The UND football team has picked up a quarterback via the Atlantic Coast Conference. Braden Hanson from the University of North Carolina has decided to transfer to UND. He will have one year of eligibility remaining and will be enrolling at UND for the spring semester.
Hanson, 6’6″ – 215, is a tall, lanky lefty who appears to be strictly a pocket passer with the mobility to move around if needed. North Carolina ran a west coast type of offense the past couple years meaning Hanson should be fine operating under center and executing the play-action game. His height will be a definite advantage in the passing game as he will be able to survey the field easier.
Hanson could not have come out of high school with many more accolades than he did. Hanson was the North Carolina High School Player of the Year in 2007 – the #18 overall QB in the country – and had nine offers out of high school (Michigan State, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, etc.). He also threw for 5,600 yards and 81 TD’s in his last two seasons of high school.
We see a nice bridge here for the Sioux program. With highly regarded QB recruits Joe Mollberg and Ryan Bartels both coming in this fall, the Sioux can utilize Hanson’s talents in 2012 while preparing both Mollberg and Bartels during their redshirt season’s. Then, the hope is that one of the two is ready to go in 2013. One other important aspect that should not be overlooked is how Hanson could have the ability to “tutor” the younger QB’s, even Bradley, as he is only a true junior. Hopefully, he is able to bring some of what he has been taught by OC John Shoop up to UND and help the progression of the quarterbacks and even the wide receivers.
With the Sioux offensive line and wide receiver talent improving greatly the past few seasons, we can’t help but think that adding Hanson could be the piece that helps this offense become more of a consistent force this next fall. They have shown they want to commit to the power running game and play-action passing. Inconsistency at QB plagued them in 2011 and they were still able to pull out a 8-3 record and a GWC Championship. Hopefully, Hanson will be the guy to bring it all together.
