Momentum in everything is very real. That’s no different in the college football recruiting world, where things can get hot very quickly.
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Young men see things they like and want to be a part of. They also want to get their name in the mix quickly because there are limited spots available, especially in the portal era.
The latest version of UND Football seems to be doing things well on the recruiting trail.
Since QB Brooks Hendrickson committed on March 22, four more young men have joined him in wanting to be a Fighting Hawk!
The first commitment was Hendrickson, a 6-3, 210 QB from Mount Horeb, WI. He had earned an offer from Eastern Michigan as well. He’s a left-hander with good size and decent mobility. Looks to be more of a pocket type of guy who shows he can diagnose coverage and get the ball where it needs to go quickly. Strong arm and accuracy down the field are great positive traits. Seems to excel with the deep ball. Being the first QB UND offered gives a little glimpse into what they staff sees in Brooks. For lack of a better phrase, UND got the top QB on their board. That’s a big deal! You can watch his junior season highlights all right here on hudl.
TE George Rohl from Ellsworth, WI committed a week later. He goes 6-7, 240lbs. Rohl had earned an offer from Northern Iowa. Very athletic kid who carries the weight really well. Excels on the basketball court for Ellsworth, where he’s been an all-conference player since his freshman year. Looks like he weighs 210 (a lot of frame). You’re going to notice a theme here – this is an extremely projectable kid. This is a player who’ll weigh 250-260 at the end of his first year at UND and carry that weight very well. You can watch his junior season highlights all right here on hudl.
Tackle Jackson Stein committed shortly thereafter. He goes 6-7, 295, hails from Lake Mills, WI and goes to Lakeside Lutheran HS. Starting center Ben Buxa is from the same school and he’s turned out very well. Stein had earned offers from FBS Northern Illinois & Central Michigan, along with MVFC foe Illinois St. Stein’s head coach had some great things to say about him, basically how Jackson didn’t know how good he could be but he worked and worked with a goal in mind – and now he’s achieved one of those goals. Again, a very projectable frame. Easy to see as a bookend tackle. You can watch his junior season individual game highlights all right here on hudl.
Brody Woods committed a few days ago. He goes 6-5, 230 and hails from Cold Spring, MN, attending Rocori High School. Rocori has always turned out athletes and they’re all humble, hard working kids. Brody plays tight end and Edge in HS, but we’re projecting him to play Edge in college. Again, an amazingly projectable kid with almost a 7 foot wingspan. Get him in the weight room and on a good diet, and he’ll be 250 pounds in a year. BTW, Coach Schmidt coached the edges at Washington. Coach Anderson has been a defensive coach for a long time, a very successful D2 head coach, and has been at FBS Old Dominion the last 2 years. Those guys know the body types and athleticism needed. Bright, bright future for Brody! You can watch his junior season highlights all right here on hudl.
The latest of these first five commitments is Brady Goihl, a 6-7 280 tackle from Melrose, MN. Goihl is the third commit of the five who is 6-7. Brady appears to play guard in high school. Being a tackle body type you have to think that’s where his college future lies but he will have to know both. A multi-sport athlete and has spent his summers playing with the successful Minnesota Comets AAU basketball program. A big guy that plays a lot of basketball usually has good feet. Once again, a highly projectable kid. You get the feeling that there is some rawness here (as is the case with most Midwest lineman), but that combined with the projectability, athleticism, and size, and Brady could be a monster. You can watch his junior season highlights all right here on hudl.
Hard to imagine the coaching staff at UND thought things would start rolling this fast on the recruiting end. Fantastic start! These five commitments give a glimpse into what the staff is looking for – athleticism, combined with length and projection. Two 6-7 bodies on the OL already committed is a great place to start, and hopefully the in-state prize, Aiden Wunderlich, is wanting to jump in the Nest soon, as well.
What’s next? Sheer numbers would say that you’re going to be seeing a few skill position guys and LBs join. We put out a list of a bunch of those guys the other day on Twitter. Hawk fans should be very excited about the future! This is fun, isn’t it?!