UND-FB-FAN

Have to be good consistently; SUU went from bottom-feeder to first last season (3-5 in 2014 to 7-1 in 2015). Will SUU be able to keep their program on top after a coaching change and the loss of key contributors? Doubtful. Bubba and UND have this same task ahead of them (3-5 in 2014 to 5-3 in 2015); they improved from 2014 to 2015, and 2016 is the time to keep moving forward considering the returning pieces and direction of the program.

Very much so agree. The Twin Cities are a HUGE recruiting footprint for UND; having FSN coverage would be a very good promotional tool and recruiting tool.

This is how the conference WANTS to treat UND, but the 'Hawks need to FORCE the conference to respect them. Leave no doubt and beat up the Big Sky Conference with the physical-type of football Bubba is promoting. 2016 is shaping up to be the perfect stage for UND to do just that; leave no doubt and beat up on the BSC teams. As NDSU, SDSU, and UNI have revealed, UND sits in a recruiting bed that allows for FCS success via physical football; Bubba and crew are capitalizing on that and soon UND will be right alongside the top tier BSC schools: Montana, Eastern Washington, and Montana State.

Everything you mentioned is exciting and true. In some ways, the losses at wide receiver are made-up by the fact UND has such great backfield talent and depth. Using Santiago on the jet-sweep motion and slot bubble screen type stuff would be a great way to get him into space so he has more opportunities to showcase his speed and agility. Nevermann, Olivera, and Gordon will all be quality between-the-tackle runners, I'm sure. Fullback will be interesting, but I'm sure Norberg will get that job (Coyne might be in the running too, I suppose). Excited to have an established starting QB going into the season; that coupled with the work getting done in the HPC and I expect the passing game to take a nice step forward this season. Yes wide receiver numbers/depth are questionable, but Clive Georges and Luke Stanley are capable receivers and I expect at least 1 other guy to step up (Alex Reed, Stetson Carr or even Chad Bartosh?). Would like to see true freshman WR or to-be-determined transfer make an impact this fall, also.

Undrafted free agent with outside chance of round 7 He will need to impress on special teams in training camp someplace; however, I think he will do just that. Ratelle is built for special teams coverage (kick-off and punt) with his strength and speed combination.

best of luck to him! I think many NFL clubs could benefit from having Ratelle on their roster, whether he's at FB, LB, or special team ace (or all 3)

If his personality and demeanor (intangibles) check out, then he should definitely be a target for Bubba. As mentioned, losing Walker and Smith frees up some $$$ Pairing Clive Georges with this kid would be an explosive combination to help benefit the running game of Santiago, Olivera, Nevermann.....

Still can't get my mind around 3 potential losses...all in the same position group.... Just bad news as DB was in this last recruiting cycle, WR may very well be the position of focus for the 2017 recruiting class

Gordon fits better at RB than WR, given his frame; best keep him there since RB depth can change in a hurry and UND wants to run the ball more anyway. I would think you now have to hope both Dulin and Toivenen have solid first years.

Hate to speculate on knee injuries. If serious, Seibels's 2016 season will be in jeopardy.

WR group is significantly affected by this, if not for anything else at least the depth of the position. UND will need Clive Georges and Luke Stanley to play lights-out and the young players need to step up. Losing two WRs at this juncture is an issue. Michigan may not be a good recruiting spot for UND...

Q & A with junior cornerback Deion Harris http://www.hibbingmn.com/special_editorial/living-by-the-playbook/article_e77a0536-f50d-11e5-88e3-2b0a5da4d8d6.html Last season, the run defense was very good; however, the pass defense struggled, particularly on one-on-one 50/50 deep balls. Thankfully, between the returning experience and newcomers, I believe the 2016 pass defense should be improved. All in all, better DB play = more wins in 2016.... Current (Spring) Defensive Backs: No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown (Prev School) 3 Tyus Carter DB 5-11 180 So. Greenwood Village, Colo. (Cherry Creek High School) 8 Cole Reyes DB 6-2 220 Jr. Schaumburg, Ill. (Schaumburg High School) 10 Jawon Johnson DB 6-2 210 Sr. East Orange, N.J. (New Mexico Military Academy) 16 Torrey Hunt DB 6-1 185 RFr. Madison, Ala. (Navy Prep) (Bob Jones) 17 Charles Flowers DB 5-11 180 Jr. Chino Hills, Calif. (Citrus College) 18 Chris Carter DB 5-10 190 Jr. Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (Brother Rice High School) 19 Deion Harris DB 6-3 190 Jr. Hibbing, Minn. (Hibbing High School) 20 Zach Arnell DB 6-2 195 Jr. Rancho Bernardo, Calif. (Santa Barbara CC) 27 Jahmere Irvin-Sills DB 5-10 175 Jr. Elkton, Md. (Mississippi State) (Eastern Christian Academy) 33 Tanner Palmborg DB 6-1 200 So. Princeton, Minn. (Princeton High School) 34 Garrett Bollant DB 5-11 175 So. Lodi, Wis. (Lodi High School) 35 Vashon Tucker DB 5-11 195 RFr. Elkton, Md. (Eastern Christian Academy)

As Bubba establishes tenure at UND and continues building the program with high character, local (Dakotas, Minnesota, Canada) recruits, I would say the benchmark for UND football should be 8 wins every season. Thankfully, 2016 may be the first season where those expectations exist. UND hockey and NDSU football have such annual expectations; it's time UND football have above average yearly goals as well. No reason UND football shouldn't be an 8-win, top 3 BSC team every season; thus, an annual playoff participant.

Take off your piss yellow glasses then we'll talk

Expectations are as said: leave no doubt. Expect a minimum of 8 wins in 2016 otherwise season is a disappointment. Go UND!

http://www.undsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=210827693

Hate to bring up this topic again, but a recent national news story on college football has me thinking about this again. Kirby Smart, the new head coach of Georgia, has enforced restrictions on where his players can transfer to. Sound familiar? Yep, similar to what Craig Bohl did when Oscar Nevermann transferred to UND. Thankfully, UND got the better end of the deal. UND beat Wyoming, discovered Santiago at the RB position who went on to have an outstanding freshman season, and still has Nevermann for 2016. Best of luck to Nevermann in 2016; I think he will only improve the now deep corps of tailbacks. As for the Smart story, Mike Greenberg of ESPN had some interesting comments that align with what many were saying about Bohl when the Nevermann story broke. http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football-news/4699461-kirby-smart-georgia-coach-espn-mike-and-mike-transfer-restrictions-aj-turman-miami-mark-richt

And which one of those plays division I football or basketball?

NFL is becoming more and more of a passing league, and for that reason, Ratelle will likely get downgraded due to his height (hurts in pass coverage). But I do agree with everything you said; he certainly passes the eye test and, if given a shot, could probably be a very serviceable linebacker in the NFL. If he blows some people up on special teams, that will help him irregardless.

I second what @UND1983 said; Ratelle already impressed NFL scouts at Minnesota's Pro Day. Of course, a second opportunity doesn't hurt. http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/north-dakota-state-fullback-linebacker-will-ratelle-has-big-pro-day-at-minnesota/

Absolutely

Excited about hosting a CIT game. UC Irvine is quality opponent to bring into the Betty. Jones needs to prepare his team to win, no excuses. UND is at home.

My first two posts centered around a single theme; re-read if you didn't catch that. UND can't rely on purely talent if they want to consistently compete for the Big Sky Conference championship. Rather, they need to be able to develop some kids who are perhaps devoid of Big 10 talent but more than capable in the areas of work ethic and character.

I'll help you out. Bottom-line: I believe that Brian Jones does not have the ability to teach the level of fundamentals necessary for UND men's basketball to be a top Big Sky Conference team. Maybe he can rely on talent and that will help with a season here and there, but consistently, UND won't be a top BSC team. After 2016-2017, when Hooker is done, UND will likely be right back in the hole if more players aren't developed.

How many draft picks did Bo Ryan have over his 15 seasons (364–130) at Wisconsin? http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/tournament/2015/story/_/id/12594145/wisconsin-badgers-coach-bo-ryan-ability-develop-players-transcends-all-teams Quite a few seem to disagree with you; that is, if you're implying Bo Ryan's Wisconsin program wasn't disciplined and focused on fundamentals. He also worked with very few high-end draft picks, although some certainly were present. Read the article I posted above; that level of discipline and old-school fundamentals is non-existent with Brian Jones. UND needs someone who can mold young men, not someone who needs "pre-developed talent" in order to win. And before you claim UND can't just hire a "Bo Ryan", look at what NDSU did in hiring someone familiar with those tactics. I would want my kid playing for someone who preaches discipline, hard work, and constant improvement, not someone who only looks for the easy way out by recruiting the prima donnas who think they've already arrived. If that's what Brian Jones really needs, then UND will not win big with Jones at the helm. Don't get me wrong, UND basketball has some great kids in the program. For example, who isn't impressed with the character of Quinton Hooker? An absolutely great kid, and that's what makes him great for UND. UND needs more kids like Quinton Hooker - talented but even more so with his character/mental make-up. You win with kids like that, not the kids who can jump out of the gym but don't know how to show up for class or play as a team.