UND received a commitment to the Class of 2013 from safety Cam Kuksa of Palatine High School in Palatine, IL (northwest suburb of Chicago). Kuksa, 6’1″-185, was an all-conference and all-area pick for the Pirates, who ended the year 10-2 and lost in the 8A quarterfinals (highest level in Illinois).
After reading about Kuksa, it appears he was a late bloomer in high school. As a sophomore he was 5’5″-135 lbs and in the last two years he put on 50 pounds and grew 8 inches. On the offensive side of the ball Kuksa was a running back and a wildcat QB, showing his excellent athleticism. He also triple jumped over 45 feet as a junior. His coach, Tyler Donnelly, verified these attributes by saying ““He’s (Kuksa) one of the most athletic, electrifying kids that I’ve ever coached. It’s a shame that we didn’t get to see him all season long.” Kuksa missed the first 7 games of the season after getting injured in game 1. He played the final 5 games of the season on a rehabbed broken ankle.
When watching tape on Kuksa the one thing that sticks out is his aggressiveness and ability to hit from the safety position. He lays some serious lumber in a few of those plays. These are traits that have been missing from the UND secondary and he will be a welcome addition to UND’s 3-4 defense.
Kuksa had scholarship offers from Wyoming and Western Illinois.
