophomore Duke Shovald, junior Liam Oczkowski, sophomores Brady Hilgart and Austin Gordon, and freshmen Lleyton Hoard, Matt Stevens and Tanner Theuerkauf.
Finding consistency at quarterback will be a major focus for Janus and his coaching staff. Northern Michigan averaged just 79 passing yards per game last season, while the Wildcats completed 68 of 150 passing attempts and threw 13 interceptions. Improving the passing game will be critical if the Wildcats want to take some pressure off Dobert and create a more balanced offensive attack. With eight players competing for the starting job, Saturday’s intersquad scrimmage will provide fans with their first opportunity to see the quarterback competition beginning to take shape.
First Look Comes Saturday
For Wildcats fans eager to see the first glimpse, that opportunity arrives Saturday, at 5:30 p.m., in the Superior Dome. The intersquad scrimmage is open to the public. Fans will have their first chance to see Janus lead the Wildcat squad onto the field and get a glimpse at what the Wildcats could look like heading into the regular season.
The Wildcats won’t have to wait long after the scrimmage to get their first real test. Northern Michigan opens the regular season on the road against Minnesota State Moorhead on Aug. 27, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The Wildcats will then return home for their regular-season home opener on Sept. 5, when they host Tiffin. The kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
