RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesAug. 24—GRAND FORKS — UND defensive backs Jonnie Wiltshire and Avery Scott are expected to play in the Fighting Hawks' season opener on Thursday night, according to Fighting Hawks head coach Eric Schmidt.
The Hawks, ranked No. 10 in the Stats Perform Preseason FCS Top 25, host Long Island University at 7 p.m. at the Alerus Center.
Wiltshire and Scott are seeking a fifth season of eligibility. Both players received temporary restraining orders from Grand Forks County District Court in late July.
The TRO designation allows Wiltshire and Scott to play, Schmidt said Monday at his weekly press conference.
Both players are awaiting hearings on possible preliminary injunctions in their cases. Those hearings are expected to take place 14 days within the most recent ruling on Wisne vs. NCAA — a federal ruling that once established 2022 graduates were eligible to play in 2026. That Wisne vs. NCAA ruling was changed last Friday when the Tenth Circuit of Appeals granted the NCAA's appeal of the ruling.
"There'll be an injunction (hearing) here at some point," Schmidt said. "I'm still waiting to see. I'm not familiar with getting that on the docket and actually having that go through. We're just making sure that we try to get it done here in a timely fashion. But what I understand right now is they have 14 days from the Wisne case, which was Friday. So it's good to go this week, and it actually would be Friday before St. Thomas that we need something to happen in order for them to be able to be eligible moving forward."
UND faces St. Thomas in the second game of the season on Sept. 5 at the Alerus Center.
Safety Jy Martin and long snapper David Neuberger are also seeking a fifth season of eligibility but do not have in-state clearance like Wiltshire and Scott.
Schmidt briefly addressed Martin on Monday.
"We're going to work through some things here ... I think at the state court level," Schmidt said. "He won't play here this weekend."
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.
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.
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