Following the resignation of head coach Kyle Nystrom, the Northern Michigan football team will have a new coach to guide it through the 2023 season.

The midseason resignation of Nystrom wasn’t surprising to many, as he was expected to leave sooner or later, given his career record of 13-40 with the Wildcats.

The man hoping to turn the program around is former Northern Michigan linebacker and UNC Pembroke head coach Shane Richardson.

Richardson spent eight seasons at UNC Pembroke, where he compiled a record of 37-48. 

His best season with the program came in 2016, when he led the team to the second round of the playoffs.

Due to multiple lackluster seasons, both UNC Pembroke and Richardson decided it would be best to part ways when his contract expired at the end of last season. 

Though he has spent the majority of his coaching career in North Carolina, Richardson will be very familiar with football and high school talent in the state of Michigan, given his past. 

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If Richardson wants to lead Northern Michigan to its first winning season since 2009, he will have to figure out the team's most pressing issue: the quarterback situation.

Last season’s starting quarterback, Zach Keen, transferred to Midwestern State during the offseason, leaving a void at the quarterback position. 

The only quarterback on the roster with any in-game experience is Mariano Valenti, a grad student who previously was at Temple and Northern Illinois. 

Given Valenti’s experience with the two FBS programs, he'd be a likely candidate to start. 

Besides Valenti, it seems the other most likely choice will be true freshman Aidan Hoard. 

Hoard, the son of Northern Michigan Hall of Fame quarterback Mat Hoard, was given all-region and all-conference honors at Frankenmuth High.

Though they lost both times, Hoard led Frankenmuth to two Division 5 state championship games.

Even if Hoard is subjected to riding the bench in 2023, he definitely is someone to keep an eye on for seasons to come. 

Northern Michigan To Open The Season On The Road Against Minnesota Duluth

In what will be their first of two out-of-state games this season, the Wildcats will travel to Duluth, Minnesota, in Week 1 to face a good Minnesota Duluth team that went 8-3 in 2022.

Northern Michigan’s schedule will only get harder as the season progresses.

In Week 8, the Wildcats will face 2022 GLIAC champion Grand Valley State, a team that beat the Wildcats 56-3 last season.

In Week 5, Northern Michigan will play two-time defending national champion, Ferris State. 

Northern Michigan Football Schedule 2023

• Aug. 31: at Minnesota Duluth, 7 p.m.
• Sept. 9: Lake Erie College, 1 p.m.
• Sept. 16: UW-La Crosse, 2 p.m.
• Sept. 23: at Quincy, 2 p.m.
• Sept. 30: at Ferris State, 3 p.m.
• Oct. 7: at Davenport, 2 p.m.
• Oct. 14: Michigan Tech, 7 p.m.
• Oct. 21: Grand Valley State, 1 p.m.
• Oct. 28: Wayne State, 1 p.m.
• Nov. 4: at Saginaw Valley State, 1 p.m.
• Nov. 11: Northern State, 1 p.m.

How To Watch Northern Michigan Football In 2023

All GLIAC football games will stream on FloFootball and the FloSports app this fall. Some non-conference games may not be available on FloSports.