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2026 National Signing Day

National Signing Day 2026

Introducing the 2026 Northern Michigan University Football Signing Class
National Signing Day - February 4, 2026

Meet the newest additions to the Wildcat family!


Brady Audette | LB | Marquette
From Marquette, Michigan, Audette, the son of former NMU quarterback Dan Audette, is staying home to join the great football opportunity at Northern Michigan. He also participated in baseball and alpine skiing, the latter of which he placed 4th in at the D1 State Championships, and he is planning to major in criminal justice.
 


Bodi Bennett | LB | Marquette
From Marquette, Michigan, Bennett is staying home after serving as a team captain for Marquette Senior High School where he was a two-year letterwinner. He also earned Academic All-State recognition. He also participated in basketball, power lifting, and track & field.
 


Theo Cunningham | DL | Franklin
From Racine, Wisconsin, Cunningham helped lead his team to a 34-3 record in his career at Franklin High School where he received All-Conference recognition. He earned WFCA Academic All-State honors and was a member of the National Honor Society. He also participated in wrestling and plans to major in sports science.
 


Jwan Eastland | DB | Racine Park
From Racine, Wisconsin, Eastland was a two-time All-Conference and a two-time All-County honoree as both a defensive back and a wide receiver. He also participated in track & field as well as basketball, the latter of which included two regional championships and a state-runner up finish. He plans to major in construction management.
 


Carson Fieck | OL | Lakeland Union
From Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin, Fieck was a three-year starter at Lakeland Union High School where he served as team captain and helped anchor the offensive line. He also participated in basketball and plans to major in exercise science.
 


Will Garcia | DB | Mt. Pleasant
From Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, Garcia finished his high school career third all-time in tackles for Mt. Pleasant High School where he was captain for a State Runner-Up team. He was a two-time All-Conference First Team selection, a two-time All-Region First Team honoree, and was named to the All-State First Team once. He also participated in basketball.
 


Wyatt Gibson | OL | Zimmerman
From Zimmerman, Minnesota, Gibson was a four-time letter winner in football and was a two-time all-conference selection. He also participated in track & field and co-founded the Best Buddies program at Zimmerman High School. He plans to major in the Pre-Physician Assistant program.
 


Jacob Halicek | WR | Clare
From Clare, Michigan, Halicek helped lead Clare High School to four-consecutive playoff appearances while notching 1,768 all-purpose yards and scoring 20 touchdowns. He also accumulated 109 tackles while grabbing three interceptions on defense. He was twice selected as an All-Conference First Team honoree, the All-Region Team, and the Bay City Times Dream Team. He also participated in basketball and track & field, the latter saw him become a two-time All-State sprinter, set records in the 100m and 200m dashes, and finish as the State Runner-Up in the 4x200m relay in 2023. He plans to major in business and sport management.
 


Lleyton Hoard | QB | Frankenmuth
From Frankenmuth, Michigan, Hoard continues his family's connection to the NMU football program, following his father, Matthew, who was a former Wildcat quarterback and a member of the NMU Sports Hall of Fame, his uncle, Mike, a former NMU wide receiver, and his brother Aidan who started nine games at quarterback for the Wildcats in 2024. At Frankenmuth High School, he was an All-State selection, a state runner up, and was recognized as the Tri-Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year. He also participated in basketball and track & field and plans to major in finance.
 


John Kline | DL | Lakeview
From St. Clair Shores, Michigan, Kline helped Lakeview High School win their first District Championship in program history, and he received All-State accolades. He also participated in wrestling and plans to major in business.
 


Nathan Komp | WR | Menominee
From Menominee, Michigan, Komp comes to NMU after becoming the all-time leading receiver at Menominee High School where he helped lead his team to the 2025 State Championship and an undefeated record. At Menominee, he received All-Conference, All-Region, and All-State accolades. He also participated in basketball and track & field.
 


Brody Lehman | DB | Lowell
From Lowell, Michigan, Lehman helped lead his team to both District and Regional Championships, and he received All-Conference and All-Region honors. He also participated in baseball.
 


Nathan Makinen | DL | Muskego
From Muskego, Wisconsin, Makinen was a three-year starter at Muskego High School as well as a team captain, and he was twice selected to the Classic 8 All-Conference First Team, as well as being named First Team All-Region and an All-State honorable mention.
 


Pavel McCutcheon | OL | Marquette
From Marquette, Michigan, McCutcheon helped lead Marquette Senior High School to a 6-3 record and a playoff appearance in 2025, and he was unanimously selected as the 2025 recipient of the Mitchell Snyder U.P. Lineman of the Year award. He was also a two-time First Team All-Big North Conference selection, a two-time All-U.P. Dream Team honoree, an MHSFCA All-Region selection, and named to the 2025 MHSFCA Detroit Free Press All-State First Team. He also participated in basketball, golf, and track & field, and he plans to major in finance.

 


Sawyer McLinden | K | Rocky Mountain
McLinden was the No. 1 ranked Kohl's Kicker in Idaho, receiving Second Team All-State and First Team All-Conference accolades. He was the Special Teams Player of the Year in 2025, named to the Academic All-Conference Team, and was a two-year Varsity starter at Rocky Mountain. During his senior year, he converted 8/11 field goals with a long of 50 yards, tying a school record. He also was 46/48 on PAT's and converted kickoff touchbacks 72% of the time. As a junior, he led the state in kicking points with 80. Over his career, he has gone 15/21 on FG's and 105/108 on PAT's. 


Sullivan McManigal | LB | Hartford Union
From Hartford, Wisconsin, McManigal comes to NMU after serving as team captain for Hartford Union High School. He also participated in track & field and plans to major in criminal justice.
 


Brendan Mensing | DL | DeWitt
From DeWitt, Michigan, Mensing helped lead his team to an undefeated record and a state championship in 2025, and he was an All-Conference and All-Region selection. Additionally, he earned Academic All-State recognition and also participated in basketball.
 


Kayden Meverden | DB | Wausau East
From Wausau, Wisconsin, Meverden was unanimously selected as an All-Conference First-Team honoree, and he was the 2025 recipient of the Brockmeyer Memorial Award. He also participated in track & field and plans to major in electrical engineering.
 


Jacob Norman | WR | Marquette
From Marquette, Michigan, Norman was an All-U.P. Honorable Mention at Marquette Senior High School. He also participated in basketball and track & field, the latter of which saw him become the MHSAA Champion in the 110-meter high hurdle event. He plans to major in business.
 


Braxton O’Bryant | OL | Ovid-Elsie
From Ovid, Michigan, O’Bryant was a three-time All-Conference selection, a two-time All-Region selection, and an All-State honoree. He also participated in baseball, track & field, and basketball, the latter of which saw him win a District Championship in 2025, and he plans to major in kinesiology and exercise science.
 


Braddock Payne | OL/LS | Shepherd
From Shepherd, Michigan, Payne was a three-year starter and two-year captain for Shepherd High School where he was a First Team All-Conference selection as a senior and was also named his team's MVP. He also participated in basketball and baseball and plans to major in fisheries and wildlife management.
 

Pierce Pittsley | WR | Marquette
From Marquette, Michigan, Pittsley was a two-year starter at Marquette Senior High School where he was named to the All-Big North Conference First Team and earned a selection to the All-U.P. Dream Team. He also participated in track & field in which he set a school record as a sprinter.

 


Logan Prall | WR | Waupun
 

Liam Rubino | P | Lakeview
From St. Clair Shores, Michigan, Rubino helped Lakeview High School win the most games in school history as well as the program’s first District Championship. He was an All-County and an All-Detroit Free Press selection, and he received All-Academic honors. He also participated in basketball and track & field and plans to major in finance.

 



Ryan Schultz | DB | Eau Claire Memorial
From Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Schultz comes to NMU with the intent to get out of his comfort zone and play high-level football. He was a First-Team All-Conference selection in 2025, and he also earned academic All-Conference honors as well. He also participated in baseball.


Richie Skinkis | LS | Nazareth Academy
From Chicago, Illinois, Skinkis was a three-year starter at Nazareth Academy as a long snapper, a program that has captured three-consecutive IHSA State Championships from 2022-24, and his father, Kevin, played four years of Division I football at Southern Illinois. He is planning to major in business.
 


Matt Stevens | QB | Bay Port
From Green Bay, Wisconsin, Stevens finished his career at Bay Port High School as the program's all-time leader in both passing yards (4,335) and passing touchdowns (50). Over the previous two seasons, he led his team to a Division I State Championship in 2024 and finished as the State Runner-Up in 2025. As a senior, he threw for over 2,000 yards and 23 touchdowns while also accumulating over 1,000 rushing yards and 13 more touchdowns on the ground.
 


Tanner Theuerkauf | QB | Menominee
From Menominee, Michigan, Theuerkauf joins his brother, Trevor, who finished the 2025 season as NMU's starting quarterback, after leading Menominee High School to an undefeated season that ended with a State Championship. Tanner's senior campaign would see him named as the West-PAC Copper Offensive Player of the Year, unanimously selected to the All-U.P. Dream Team, named the U.P. Offensive Player of the Year, and recognized as the 2025 U.P. Mr. Football honoree. 
 


Tyler Tulloch | OL | Evanston Township
From Evanston, Illinois after residing in Spanish Town, Jamaica for seven years, Tulloch was a two-year starter for Evanston Township High School where he helped lead his team to the 2024 IHSA playoffs. He is planning to major in business.
 


Jack Warden | TE | Notre Dame Academy
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