Story by
Grand Forks Herald
Latest court ruling leaves four UND football players' eligibility in question
- Story byGrand Forks Herald
- Latest court ruling leaves four UND football players' eligibility in question
Aug. 21—GRAND FORKS — Just six days before UND football's 2026 season opener, the eligibility of four Fighting Hawks are back in jeopardy.
On Friday morning, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit granted the NCAA's stay request in the case of Wisne vs. NCAA — the Colorado case ruling that had originally qualified Class of 2022 athletes for a fifth-season protection.
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The Wisne case offered protection for UND's Jonnie Wiltshire, Avery Scott, Jy Martin and David Neuberger.
Friday's ruling means Class of 2022 athletes that haven't also been granted eligibility by a separate state court do not currently have eligibility.
In late July, Wiltshire and Scott received temporary restraining orders from Grand Forks County District Court on individual court cases seeking a fifth season.
After receiving the TRO, Wiltshire and Scott were allowed to practice with the Hawks within the first few days of fall camp, which started in late July. Martin and Neuberger joined fall camp in mid-August after the original Wisne ruling.
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With the NCAA winning the Wisne appeal Friday, Wiltshire and Scott now appear to need their local cases to play out in order to be eligible to play in 2026.
Wiltshire and Scott are awaiting court hearings for a preliminary injunction, which would allow the two to play in 2026.
The timing of those court dates was unclear as of Friday afternoon. The Fighting Hawks open the season at 7 p.m. Thursday night against Long Island University at the Alerus Center.
With the Wisne appeal announcement coming mid-morning Friday, UND's football team was on the practice field as the news broke nationally. The Hawks practiced from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
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After practice, UND head coach Eric Schmidt said he had just been briefed of the news and needed to gather more information.
The Herald also reached out to UND athletic director Bill Chaves for comment early Friday afternoon.
"We are digesting the information that is coming through and monitoring how to best move forward for UND football," Chaves said.
Neuberger, of Davenport, Iowa, started at long snapper the last four seasons and was named an Academic All-American last season.
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.
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Wiltshire, of Woodbridge, Va., had a breakout season in 2025 in his second year in Grand Forks. Playing a nickel position in Schmidt's 4-2-5 defense, the Dodge City Community College transfer picked off three passes and added 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. He was named all-Missouri Valley Football Conference honorable mention.
Scott finished the 2025 season with 23 tackles, one interception and eight pass breakups. Scott suffered a season-ending injury in November at Murray State.
