Dakota schools lure Minnesota prep football stars

[Wally]

Fifteen Minnesotans are expected to sign national letters of intent at the four Dakota colleges, with as many as a dozen more still deciding as Wednesday's signing day approached. All four schools are NCAA Division I programs at the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) level, formerly known as Division I-AA.

Traditionally viewed as a fallback for those who weren't recruited at college football's highest level, the Dakota schools these days are seen by many Minnesota players as more than a consolation prize. Last year 78 Minnesotans suited up across the four schools, which offer a decidedly smaller-town pull on the athletes.



http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/189938451.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue

[EndZoneQB]

'Totally out of the blue'

Eastview tight end A.J. Stockwell never even considered playing for North Dakota until coaches there reached out to him after his junior year and offered him a scholarship based on nothing more than seeing him play on film.( I know it does happen, just sounds par for the course for UN_)

"It was totally out of the blue," Stockwell said.

Stockwell was intrigued. If North Dakota had made such a bold gesture without knowing him, he owed them a visit to Grand Forks.

"I liked it," Stockwell said. "There are no pro teams. Everyone pays attention to the college teams.(I think he means team...) They really love the team(yep, and unfortunately it's not the team you just joined) and it's a program on the rise. I felt like it was a good place for me."


LMFAO, really?

[bisonmike2]

LMFAO, really?

Hey now! They do love the team. As long as its not during hunting or fishing season. And as long as there isn't some big going on in Sioux Falls that weekend like a monster truck rally or a Lynard Skynard concert.

[tjbison]

Hey now! They do love the team. As long as its not during hunting or fishing season. And as long as there isn't some big going on in Sioux Falls that weekend like a monster truck rally or a Lynard Skynard concert.

Sioux Falls???...

[bisonmike2]

Sioux Falls???...

People disappear from Brookings on the weekend for events in Sioux Falls.

[tjbison]

People disappear from Brookings on the weekend for events in Sioux Falls.

I thought you were referencing EZQB's post

[bisonmike2]

I thought you were referencing EZQB's post

Whoops. I thought that quote was from one of the kids who was going to SDSU.

[MNLonghorn10]

Kill has one minnesotan this class i believe...while gopher fans will refute the fact that the best players from minnesota are already goin to notre dame, wisconsin or iowa...its disturbing that the local big 10 team cant keep more homegrown kids in the back yard..and we all know the ones who slip through the cracks wouldve helped out the gophers tremendously. Not that im complaining about ndsus gets or anything

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2

[HerdBot]

Good article. The Dakota schools play at a very high level and the Missouri Valley is a beast of a conference. UNI, Youngstown, and SIU could all take down the Gophers too. Now were starting to beat MAC conference teams regularly in recruiting battles

[dragonsfan]

anyone else surprised that ndsu only got 1 kid out of twin cities? hope thats not a trend, you were built on twin cities kids.

[jarhead]

It was pretty well known last year that there was going to be a fall-off in talent in Minnesota this year but would be strong in Wisconsin and Illinois. We offered 3
kids. Rucker went to Iowa, Stockwell to UND and Ziemer signed with us. Kill didn't offer many schollies to MN kids this year either. Minnesota will always be part
of Bison recruiting but there will be ebbs and flows in talent from year to year.

[bruinbison]

Was looking at the 2nd part to this article, this gives an idea of some of the Minnesota talent to be seen
in the future. Does seem like a down number so far. Interesting to see mention of Illinois State recruiting
in the metro area (DeLasalle in particular) on their video blog. Montana also dipped their toes in, getting verbal commit from TE - Noah Scarver 6' 3" 230 (Washburn HS) Minneapolis, MN.
Here is one name from the list I may go slog through ss to check on, was guessing it was a typo.....

Elijah Campbell, St. Paul Central: North Dakota State

Chart: Minnesota seniors known to have made commitments to play football in N.D. or S.D.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/189954061.html

[tcbison]

anyone else surprised that ndsu only got 1 kid out of twin cities? hope thats not a trend, you were built on twin cities kids.

It was a down year for Twin Cities kids plus it was a very good year for Wisconsin recruits. I am sure the coaches saw this and acted accordingly. I hear that next year the Twin Cities should have some good talent again.

[HerdBot]

It was a down year for Twin Cities kids plus it was a very good year for Wisconsin recruits. I am sure the coaches saw this and acted accordingly. I hear that next year the Twin Cities should have some good talent again.

Another reason to load up on Minnesota talent... with reciprocity the dollars stretch further! More bang for the buck

[MNLonghorn10]

Another reason to load up on Minnesota talent... with reciprocity the dollars stretch further! More bang for the buck
Lets be real...MinnDakota State University should be the name of the college.

[870XPRS]

North Dasota State?

[jarhead]

I believe that fall semester, out of a total enrollment of 13K, there were approx. 6600 ND students and approx. 6100 MN students. Also, here is a link to Minnesota
class of 2014 propects. The list is still pretty limited, but many of the D1 prospects are already on here.

http://minnesotapreps.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=921&CID=1425890

[KyleK_old]

Another good article...

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_22533198?source=rss

[BisonNeil]

Another good article...

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_22533198?source=rss

Check that. A GREAT article! Great find. Thanks for sharing.

[KyleK_old]

Check that. A GREAT article! Great find. Thanks for sharing.

You bet. I thought it was great to read how excited he was. Also, what his dad said I think says a lot about the program!

[Hammerhead]

Sounds like a good recruit for the Bison. I can understand why teams like taller players, but that doesn't mean they might be missing out on some good players. John Randle was only 6' 1" and he's in the pro football hall of fame.



Another good article...

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_22533198?source=rss

[SlickVic]

NDSU should own the cities after mwill turner G O littlejohn should be 7-8 out of there every year to ndsu