Northern State avoids transfer portal losses again

ABERDEEN, S.D. (KELO) — The Northern State football team finished 7-4 last year, losing two of their final three games to close out the season.

The Wolves return a load of talent this year, including nine players who are multi-year starters in Aberdeen. Northern was picked to finish sixth in the NSIC.

Among their returning talent is running back Hank Kraft, who was named the North Division Preseason Player of the Year and linebacker Jake Adams, who was named the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

The Wolves are one of the few teams that has avoided the transfer portal. They haven't lost a starter to the portal since 2023.

"Setting that tone and setting that culture is a pretty great thing to try and actually develop a program in today's age of college sports. It's been pretty cool to have them there. It's just been a lot of fun in fall camp right now, having those guys back," Head Coach Mike Schmidt said.

Northern State will open the season in a week. They host Chadron State at 6 p.m. at Dacotah Bank Stadium.