UND's Sam Strandell rewarded with captain honor after tough decision to return
· Yahoo Sports
Aug. 23—GRAND FORKS — UND wide receiver Sam Strandell started last season with knee injuries on Day 6 of fall camp.
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Those injuries lingered. He wore a heavy brace on his knee. Then he had a groin injury in the spring. Then there was an appendicitis operation in the offseason.
After spending the fall and spring on the sideline in 2025, Strandell had a decision to make this summer — retire or stick it out one more year?
"I talked to the coaches the weekend before fall camp and that Friday night me and my dad went on a bike ride through Riverside," Strandell said of his old neighborhood in north Grand Forks. "It was late at night, and I guess I was just thinking back to like when I was a kid in Riverside. I feel like he would really want me to play, and I feel like down the road I would probably regret not, too. I enjoy football. When I'm healthy and I'm playing football, it's the most fun I have."
Strandell's journey back to the field reached a milestone earlier this week when he was honored by his teammates as a two-time captain of the Fighting Hawks.
"You don't want to feel pride, but I found like a little sense of pride," said Strandell, a former Grand Forks Central star. "I think one thing that I learned from being a captain last year is captain doesn't really mean much. You go off for the coin toss, but you've got to lead every day, and we have more leaders than we have captains out here. You shouldn't just lead because you're a captain. You should lead because you're a leader. I think at the end of the day, it's an honor, and I appreciate the guys for voting me a captain. But the work has to continue, and you still have to continue to lead every day."
Strandell said he leaned on his family and former teammates during the time he considered retiring from football. He talked to roommate and former linebacker Paine Parks and former UND quarterback Simon Romfo. Parks and Romfo are now in the work force after UND playing careers.
"Simon was a big one," Strandell said. "They're the guys who can tell me about it, and they miss football."
Strandell's decision to return didn't ease his trust in his body, which had broken down most of 2025.
"That was probably the biggest thing," he said. "When you have a lot of faith and hope in something, and it just keeps not working out, you lose a little faith in the process a little bit. But I didn't really want to believe that ... I wanted to have faith in the process. I feel like that was part of the reason I came back."
Despite the injury-plagued 2025, Strandell found a way to make an impact in important moments. He made three tackles and blocked a punt in UND's road win at Tennessee Tech in the opening round of the FCS playoffs
He's made plays during fall camp in 2026 on offense, too, pushing for a role at wide receiver again.
"One thing I've learned through all five of my fall camps is just to stay even-keel," Strandell said. "Even if you have a bad day, you can be upset, but then forget about it. It's all about the growth. Coach (Eric) Schmidt talks about that all the time. It's about the process, and we trust the process. It's even when we have bad days, we're relentlessly pursuing the next one. So I think I'm pretty happy with (fall camp), and I'm excited for the season. Really excited."