UND-FB-FAN

Correct.

UND and Adidas need to get a university-wide apparel deal done for this reason; it would increase marketing options quite drastically. Unfortunately, coaches like basketball's Brian Jones think Adidas is the devil. Faison (or eventually the successor in not so many years) needs to put his foot down.

I don't think Adidas has much of anything to do with UND getting an alternate helmet next season. With that said, I would love to see the throwback gray helmets next season; they would look sharp with the green jerseys and gray pants (along with a couple other uniform sets).

I agree. Proof is in the pudding. People are overthinking the LB issue as of this juncture. Bubba and Schmidt have proven they can consistently produce top defenses at UND. UND's defense will again be fine in 2017. UND's offense still has some proving to do, though, in my opinion.

Speed just isn't everything. Hopefully he develops and can see the field more in 2017.

About damn time. I - along with many others - have been bringing up the Alerus Center atmosphere countless times over the years. I'm interested to see what they come up with. Simply winning is not the only answer as some think. Go Hawks

I'll let him play out his senior season before I speculate on his limitations. It is great to see both Deion Harris and Cole Reyes get the pre-season attention they deserve. The other two DBs in the base defense need to step up in 2017, whoever those two end up being.

Agreed. If there's anything this job posting shows, it is that UND football coaches are yet grossly mistreated in terms of relative compensation. The aspirations for UND football still need to be worked on from the top-down. Correct this, Kennedy and Faison. Start a fund specifically for UND football if need be.

You folks are far too dreary for the direction that Bubba wants to take UND football. Kansas State went 11-2 in 2012. NDSU beat them in 2013. Iowa went 12-2 in 2015. NDSU beat them in 2016. Utah went 9-4 in 2016. UND has a fair chance in 2017 against them. UND and Bubba need the "supporters" to feel UND can get a statement win with 2017 Utah game. UND has the experience to get this done if they are confident and catch a couple breaks during the game. Not play starting players? I'm going to just take that as pure sarcasm.

Completely disagree. QB position is the most important position in football and UND needs to improve there. Depth and competition, depth and competition. Being Mr. Ketteringham in, UND. Remeber Braden Hanson from UNC? Unfortunately, that 2012 team couldn't play defense at all.

Yes sir, quite neat. Goal #1: Frisco. Go UND Fighting Hawks

So, according to SFI, the Eastern Washington and South Dakota State vultures tried to sneak in and grab Grady. Makes me sick but that is the way college football works these days. Glad Grady is sticking with the staff and program that stuck with him all along; welcome back to THE University of North Dakota.

Wow ... tremendous surprise. Welcome back to UND, Elijah Grady. Best of luck! Let the speculation roll; 2017 should be a special season for UND football.

I would be quite surprised if he gets that "higher" opportunity, considering he hasn't done anything special at the FCS level. You never know, I suppose. EDIT: One could argue that UND is "higher" after the 40-7 thrashing they put on Sac State in 2016.

Timing is proabably wrong, but I think Bubba and his staff should definitely discuss bringing Ketteringham in. The QB room needs added competition because, in my opinion, the quarterback position - along with the offensive line - are the two spots keeping UND at good and not great. Ketteringham would add competition (beyond that of the two ND kids, sorry) and he's familiar with the Big Sky Conference. I'm sure UND made a good impression talent-wise with the a** whooping they put on Sac State out at their place in 2016. Of course, as far as positions in need of upgrades, we'll have to wait and see how the defense does after losing all starting linebackers. My gut feeling tells me UND's defense will be even better this season (more depth and experience in secondary and defensive line is very good).

You should invest in a mirror.

If anyone suggested a different DI university should drop football in order to preserve women's ice hockey, they would be laughed out of the room without an ounce of serious consideration. It is embarrassing that folks think UND and the people of North Dakota should somehow be held to different standards. UND is a "hockey school"? Well that pseudo-title sure didn't improve UND's WIH program's attendance or success, so I too think that descriptor is demeaning and embarrassing. People need to move on. UND and President Kennedy made the correct decision.

Not to the degree demonstrated last Friday. UND's defense is playing very fast right now and is light-years ahead of the "Mussman days". But yes, it takes time for offensive line combinations to mesh and that certainly was a factor in the spring game descrepancy.

UND's offense is playing catch-up to the UND defense. It has been that way since Bubba's first year as head coach in 2014; there is a slight bias towards building defense that you get with guys like Bubba and Schmidt running the show. Nothing wrong with that: "defense wins championships". Plenty of athletes have been shifted over to the defense from high school to illustrate this. As the offensive line continues to grow in depth and ability, UND will continue to rise in the rankings. The offensive line really is the final missing piece keeping UND from being a complete, championship-contending top-tier FCS football team (that and maybe QB play). Lastly, I agree that this time of year typically favors the defense. All in all, UND's offensive line needs to improve but it is far too early to panic.

Obviously Utah will be a tough opponent being from the PAC-12 and all, but with that said, it will be the first game of the season for both teams. There will be plenty of first game mistakes by both squads ... hopefully less for UND. UND will have the most experienced squad yet under Bubba's HC tenure in 2017; if confident and able to execute, UND can pull the upset.

Yeah, and not every coaching staff has class. Not saying NDSU is the worst of the worst, but some staffs are certainly better than others.

Good deal. lets get a big crowd down in Vermillion to watch UND stomp the pups

It's a tough position to move anyone from since UND is so thin on quarterbacks to begin with. Only 4 guys on roster, with only 1 having started a game, and only 3 starting as scholarship players ... tough situation.

I wouldn't be too worried about this; UND has been quite good against the run ever since Schmidtty got his hands on the defense in '14. The defensive line is very good and deep and having Cole Reyes as an 8th defender in the box never hurts. One-on-one corner play is still the major area of concern despite the linebacker turnover, in my opinion. Plenty of young athletes to choose from for LB spots.

The two favorites to win the starting inside backer spots appear to be Jake Disterhaupt and Donnell Rodgers. The reserves will see the field plenty with the rotation so that is where the real battle is, in my opinion; look for guys like Jake Geier, Oscar Nevermann, and even upcoming true freshman Noah Larson to battle it out for those #2 reps. Rodgers and Disterhaupt both played plenty last season, although Disterhaupt was on the outside in 2016. If both guys stay healthy in 2017, #44 and #48 will both have big seasons for UND.