Northern Michigan running back Noah Dobert and linebacker Jax Hertel have been named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List, giving the Wildcats two nationally recognized players heading into their Aug. 27 season opener at Minnesota State Moorhead.

The preseason list, selected by D2Football.com staff with input from Division II head coaches and professional scout Josh Buchanan, places both players at the Squad level, equivalent to honorable mention on similar national watch lists, according to WZMQ.

Dobert, a sophomore from Dearborn, Michigan, rewrote the NMU record book in 2025. He set the program's single-season rushing record with 1,681 yards and 15 touchdowns, according to NMU Athletics, while ranking third nationally in rushing yards per game at 150.5. He averaged 6.3 yards per carry across 11 games.

Dobert closed the season with 406 yards and four touchdowns on 32 carries in a 45-11 win over Wayne State, breaking the previous NMU single-game mark of 317 set in 2007. That performance ranked among the top five single-game rushing totals in Division II history and earned him D2Football.com National Offensive Player of the Week honors. No Wildcat had received that award before.

He became the first NMU player to earn D2CCA All-American recognition, landing on the Second Team. He also took home GLIAC Offensive Back of the Year and All-GLIAC First Team honors.

Hertel, a senior from Walworth, Wisconsin, anchored the Wildcats' defense in 2025. He started all 11 games. He led NMU with 101 tackles, third in the GLIAC, while his 14.5 tackles for loss topped the conference. He added three quarterback hits, six pass breakups, a forced fumble and a pick-six. Hertel earned D2CCA All-Super Region 3 First Team and All-GLIAC First Team honors, plus the program's Ironcat Award for leadership in the strength and conditioning program.

Both players return for a Wildcats squad now led by first-year head coach Matt Janus, the program's 24th head coach. Janus came to Marquette after six seasons leading Division III Wisconsin-La Crosse, according to WEAU. He named Ryan Bright as defensive coordinator and Peter "Boomer" Roepke as offensive coordinator, according to NMU Athletics.

"We're staring down about four more days of camp and then we're in game week," Janus told My UP Now on Friday, Aug. 14, during a preseason practice at Marquette Senior High School. "Trying to get our guys playing at game speed and introducing more situational football."

NMU opens the 2026 season Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. ET at Minnesota State Moorhead.