19 sign letters of intent
A thorough ransacking of the nation’s youth brought in an array of specialties for the aspiring NDSU football team.
A 7-4 season left 15 lettermen in the dust.
Although the majority of the lost players are from the offense, the greatest holes were on the defensive line.
“ Last season we had five (down linemen) for four positions,” defensive coordinator Casey Bradly said.
He hopes to have eight in the rotation for this season with three incoming junior college transfers on the defensive line.
They are Michael Brown, Thomas Campbell and Christian Dallas.
He also said there is a great chance for a couple incoming freshman not to redshirt at defensive back.
“ We felt right now we are short a safety,” head coach Craig Bohl said.
With a defensive philosophy that calls for four quality backs , a opportunity is open for worthy recruits.
Even though 11 of the 19 players who signed letters of intent are expected to play on the defensive side of the ball, Bohl insisted the offense was not overlooked.
“ It is not like we turned down offensive players that we liked,” Bohl said. “We just focused on the defensive players in this year’s recruitment.”
One of the offensive players the Bison landed is a running back from Imperial, Calif., and is labeled with great potential.
Pete Blincoe, 5 foot 8 inches and 180 pounds, needs to grow, Bohl said, but he can only get better.
NDSU admittedly did not sign every player some had hoped.
“ If we did, we weren’t recruiting the right guys,” Bohl said.
Looking deeper, the most critical aspects of the team were met, including on special teams.
Shawn Bibeau is a kicker from White Bear Lake, Minn., who punched 31 of his 45 kickoffs for touchbacks. That came after averaging 9.4 yards-per-carry as a running back. He will focus solely on kicking as a Bison.
North Dakota fielded five of the Bison recruits and five more were across a border.
“ Make no mistake,” Bohl said. “The first place we look is right across the river.”
The focus to grab the best area players was emphasized along with growing national recognition.
The type of players the Bison are now recruiting is also looked at by other I-AA schools with a reputation.
NDSU has leverage of its own in certain hotbeds around the nation.
“ People recognize the name, it’s NDSU,” Bohl said. “It’s not like, ‘Who are you?’”