GRAND FORKS, N.D. --The Long Island University football team opens the 2026 season on Thursday, Aug. 27 against North Dakota. Opening kickoff at the Alerus Center is scheduled for 8 p.m.
 
The game will be televised digitally on ESPN+ and Midco Sports Plus, with Alex Heinert and Ryan Kasowski on the call.
 
 
Quick Facts
-FIRST-TIME OPPONENTS: The Sharks and Fighting Hawks will face off against one another for the first time, after previously announcing a home-and-home series. LIU will open the 2026 campaign on the road at UND, with the perennial FCS powerhouse returning the favor by traveling to the Big Apple next season, on Aug. 28, 2027.
 
 -CHALLENGING SCHEDULE: After kicking things off against UND, LIU will thrust ahead against additional formidable opponents. The Sharks' non-conference schedule will feature another road trip to take on Kansas on Friday, Sept. 4, marking the first of two Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) games on the schedule.
 
LIU will then open up its home slate on Sept. 12 vs. UAlbany, followed by Homecoming against Villanova on Sept. 19. The non-conference schedule will then come to a close on Sept. 26, as LIU and FIU face off in the final FBS game before the Sharks head into NEC play.
 
"We've got a very competitive schedule with two FBS teams and three top-notch FCS playoff teams," head coach Ron Cooper said this past offseason.  "This non-conference schedule will prepare us for conference play."
 
-2025 IN REVIEW: The Sharks will look to contend for the NEC title following a banner campaign in 2025 after finishing 6-6, boasting the most overall wins for a single season in the program's Division I tenure. The season was also highlighted by a 28-23 win at Eastern Michigan University, the program's first-ever victory over an FBS team. LIU finished the season on a three-game winning streak, with wins in five of its final six games.
 
-RETURNING LEADER: Ethan Greenwood will return for another season, fresh on the heels of earning NEC Football Preseason All-Conference honors for the second straight year. The Baldwin, N.Y. native looked strong in 2025, throwing for 645 yards and three touchdowns while adding 416 rushing yards and four scores on the ground in 2025.
 
-MORE PRESEASON ACCOLADES: Greenwood wasn't the only one garnering praise this summer. Fellow Shark Trey Watkins not only joined Greenwood in earning NEC Football Preseason All-Conference honors, but also secured a spot on the 2026 Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Third Team.
 
Watkins' selection came following a strong 2025 campaign in which he earned NEC Defensive Player of the Week honors on two different occasions, while leading the NEC and tying for second in the FCS with five interceptions. He also tallied 51 total tackles (36 solo, 15 assisted), one tackle for loss, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble.
 
-5 SHARKS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-NEC SELECTIONS: In addition to Greenwood and Watkins, offensive lineman Sean Broderick, defensive tackle Kezni Brown, and linebacker Rafael Fasolino all made the NEC Football Preseason All-Conference Team as well.