It’s the final home game of the season this Saturday vs. Portland State. Game time is 2pm. The Hawks are in do-or-die mode as they need to win these last two games to finish 7-4 and have a shot at the FCS Playoffs.
This final home game also doubles as the annual Senior Day, where the school honors the graduating seniors for all their contributions to the UND Football program.
This years class has a nice mix of high-end All-American’s, transfers, former walk-ons who became everyday players, off-the-field leaders, etc. This class was a major part of the 2016 playoff team that earned the #7 overall seed in the FCS field.
53 Grant Aplin OL 6-1 301 Sr. Victoria, Minn. / Chanhassen High School
Aplin is a former walk-on who stuck it out for five years, working hard and earning a spot on the interior of the UND offensive line. Always undersized at 6’0″ tall, Aplin used his strength and technique to move guys and become a steady rock along the OL. Aplin also played a little fullback during his freshman season.
91 Austin Cieslak DL 6-4 292 Sr. Hazen, N.D. / Hazen High School
A true success story. Cieslak is one of those small town kids that got better every year in the program to the point he dominated games at times this season. Cieslak has 8.5 career sacks and 5 this season, thus far. He also has 17.5 career TFL’s. The trajectory of Cieslak’s career is one that young players in the program should try to emulate.
46 Tyler Coyne FB 6-1 254 Sr. Plymouth, Minn. / Maple Grove High School
Coyne is another former walk-on who provided depth at the fullback position throughout his career. He was injured a bit and that affected his availability but was widely respected teammate and played in 13 total games throughout his career.
34 Luke Fiedler TE 6-5 262 Sr. Orlando, Fla. / Freedom High School
Fiedler really blossomed throughout his career at the tight end position. His run-blocking, which is essential in the UND offense, developed nicely to the point where he became a pretty solid force at the end of the line for OC Paul Rudolph. In his career, Fiedler has 25 catches for 214 yards and 3 TD’s.
77 Steve Greer DL 6-2 310 Sr. Ballwin, Mo. / Parkway South High School
The big man from Missouri played as a true freshman for the Hawks and provided a consistent presence at that position for four straight seasons. He notched 22 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 7.5 TFL’s during his time in Grand Forks and did a nice job taking on double-teams from the nose guard position. Having Greer and Tank Harris at nose guard was a luxury for the UND defense.
24 Deion Harris DB 6-3 197 R-Sr. Hibbing, Minn. / Hibbing High School
Harris reached All-American status during the 2016 season when he notched 5 interceptions, returning three of them for touchdowns. None bigger than the 4th quarter INT vs. Northern Arizona on the last game of the season that completed an epic comeback and vaulted UND to a 9-2 record and the playoffs. Unfortunately, Harris tore his achilles before the 2017 season and had to sit out the entire year, which led him to redshirting and being a member of this senior class. Harris has 104 tackles and 9 INT’s in his time at UND.
92 Tank Harris DL 6-3 287 Sr. Chicago, Ill. / Morgan Park High School
The big guy from Chicago has been on the same trajectory that we spoke of with Austin Cieslak. It’s no wonder the DL has been so disruptive this season. Tank has turned himself into a dominate two-gap nose guard from the mold of Mark Callahan and Scott Schultz (former UND NG greats). Harris notched 85 total tackles in his career along with 2 sacks and 12 TFL’s. His true contribution can only be measure in watching the tape, however, as a good nose guard in a 3-4 scheme is rarely noticed but highly valued.
38 Dijon Murray LB 6-0 220 R-Sr. New Orleans, La. / St. Augustine
Murray came to UND in the winter of 2016 as a juco transfer out of New Mexico Military Institute. He got injured that first season and it hindered his play to the point he got a medical redshirt. Since then Murray has been a backup linebacker but participated on multiple special teams this season. He has notched 7 total tackles in his career.
5 Brady Oliveira RB 5-10 220 Sr. Winnipeg, Manitoba / Oak Park High School
The Manitoba Moose has been an absolute workhorse in the backfield for four straight seasons (no redshirt). I mean, Oliveira has been such a stallion he should be owned by a middle eastern sheikh (line from The Goods). For as aggressive and fearless of a runner as he is, it’s amazing how durable Oliveira has been. When other RB’s got hurt they always had Brady to turn to – like last weekend vs. Idaho when he was the only RB left and carried the ball almost the entire second half. His career stats are impressive – 475 carries – 2,722 yards – 22 TD’s. Oliveira’s unselfish nature should not be overlooked, either. He split time with John Santiago for four years and also James Johanneson for one year when he could easily be a feature back on alot of teams.
21 Tanner Palmborg LB 6-1 218 Sr. Princeton, Minn. / Princeton High School
Palmborg is one of the best stories of the class. Former walk-on safety, gets thrust into the starting lineup in 2015 as a true freshman due to injury. He made the move to OLB his junior season and turned into a play-making machine off the edge for DC Eric Schmidt in UND’s 3-4 scheme. Palmborg was named captain this season, as well. Unfortunately, Tanner hurt his knee vs. Montana but somehow came back in a week to play against Weber State, showing toughness and leadership. In his career Palmborg garnered 121 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 13.5 TFL’s. Tanner is exactly what coaches are hoping for when they sign a walk-on.
22 John Santiago RB 5-9 187 Sr. Andover, Minn. / St. Francis High School
Mr. Santiago came out of nowhere in 2015. Slated to be a wide receiver out of St. Francis High School (MN), the coaching staff threw him in at running back before the season opener at Wyoming, saw something they liked, and started him for that game. The result: 148 yards and 2 TD’s. Santiago went on to become a three-time All-American at running back and kick returner for the Hawks. Like we stated with Oliveira, Santiago’s gaudy numbers could have been much bigger but his selflessness in splitting time with Brady kept them down. In his illustrious career, Santiago has run the ball 603 times for 3,648 yards (3rd all-time at UND) and 29 TDs.
75 Adam Stiner OL 6-6 290 Sr. Verona, Wis. / Verona High School
Last spring, Stiner was named the winner of the Male Community Service Award at the annual Night of Champions banquet on campus. Stiner has been an off the field leader of the team while being a backup offensive lineman. Stiner started out at tackle but has been backing up center Patric Rooney this season.
81 Luke Stanley WR 6-4 235 Sr. Menomonie, Wis. / Menomonie High School
Stanley has had a long and winding career at UND but one that is to be admired. He actually led the 2015 team with 312 yards and 5 TD’s receiving. In 2016, he played in nine games nabbing 26 catches for 381 yards and 2 TD’s. He hurt his knee after that season and was not able to play in 2017. But, Stanley stuck with it and kept rehabbing to the point where he re-joined the team partway through the 2018 season and has been called upon to make plays now due to injuries. In his career thus far, Stanley has 58 catches for 755 yards and 7 TD’s.
96 Warren Taylor P 6-0 175 Gr. Williamstown, Mass. /
Taylor joined the team this summer to provide depth at the punter position. He had never played collegiate football before but had self-taught himself how to punt and decided to give it a shot. The University of Denver transfer punted six times this season for a 42 yard average with two of them landing inside the 20.
58 Tyron Vrede LB 6-0 225 Sr. Amsterdam, Netherlands /
Vrede transferred to UND this winter from Garden City CC and provided immediate depth at the ILB position this season. There is a chance that Vrede could be re-classified to a junior so he may have another season left. On the year Vrede has 19 tackles, 2 sacks and 6 TFL’s. He has been a nice addition to the UND defense.
52 Everett Williams LB 6-1 250 Sr. Mansfield, Texas /
Williams transferred to UND this past winter from the University of Minnesota. The Hawks were in need of linebacker help and Williams has been able to fill some reps as needed this year. He has notched 5 tackles and 1 TFL this season while also playing on special teams.
