Quarterback
Key Losses:Â Jake Landry (2-year starter)
With the graduation of starter Jake Landry, the QB position for UND is completely up for grabs. The Sioux will start spring ball with a bunch of unproven QB’s who will all get a shot at being the starter.
- Senior Brent Goska will begin spring ball as the #1 QB on the depth chart. Goska was the backup last season and was thrust into the starting job after Jake Landry suffered a season ending knee injury in game #7. Goska has very good running ability which he displayed well at times last year. However, his passing accuracy is not what it needs to be, especially in the Pistol offense where the QB is rolling out and throwing on the run at times.
- Junior Marcus Hendrickson is listed as the #2 QB on the depth chart but we do not see him staying there for long. Hendrickson is versatile athlete who has shown ability at the WR position and we expect him to end up helping out with depth at that position.
- Sophomore JUCO transfer Joey Bradley is the #3 QB coming into spring ball. From watching tape on Bradley he shows a quick release and a real feel for the passing game out of a shotgun offense. He had some accuracy issues in his lone year at Diablo Valley CC, throwing 26 INTs. To be fair, he did throw the ball 450+ times that season and had 33 TD’s. We do like his experience throwing the ball and will be watching to see if he can be the guy for UND. We expect him to move up the depth chart this spring.
- Redshirt freshman Chris Comes will likely be listed fourth on the depth chart. He came to UND as a highly-touted cerebral QB recruit who can throw the ball around quite well. He impressed last fall when he ran the scout team against UND’s defense. With a good spring he could end up anywhere from #1-#3 on the depth chart. We think he has the mental makeup that you want in a QB.
- Redshirt freshman Trey Demler will also be in the mix. We expect him to be in the same boat as Comes where he could end up anywhere in the depth chart. Spring ball is going to be very interesting to say the least.
Running Back
Key Losses:Â Josh Murray
- Junior Mitch Sutton enters spring ball as the #1 RB on the depth chart. Sutton has been a consistent force in the backfield for the last two seasons.  In 2010 while playing behind Murray, Sutton gained 308 yards along with 2 TD’s. He also had 148 yards receiving. Sutton is going to be the workhorse for the Sioux this fall. He has a tough, hard to bring down, running style and will be leaned on heavily because of the youth behind him at the RB position.
- Sophomore Jake Miller is slated as the #2 RB coming into spring ball. Miller is a fast, scat back type of player who we hope to see much more of this fall. He is the change of pace back who can spell Sutton and bring the Sioux offense a different look. Getting him the ball in space is where he will excel.
- Redshirt freshman Breon Butler and Adam Shaugabay will both be backing up the aforementioned Sutton and Miller. Butler is a quick, scat back type like Miller. He will be a guy that does best in space. We think Shaugabay is a more rugged type of runner who could end up being a short yardage type of guy with time.
- At fullback, Catlin Solum returns for his senior season and will be counted on for leadership. A solid blocker, Solum caught 15 balls last season for 99 yards. Junior Ethan Magstadt will also be counted on to be ready if needed at #2. Magstadt is coming off a serious achilles injury from spring 2010 in which he missed the entire 2010 season. Sophomore Travis Greenwaldt and redshirt freshman Payton DeCouteau will take some reps and provide depth this spring.
Wide Receiver
Key Losses:Â Jarrel Davis, Ryan Dressler
- Sophomore Greg Hardin returns as the statistical leader for the UND receivers after posting an impressive freshman season in 2010. Hardin caught 41 balls for 736 yards and 9 touchdowns with very little help to take the pressure off him in the secondary. We’ve all seen what he can do. The best is yet to come from him as he has 3 years remaining. He enters the spring at #1 on the depth chart at ‘X’ and will be counted on heavily to lead and help groom some of the other younger guys.
- Chris Anderson returns for his senior season at #1 on the spring depth chart at ‘Z’. He is coming off a disappointing junior campaign in which he only totaled 13 catches for 190 yards and 2 touchdowns. We had hoped that Anderson would have made his biggest strides in improvement last season, but that never really materialized. We hope everything ‘clicks’ for him this year and that he goes out with a bang during his senior year.
- After not redshirting last season as a true freshman, RJ McGill enters spring as #2 at ‘Z’ receiver. While McGill’s youth and inexperience showed quite a bit last year, he seemed to be gaining confidence and momentum as the season went on. He caught 19 balls for 119 yards which was 4th on the team. McGill will be called upon even more this season and we expect to see him catch more balls underneath the zone coverages he sees.
- Senior Drew Daggett returns for his senior season as the #2 guy at ‘X’. Daggett is coming off a season in which he did not register catch. He has the potential to be a big red-zone threat with his 6-4 frame and jumping ability. We hope he is utilized in that capacity in 2011 and has a good senior season.
- Tyhre Ivery is the wild card moving into 2011. He has the ability and talent to be a game-changer next season as indicated by his ‘offensive scout of the year’ award last season that was given to him and voted on by his teammates. Ivery enters spring as the #3 ‘Z’ receiver, but we think he will have every opportunity to move up the depth chart and get on the field in 3 and 4 receiver sets at minimum. Long story short – we expect Ivery to make a significant impact next season.
- Redshirt freshman Eric Hagen will also provide depth and take reps at the ‘X’ receiver spot this spring.
- Sophomore Blair Townsend and junior Jon Heimler will be out for spring ball after both are still recovering from injuries last season. Townsend broke a bone in his lower leg/angle and Heimler broke his collarbone. We think you could maybe see Heimler in spring practices by the end, depending on his rehab progress. Townsend will be out all spring in order to maintain his health and get him ready for fall camp.
Tight End
Key Losses:Â None
- Seth Wisthoff returns for his junior season as the #1 TE on the depth chart. He caught 6 balls for 67 yards as a sophomore. Wisthoff is your typical blue-collar TE who does everything asked of him in the blocking schemes and when called upon can still catch some passes.
- Taylor Grant is coming off his redshirt season and will be called upon immediately to contribute alongside Wisthoff as more of a receiving threat up the seams. UND has not had a vertical threat at TE for quite some time and this aspect will only help open things up in the passing game. Grant is the kind of player that can make safeties respect him in the middle of the field. We’re excited to see what he can do.
- Seth Nichols moves from QB to TE to try help shore up the depth at this position. At 6-5 240 lbs, he definitely has some potential. The biggest question will be his ability to pick up the requisite blocking technique he will no doubt need to be successful.
- Sophomores Joe Kingery and Brendan Mochoruk will also add much-needed depth to the position. We have to see either of them on the field thus far.
Offensive Line
Key Losses:Â Keith Queoff, Creighton Schroyer
- 2 year starter Ian McGurran returns for his junior season to anchor and lead the 2011 version of the “Hogs” at center. Sophomore Caleb Nelson and redshirt freshman Dwayne Pecosky will provide depth at the position and will hopefully push and challenge McGurran.
- Junior Emmett Lynch enters spring as the #1 right guard. Lynch gained some valuable experience last season as he is a returning letterwinner. Backing up Lynch will be sophomore Jake Hoerchner and redshirt freshman Brock Keller.
- Senior and JUCO transfer Conner McKendry enters the spring as the #1 left guard after earning a letter in 2010. McKendry filled in last season when injuries took their toll on the offensive line. Last year’s starter, Joe Kleason, is listed as #2 right now. We fully expect both of these guys to be battling it out all spring to earn the #1 spot. Redshirt Freshman Shea Walker and Karl Holm will get their first shot this spring to show what they can do and will provide depth.
- Darren Deneui, the mammoth 6-8 sophomore who played both offensive and defensive lines last season, enters the spring as the #1 left tackle. We have heard very good reviews of Deneui, not only because of his willingness to help the team any way he can, but because of his work ethic. All indications are that he will be counted on heavily to be an anchor for the UND quarterback’s blind side. Redshirt freshman Devin Barton will back him up as the #2 left tackle.
- Senior Brandon Quesenberry is the #1 right tackle entering spring practice and also has a lot of experience under his belt on the o-line. Junior Caleb Gillson and redshirt freshman Darren Peterson will challenge Quesenberry for playing time.
With 7 starters and 17 letterwinners returning, the Sioux offense has potential to see great improvement this spring. The offensive line needs to gel and the QB battle hopefully plays itself out so that someone grabs that #1 spot and runs with it going into the summer and fall camp. The players on offense and the coaching staff need to have a guy they can count on that they can confidently say is “their guy” to rally around. The young talent at the skill positions is exciting to say the least, and the young “Hogs” will get a chance to earn their stripes. Last season was the first year of the “Pistol” offense and it showed flashes but was very inconsistent. We are hoping for marked improvement heading into year 2.
