UND-FB-FAN

Get real; Manning doesn't depend on a glove. He put together many pro bowl seasons without a glove and certainly didn't have a poor performance which he blamed on not having a magic glove. He probably lost all those playoff games against the Patriots in the early 2000s because he didn't have a glove, right? C'mon man!

Depth chart/playing concerns, not talent, were the issue. He is only a sophomore anyways. And how was last year's University of Minnesota football team bad? They went to a bowl game and had a winning record (8-5). Hinojosa was the no.4 ranked DT in all of Florida coming out of high school. He was recruited by Michigan State and West Virginia, among others. He has the ability.

Anthony Barr is a good pick right at #9. The linebacker out of UCLA was supposed to be a top 10 pick during all of the 2013 college football season so I have no problem taking him in the top 10. In Mike Zimmer's defense, he will be used to do multiple things. He has a big frame (250 lbs.) plus he is athletic and fast (4.44 40). He will do fine. Now, on the other hand, Teddy Bridgewater is a bust waiting to happen. His arm strength is average at best, he has a slight build (under 200 lbs.), and likely can't play in cold weather (Chicago, Green Bay, TCF Bank Stadium next two seasons, etc...). Plus, he depends on a glove for goodness sake! He will have to prove me wrong, because I think the Vikings should've gone with Derek Carr with the 32nd pick or waited in the 2nd round/3rd round for Zach Mettenberger or AJ McCarron. Teddy Bridgewater doesn't impress me right now, and I think they somehow found a way to reach again. I'd give Barr a B+ grade and Bridgewater a C- grade. All in all, I give the Vikings a B- grade on their draft so far. Disappointing....

In light of the NFL draft, let it be known that the Big Sky Conference has a history of producing NFL players if you play at a high level. That means Hinojosa will have an opportunity to make it to the next level if he performs well. Something all potential FBS drop downs should consider if they're thinking about going FCS and which school to go to. The Big Sky can get it done for you.

At this point, I wouldn't get too worked up over deflections. Earlier on, I admit it was concerning, but now I think Bubba has proven he can easily replace the talent, whether that be via high school recruits or JUCO/FBS transfers. It's important, and quite reassuring, to note that Bubba has done all this without even coaching a game yet or improving on our losing record from last year. If he can win, and add that to his already impressive recruiting tactics, we could see some really impressive talent influx and performances in the future. Give it a year or two everyone, and then I believe we'll see UND finally get some respect in the DI football world because of our on the field performances.

That's likely how contact was made. You can read about what has seemed to happen, including insight from Jordan Hinojosa's father, here: http://www.forums.gopherhole.com/boards/showthread.php?53809-Jordan-Hinojosa-to-North-Dakota It appears he went to community college out of high school, then redshirted last year at Minnesota. For no overly apparent reason, Minnesota pulled his scholarship last January. He still played their spring game hoping to impress other coaches. Fans on UM's fan site said he looked really good coming off the ball and he plays with a high motor. Bubba's family-like atmosphere/emphasis probably was the main recruiting pitch that caught his attention, among other things, like playing time. Hinojosa will likely be a big-time contributor on our defensive line for years to come, or at least it appears that way.

As far as I'm concerned, The only quality backs Mussman had during his tenure were Murray and Sharp, and well, Sharp has yet to play so I really am just guessing. The others were mid-tier FCS backs at best. Compared to NDSU's DJ McNorton, Sam Ojuri, and John Crockett, we've had no talent in the backfield since going DI.

@SiouxFootball: Per twitter it appears #UND has received a commitment from transfer DT Jordan Hinojosa of University of Minnesota. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T3F9jNV-Cm4 270 lbs. D-lineman that likely can play any of the 3 d-line positions. Should have at least 3 years of eligibility, maybe 4. From Miami, FL; graduated in 2012: 3-star RIVALS coming out of high school. Makes 2 defensive FBS transfers this week. Bubba has this thing going the right direction. Added quality depth at both DL and CB this week.

There were a few positions he exclusively missed on, particularly RB and CB. Therefore, is it merely a coincidence that Mussman's team couldn't run the ball and stop the pass? Development was poor on both the O-line and D-line, which is disappointing considering Mussman's former coaching duties. Knuaf and Gigli (o line and d line coach for Bubba) bring experience that makes me think they will be able to shape the units up.

One has to believe, with the pool of DBs acquired by Bubba, that at least 4 quality starters for the secondary will be on the roster come fall. That'll go a long way in improving the defense and becoming more competitive relative to Mussman's joke teams.

Saying Hanson would've been "murdered" against them is way too bold and, in my opinion, incorrect. Hanson would've done fine. The atrocious defense was the problem that day, and well, basically all games since UND has been in the Big Sky. Defense needs to improve. I'm confident it will under Bubba's tutelage.

You were quite pessimistic, perhaps overly so, even before Bubba was even hired. You declared recruiting would be a failure, and now you're trying to say next season will be a failure. In the right situation, FBS transfers and JUCOs can become the main contributors on FCS teams. Look at past FCS teams in the top ten - most have FBS and JUCO transfers. Same goes for Walter Payton award finalists and even winners. The FBS ranks can deliver quality players, both on and off the field, if the right situation arises. Saying we have "no choice but to limp through a few bad years" is bullsh*t. I'm sorry, but that's all it is. We may have a .500 or 5/4 win season in 2014, but a winning season could easily happen in 2015. It's the nature of college football. If we have the proper leadership, which I now think we do, and we recruit the right athletes, we can make this thing work sooner rather than later.

It certainly seems like Bubba and his staff will be recruiting top-notch FCS talent, even if it means putting up a fight with the agricultural establishment to the south. Also, I love the fact that they are "always recruiting" and willing to bring in JUCOs and FBS transfers to make the team better. I believe we need that in order to get real competitive talent.

Talent was present in certain positions, such as QB and WR, but most of the roster was a joke. Mussman's regime included horrid position groups: QB was okay, particularity with FBS transfer Braden Hanson, but the Joey Bradley experiment didnt work out. And last year's reliance on freshmen quarterbacks (note the plural) was a failure. RB was horrible. Relied on 160 Ibs. D2 runners throughout his tenure. We need DI running backs - they aren't that difficult to find. WR - bright spot for Mussman TE - lost in Mussman's pass happy offense; no idea what they could do OL - couldn't run block at all; were at a disadvantage physically. That shouldn't have happened being Mussman was a former OL coach. Pathetic. DL - the Bellmore, Devin Benjamin, Ross Brenneman combo was alright, but last year there were issues LB - Lost physicalness on that side of the ball during the Big Sky years. DB - Absolutely horrible. UND's passing defense was pathetic during Mussman's tenure. 5'8" 160 lbs CBs gave huge cushions on the WRs and the safeties weren't ball-hawking (few interceptions) ST - positive. Zeb Miller was a good kicker. Hardin was a quality return man.

It's quite evident that this team currently does not have the talent and personality necessary to be a top Big Sky team. The coaching staff recognizes that and they're making room for additional JUCOs and possibly FBS transfers. Throw in the talented incoming freshmen and JUCOs already committed and this team will be better off starting next fall. In the long-term, I am quite confident that Bubba and his staff will recruit top-notch FCS talent, both on and off the field. Mussman really wasn't as good at recruiting as some made him out to be. The lack of the local emphasis in recruiting and player development really was an issue.

Obviously whatever was being done by Mussman was not working - that includes the players he recruited. Many of the players Mussman recruited were not held to high standards, and as a result, the team suffered. Overall, in my opinion, the general expectations of the program dropped with Mussman at the helm. To him, it was expected and ultimately okay to go .500 every season. As a mentor of mine once said, "If you think you're wrong, or you think you're right, you're probably right." In other words, have confidence! Mussman's teams did not EXPECT to win conference championships, and subsequently, did not put in the work. Attitude and confidence are definitely at the top of the list when it comes to things Bubba can improve upon. Of course, there are talent discrepancies that need to be addressed from the last few years too.

Again, next season will see both capable roster additions and further current player development. Losing one's mind over only a spring game is absolutely idiotic.

We went 3-8 last year! So going 4-8 or 5-7 this season is an improvement that people should not get down on! If we go 6-6, then everyone should get really excited for the years to come because Bubba knows what he's doing! The JUCO transfers are an interesting topic. We could easily get 6 starters from them. 2 OL, 1 RB, 2 CB, and 1 S. That could possibly improve this team to a 5 or 6 win ball club.

We KNOW how they performed when they had Braden Hanson, an FBS transfer QB from North Carolina, throwing the ball to them in 2012 versus Mollberg/Bartels in 2013. Plus, Golladay transferred UP to NIU, so it certainly looks like they saw big time talent. WRs are only as good production-wise as the QB and O-line, and if you think differently, you really don't know what you're talking about. Bottom line: Your assertion that UND's 2013 receiving corps was built-up purely on hype is absurd. Greg Hardin will likely be on an NFL roster this fall; Jameer Jackson was a candidate for freshman of the year for 2012, and Kenny Golladay transferred UP and made big-time plays throughout his freshman and sophomore campaigns. The WR corps for the 2013 squad was big-time; but like I said earlier, the other positions couldn't handle their end of the bargain. End result is a bad football team. Poor coaching didn't help either.

We'll slowly but surely improve each season under Bubba (at least that's the plan!). He will focus on making this team more hard-nose and physical. That starts with big, strong bodies upfront on the o-line and d-line, but it also is a mindset thing. With a harder hitting, more aggressive defense, along with a physical-mindset and running game on offense, this team will improve. The top bar for next season is at 0.500, which would be a +3 in wins. Anywhere from 4 to 6 wins will likely happen which is an improvement from last season.

Eastern Washington was better coached, had a better defense, and had/has an exceptional quarterback. All those things lead to the WR corps looking real good. Not to mention they were winning and their morale was high. The WR corps last year for UND was outstanding. With that said, not much else was even average, which lead to the losses and poor morale of Hardin, Golladay, and Jackson. Eastern Washington does not have a WR that could transfer to an FBS program; Golladay did that. That's impressive in itself. Wish Golladay was still on the roster, but RJ McGill and Casey Young will likely fill in nicely for this upcoming season.

Not if there are big wins and surprises (San Jose State, Montana, Montana State) ... I'm gonna go out on a limb real early here and say we get at least one win in those above mentioned match-ups

Not good? Let's wait and see on that. I'm not saying this will be a playoff season, because I don't think it will be, but 0.500 is possible. That would not make the team bad, especially considering the previous season. I think this team has potential. We'll know more after the first 3 games or so, obviously.

In all honesty, the absence of a spring game promotion is a bit concerning. I wouldn't expect a big turnout for this year's game. Only exception would be if people are interested in seeing Bubba's early product out on the field, but I don't think that will take effect until fall.

This team will already be improved next season, so in that way, there won't be any growing pains. However, by improved, I don't mean a winning season or playoffs. Last years 3-8 season was an embarrassment; that won't happen this year and we'll get 4 to 6 wins. It may take a couple years for playoffs though.