Burnsville, MN (NSUWolves.com) – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference released the 2026 Preseason Football Coaches Poll today with the Northern State University Wolves picked sixth in the league overall and second in the North Division. NSU tallied 106 points in the overall poll and 29 in the North behind Minnesota Duluth. In addition, the Wolves led the way with both NSIC North Division Preseason Players of the Year in Jake Adams (defense) and Hank Kraft (offense). 2026 marks the second Preseason Player of the Year nod for Adams as the pair are set to return for Northern following shortened 2025 seasons.
“Northern State Football enters the 2026 season with tremendous momentum after taking a major step forward a year ago and leading the NSIC in total offense. This is one of the most experienced teams we’ve had, with veteran leadership and continuity throughout the roster, including six returning All-NSIC players on defense. Offensively, we return a talented and deep group that has the potential to be one of the conference’s most explosive units once again. Our program’s stability has been a significant factor in our growth. We have not lost a single starter to the transfer portal since 2023, allowing our players to develop together and build championship-level chemistry. With experience, proven playmakers, and high expectations on both sides of the ball, we believe this team is positioned to compete at the top of the NSIC in 2026.”
2026 NORTH DIVISION PRESEASON PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
HANK KRAFT
- Appeared in four games in 2025
- Tallied 195 rushing yards and one touchdown on 28 attempts and 116 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns on six receptions
- Appeared in all 11 games in 2024
- Notched 620 yards rushing, averaging 5.4 yards per carry and 56.4 yards per game in 2024
- Scored seven touchdowns in 2024
Schmidt on Kraft: “Hank is one of the most dynamic offensive playmakers in the NSIC. He has the ability to score every time the ball is in his hands. Whether carrying the ball inside, creating explosive plays on the perimeter, or making plays as a receiver out of the backfield, he is a constant matchup problem for opposing defenses. His versatility forces defenses to account for him on every snap, making him the centerpiece of our 2026 offense.”
JAKE ADAMS
- Named NSIC North Division Preseason Player of the Year for the second consecutive season
- Appeared in seven games in 2025
- Broke Northern State’s Division II career tackles recorded
- Led the team in tackles with 93, including 49 solo stops, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks
- Recorded one interception, two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries
- Tallied a career-high 21 tackles in the season opener against Sioux Falls
- Named to the D2Football.com Elite 100
- Earned NSIC Conference Player of the Week honors twice
- NSIC All-Conference First-team, D2CCA All-Region Honors, and Don Hansen All-America honorable mention
Schmidt on Adams: “Jake enters his senior season as one of the most accomplished defensive players in Division II football and the unquestioned leader of the Northern State defense. A two-time All-American and two-time First Team All-NSIC selection, Adams has established himself as one of the premier linebackers in the country. He has already broken Northern State’s Division II career tackles record with 303 career stops and owns the program’s single-season record after recording 147 tackles in 2024, a season in which he finished second in the nation in total tackles and third in tackles per game. Jake’s production is matched only by his consistency and leadership. In 2025, despite playing just seven games, he still led the Wolves with 93 tackles, averaging 13.3 tackles per game while earning NSIC Defensive Player of the Week honors twice. His instinctive play, relentless motor, and ability to impact every phase of the game make him the heartbeat of our defense. As he enters his final season, Jake Adams has already cemented himself as the greatest linebacker in Northern State’s Division II history and is poised to cap his remarkable career with another All-American caliber campaign.”
2025 RECAP
Northern State went 7-4 overall and 6-4 in the NSIC in the fall of 2025 receiving votes for two weeks in the AFCA Top-25 poll. The Wolves went 5-1 from Dacotah Bank Stadium, including a 34-31 victory over No. 10 Minnesota Duluth. Jake Adams broke the Division II era career tackles record, Daniel Britt captured the school record for average yards per rush in a season (7.9), and Wyatt Block captured the single game record for scoring run, 96-yards against UMary. Block entered the season as a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy and was named to the CSC ACademic All-District team. Nine Wolves earned All-Conference accolades, while Adams and Block earned All-Region awards. Daniel Porisch and Adams tallied All-American honors awarded by the AFCA and Don Hansen.
2026 OUTLOOK
The Wolves will open the season on August 27 from the confines of Dacotah Bank Stadium, hosting Chadron State in a non-conference match-up. Northern returns of wealth of starters from the 2025 season, in addition to nearly 50 incoming freshmen and transfers. The 2026 home slate features six contests for the Wolves including the September 26 Gypsy Days game versus UMary, October 3 North Division contest against Bemidji State, and October 31 in-state face-off with Augustana. Single game tickets will go on sale at nsuwolves.com/tickets beginning on August 10 with season ticket renewals and purchases currently under way. Visit the Wolves game day page at nsuwolves.com/gameday for promotions and giveaways, as well as helpful links heading into the fall.
The NSIC will have 14 teams. The schedule will be broken into two divisions (north/south). Each team will play 10 conference games that will count towards the NSIC Overall Championship, of which six divisional games will count towards the NSIC North/South Division Championships. In all, three league champions will be awarded (Overall Champion, North Division Champion, South Division Champion). Ties will not be broken for overall or division champions. The NSIC Football schedule is set to begin on Thursday, August 27 with non-conference action.
New for the 2026 season, the NSIC Network is now powered by Midco Sports Plus, the conference’s new streaming home for exclusive live and on-demand coverage of all 16 NSIC member institutions. Fans can stream every home regular season conference and non-conference home football game, along with NSIC championship events, through a monthly ($15) or annual subscription (less than $7 per month). Subscriptions are available at MidcoSportsPlus.com or through the Midco Sports Plus app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Fire TV and Roku.
2026 NSIC PRESEASON POLL
| RK. | OVERALL POLL | POINTS | RK. | SOUTH DIVISION | POINTS | |
| 1 | Minnesota State (10) | 166 | 1 | Minnesota State (6) | 36 | |
| 2 | Minnesota Duluth (3) | 154 | 2 | Augustana (1) | 29 | |
| 3 | Augustana (1) | 145 | 3 | Sioux Falls | 27 | |
| 4 | Sioux Falls | 126 | 4 | Wayne State | 22 | |
| 5 | Wayne State | 125 | 5 | Winona State | 16 | |
| 6 | Northern State | 106 | 6 | Concordia-St. Paul | 9 | |
| 7 | Bemidji State | 97 | 7 | Southwest Minn. St. | 8 | |
| 8 | MSU Moorhead | 86 | ||||
| 9 | Winona State | 83 | RK. | NORTH DIVISION | POINTS | |
| 10 | Minot State | 52 | 1 | Minnesota Duluth (6) | 36 | |
| 11 | University of Mary | 51 | 2 | Northern State | 29 | |
| 12 | Concordia-St. Paul | 34 | 3 | Bemidji State (1) | 25 | |
| 13 | Jamestown | 29 | 4 | MSU Moorhead | 23 | |
| 14 | Southwest Minn. St. | 21 | 5 | Minot State | 15 | |
| 6 | University of Mary | 10 | ||||
| 7 | Jamestown | 9 |