GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The 2026 North Dakota football team has selected its captains for the upcoming season, as second-year head coach Eric Schmidt announced the picks Thursday. The Fighting Hawks' captain quintet includes returning captains Lance Rucker and Sam Strandell, along with newly appointed captains Micheal Devereaux, Jerry Kaminski and Trace Thaden.

Those five were selected by their teammates following the conclusion of fall camp.

Devereaux, Rucker and Kaminski make up the "701" and will wear jersey numbers 7, 0 and 1, respectively. Those digits hold significant meaning to the program and honor North Dakota's area code.

Thaden started all 14 games at left tackle last season and helped UND produce a record-setting ground game in 2025 while allowing the second-fewest sacks among Missouri Valley Football Conference offensive lines.

Strandell earned captaincy for the second straight year after serving as a key special teams contributor in 12 contests. He made three tackles and blocked a punt in UND's road win at Tennessee Tech in the opening round of the FCS playoffs.

Devereaux started the final nine games at linebacker in his first season with the program, finishing with 65 tackles, including 33 solo stops. He recorded a season-high eight tackles in a road win at UNI and tallied at least five tackles in seven contests.

Rucker's move to the defensive line proved noteworthy, as he was named to the Stats Perform FCS All-America Second Team and broke the school's single-season record for sacks with 11.5 in 2025. The All-MVFC first-team selection finished with 15 tackles for loss. He enters 2026 as a preseason All-American after earning first-team honors from Stats Perform and FCS Football Central.

Kaminski will embark on his second season as the Fighting Hawks' starting quarterback. In his first season in that role, he set a new single-season program record with 25 touchdown passes during the regular season and finished with 26 overall, the second most in school history for a season. Kaminski finished with 2,570 passing yards and added 607 rushing yards.

North Dakota will kick off the 2026 season Thursday, Aug. 27, when LIU visits the Alerus Center for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The game will be televised on Midco Sports, streamed on Midco Sports Plus and carried on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network.

For more information on North Dakota football, follow @UNDfootball on social media or visit FightingHawks.com.