Nose Guards
#54 Marcus Cheatom – NG 6-1 285 So. Chicago, Ill. (Brother Rice High School)
#94 Jordan Hinojosa – DL 6-3 275 So. Miami, Fla. (Minnesota)
#67 Shea Walker – NG 6-1 300 Sr. St. Paul, Minn. (Cretin-Derham Hall High School)
#92 Tank Harris – NG 6-3 275 Fr. Chicago, Ill. (Morgan Park High School)
Defensive Ends
#91 Spencer Cummings – DL 6-4 280 Sr. Hugo, Minn. (White Bear Lake High School)
#93 Alec Carrothers DL 6-3 255 So. Omaha, Neb. (Millard West High School)
#97 Kyle Woodsmall – DL 6-4 260 Jr. Wildwood, Mo. (Lafayette High School)
#96 Berto Espinoza – DL 6-2 260 Sr. Reno, Nev. (Feather River CC)
#95 Jake McElroy – DL 6-3 250 So. Lakeville, Minn. (Lakeville North High School)
#34 Nick Schmitz – DL 6-4 230 RFr. Mekinock, N.D. (Midway High School)
#99 Brandon Dranka – DL 6-2 235 Fr. Huntley, Ill. (Huntley High School)
#43 Drew Greeley – DL 6-3 230 Fr. Wayzata, Minn. (Wayzata High School)
#77 Austin Cieslak – DL 6-4 250 Fr. Hazen, N.D. (Hazen High School)
Depth Chart (As we see it at the start of camp):
Nose Guard: 1. Marcus Cheatom 2. Jordan Hinojosa 3. Shea Walker
Defensive End: 1. Alec Carrothers 2. Kyle Woodsmall 3. Jake McElroy
Defensive End: 1. Spencer Cummings 2. Berto Espinoza 3. Nick Schmitz
We fully expect Cheatom to take over at the NG position now that he has a year of collegiate play under his belt. He needs to be much more consistent and even in his play but has the ability to be a disruptive player on the inside of UND’s 3-4 defense. Cheatom has the twitch in his game make big plays, now is the time to show it.
Hinojosa (UM transfer) can easily lineup at the defensive end position also but NG is the easiest position to begin with in a 3-4 scheme. He will bring size and athletic ability to the DL group and we expect him to log a good amount of reps this fall. Not much is known about Hinojosa except that he was a highly recruited player out of Miami but never got run in Dinkytown.
The defensive end positions are truly up for grabs. All 6 spots could easily be swapped around in no certain order. We chose Cummings as our starter because he is a senior and has the experience from playing consistently the past three seasons. He is the type of player that needs to break out this season. Fans have been waiting for him to become the playmaker most think he can be.
Carrothers and Woodsmall both will be battling for the starting job at the other defensive end. Both played the majority of last year and need to now progress to make this defense better. The DE position for UND can be tough at times with all the double-teaming that goes on vs. a 3-4 and a lunchpail type of player is needed.
—>> This is a position group that needs to improve drastically in 2014. The UND defense gave up 188 yards rushing per game last season and 26 TD’s. That is horrendous. It all starts up front with the three defensive lineman holding the line and eating up blockers for the linebackers/safeties to make plays. We are looking to guys like Cheatom and Hinojosa to be the big-play guys of the group and produce some sacks and TFL’s. New defensive line coach Jordan Gigli is going to need to find that perfect combination to try and help turn around the UND defensive line situation in 2014.
P.S. — Don’t be surprised if Tank Harris’s redshirt is pulled. DL is a position of need and from talking to the coaches all freshman will be evaluated to see if they can help the 2014 team. In other words, look for multiple true freshman (overall) to have their redshirt’s pulled if need arises.
