AJS

Not sure the right place to put this, but Fantilli was on the most recent episode of Spittin' Chiclets. Said his decision came down to UND and Michigan. Been a familiar place for these incredibly high-end guys these last few years. UND being in the final 2 or 3 and not being able to actually win the recruiting battle. Being in the mix is very important, one of these years you just feel like the tide could turn. That being said, Hensler and Mooney. Finalists again, let's see if this is the year they finally come out on top for one of these guys.

My bad! *The Athletic*

The Atlantic's Corey Pronman published his first-round predictions for the 2024 NHL draft. He has Boisvert at #14. Defensive recruit target EJ Emery is at #19.

Should have been more clear, I should have said, since Makar decided to stay for two years.

I'll also say, UND has also greatly improved their graphics / recruit picture set up the last few years.

Few things, this is athlete driven. I wouldn't be surprised if UND Football players take note. I do agree with your last statement though. Just looking at NDSU's, which just did start, so we'll see, but there are 111 athletes participating, my guess being an equal share. The amount of $ they'll receive per month will be most likely relatively small. The question I have is would someone actually commit based on getting an extra $100 or $150 a month? Maybe. For me, it's less about the actual $'s they'll receive, it's more that they're receiving something from a collective. It's an easy talker for athletes. Edit: Going back and forth on this (if hypothetically UND athletes started one). Do you like the total $ amount displayed? Or would you rather just see that number of contributors? You have to start somewhere, but what if the total ends up at say 10K a month. With the amount of athletes, getting > $100 per month seems so small time. I think you'd be better off not displaying the total.

Paye and Deng just feel different than just about any recruit I can remember in recent memory. They physically just look the part of a big-time athlete. More than that, two local (ND) guys, main sport up to this point not being Football. You just get the feeling that their ceilings are off the charts.

Since Makar, how many players have been one and done? Recently most are staying two years.

Erick Paye posted this pic of the 2nd, 3rd & 4th commits of the ‘24 class.

Committed to Buffalo. The transfer situation has been brutal post Spring ball.

Any team would make room for him. Most likely a Top 5 pick in the 2024 draft. Thinking back to the summer of 2020, when the discussion was about who the 3rd defenseman to come in with Sanderson / Kleven. They ended up bringing both Miller and Moore to make 9. Some players you make room for.

Jacquez Barksdale - Coffeyville CC He'll be announcing his commitment in 48 hours. Recently visited UND as well as Buffalo.

He just visited Buffalo this past weekend.

What a weird post.

Count me in possibly being late to the party with NIL. I've always wanted one to get started, but more from an urgency standpoint didn't really feel it. I'm feeling it now. I'm looking at this two ways. For hockey, it's going to be necessary to stay elite. For Football / Basketball, can UND for once be in the drivers seat with the Dakota schools. Acting first. It would help if some of the prominent coaches or media members would start making some noise. Why would Berry not be going through Schlossman with articles about this? If we're all on the same page that UND in situations like this are incapable of leading, what do we hope for? What will get people's attention? It wouldn't be hypothetically losing Hensler / Mooney to Mich / Minnesota respectively. How about the 3 FM NDTP players that are eligible to commit Aug 1st? For Football / Basketball, like always, need NDSU to set up one first. I had no idea on the Q fund that @brianvf posted about. Why wouldn't Schlossman highlight that? He can make noise when he wants too, I'm just surprised he isn't on this front.

A few months out, but let's start the list of potential recruits that can commit on August 1st. These are all high caliber players that have either been reported, rumored or you'd imagine UND is interested in. Please feel free to add. I'll also add the closer we get. I'm a firm believer that you can tell a lot by social media as well. Laurila (NTDP) Schools follows: None Hensler (NTDP) Schools follows: None Rumor / Notes: UND is finalist alongside Michigan / MN Mooney (NTDP) Schools follows: UND / MN Rumor / Notes: Logan Cooley's cousin, UND is a finalist with MN Lindberg (NTDP) Schools follows: UND, CC, SCSU Rumors / Notes: Brother CC recruit O'Neill (NTDP) Schools follows: UND, WI, SCSU Kor (Fargo Force) Schools follows: UND + Other power schools Fleece (Fargo Force) Schools follows: UND + Other power schools Grimes (Sioux Falls) Schools follows: UND + Other power schools

Really like this addition. Littler falls into a sweet spot category for recruits. Higher-end guy, that's going +1 in Juniors related to his HS class. Similar to Strathmann, where he might not need to play another year of Juniors, but will no doubt pay dividends for all parties. As someone who hopes UND follows the path of the younger / talented programs, this is a great fit to go along with guys like Strathmann, McInnis (potentially), Swanson, Boisvert in that 2024 class.

Littler would be a very nice addition to the 2024 class.

Good news is things can change quick, but I'm starting to get a little worried about key transfers for the 2023 season. Exiting Spring ball, felt really good about this team, but also realizing they needed from the portal 1 RB, 1OLB, 1 Safety. So far, 0-2 on RB offers and to my knowledge have not offered an OLB or Safety. Thoughts? Clearly, they are trying to get a RB, but what about the other positions?

Perron / Emerson are completely different situations than Ness coming out of the USHL. Ness had a great final year, but that was also his final eligible year. Age matters. No argument with transition time. But that’s my point, let talent play and develop. Game 1 Ness might be better than Emerson. Emerson needs to play over Ness. UND needs to be a developmental team. Let talented Fr make mistakes and grow throughout the year.

Huge. I was really harping on this after the season, I thought it was crucial to get back to the standard roster construction of 15F, 8D, 3G. Now, play and develop talent. That's the second part to the equation. To me there's a pretty clear 12 / 3 divide. What I'm going to be watching is how many of the 3 find themselves in the lineup.