UND quarterback Jerry Kaminski listed as week-to-week with ankle injury

North Dakota quarterback Jerry Kaminski is expected to be week-to-week after suffering an ankle injury in the second half of the Fighting Hawks’ loss at Northern Iowa last Saturday, UND head coach Eric Schmidt said Monday. The timetable is important for a team that runs its offense through the quarterback position, where even limited mobility can affect timing, play design, and the ability to improvise on broken plays.

Schmidt said the coaching staff attempted to assess the injury during the game environment by trying to X-ray the ankle, but the imaging did not produce a clean picture. He added that, based on what they were able to determine, the team does not believe there is anything inside the joint itself that would point to a more serious injury. In practical terms, that has UND planning as though Kaminski’s availability could change from week to week rather than being settled for the foreseeable future.

The injury arrived during a live game situation at Northern Iowa, and the label “week-to-week” indicates that the next steps will likely depend on follow-up evaluations and how the ankle responds to treatment and practice. For teams in the middle of their season, that distinction matters because it affects how much the backup quarterback can take with first-team reps and how much the staff can tailor protections and reads to accommodate the starting report-caller’s comfort level.

UND now faces the challenge common to quarterback-driven offenses when the starter’s status is uncertain. Even when a player is cleared for action, limited soreness or stiffness can change how quickly he can set his feet, step into throws, or extend plays to buy time. With a week-to-week designation, the focus will likely shift quickly from injury certainty to preparation, including building a coherent plan for both scenarios, Kaminski available or not.

Schmidt’s comments also frame how the medical assessment is progressing. The inability to get a clean X-ray image at the time of the injury suggests the team is working with incomplete information from the initial moment, then moving toward clarity through later evaluation. While the coach said they do not think there is something in the ankle, that does not remove the need for continued monitoring, especially given the impact that ankle injuries can have on throwing mechanics and lower-body stability.

What to watch next for UND is whether Kaminski can practice as the week moves forward and whether the staff increases reps with the starter, the backup, or both. The other key storyline is how the offense’s game plan adjusts, particularly the balance between designed quick throws and play extensions, as UND tries to protect the quarterback position while keeping continuity in timing and down-to-down execution.

For now, UND’s message is clear: the injury is not being treated as season-ending, but it is also not being treated as a certainty. With Kaminski listed as week-to-week, his availability will remain a daily decision point until the staff has a more definitive read on the ankle.