LkvlleUNDFan

I'm hoping some of you diehard fans will take in a few practices and share updates with the rest of us. I know I've appreciated them in the past - and you guys always seem to have good information and commentary to share. Please keep it up! (Has anyone suggested that they get a local coffee shop to sell coffee and breakfast at those 8 AM practices in the HPC?)

I know the whole FB team was encouraged to go to a recent men's basketball game. The guys decided to have some fun with it and came in Hawaiian shirts and brought a lot of energy. Love to see that!

At the risk of exposing my ignorance, doesn't this all start with the AD, and ultimately the president of the university? If marketing is a priority, and the effort and results aren't there, at some point that becomes a leadership issue. The priorities will be reevaluated once a new president is named, I would hope. Also - I'll cut them a bit of slack. It's pretty tough to put a lot of effort into marketing when you don't have a name or a logo to work with.

206 days 'til Stony Brook, but who's counting?

Truth is, there's no way to know whether Santiago or anyone else on the sidelines could have made any difference. They didn't, and the game is over. And this thread is about the 2016 Season, so let's get back to that. Who's with me?

They were not on the team. They both quit during fall camp, if I remember correctly. I know it was before the first game.

I don't believe he took is 1st semester finals.... He's not coming back.

I don't know either. I'm just the reporter, not the prognosticator. Clearly there's stuff happening behind the scenes - but he hasn't yet posted that he's flipping to SDSU, so that's a hopeful sign.

It appears someone may have jumped the gun. His Twitter profile still says he's a UND commit, and I've heard he may not end up a Jack.

Yeah - this is a pretty unusual year for them to take three WR's from the state. There's also Seth Green, of course, and Kamal Martin from Burnsville. We'll see where those guys end up position-wise, but that's 5 in-state skill guys in one year. But I digress. Back to UND...

SFI has this list: Brett Finke: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2218743/brett-finke Cameron Hunt: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1506039/cameron-hunt Ben Bolinske: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1605991/benjamin-bolinske Bennett Helgren: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1740849/bennett-helgren Nathan Nguon: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2679944/nathan-nguon Sean Russo: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/4284084/sean-russo Alex Cloyd: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1777374/alex-cloyd Any others? All but Russo on this list are commits.

Word around the Twin Cities is that the Gophers don't even look at in-state players for the DBs and skill positions. They generally go south for those recruits, with a few exceptions of course, and look mostly at O and D linemen in the state. That may not be the new coaching regime's stance, but we really won't know until a year or two from now.

Using player names when passing on rumors is a tough call, even when the information sparking the rumor is pretty solid. Like others, I had heard some things about a player departing, but wasn't about to disclose the source or the name of the player. It just didn't seem like the right thing to do. These guys are young adults - emphasis on the young. Minds and circumstances change, so even though it sounded like a done deal it just didn't seem right to attach a name to the rumor. Putting a name out there could easily hurt the situation and almost certainly wouldn't help, so why do it?

At the D-III level it really varies from one school to the next. Some award aid only on academic merit, others only based on need. Some do both. Each school (or system, like the UW satellite schools in Wisconsin) has it's own philosophy and formula for calculating financial aid. The rebuild for UW-EC wouldn't be any tougher for them due to the scholarship rules in D-III. They play in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - and all of the teams are state schools in the University of Wisconsin system. As far as the money goes, it should be a level playing field. Wisconsin's an interesting place - one Big10 university, no D-II or FCS schools in the state. So if you want to play ball, and want to stay close to home and the Badgers show you no love - your options are the D-III public university system or one of the private schools in the state. And yes, some D-III schools seem to play fast and loose with the NCAA rules and financial aid money. Some just have deep pockets and can afford to give more than others.

I wouldn't read to much into that. If I had a son looking for a place to play I wouldn't recommend my own alma mater's team at this point. It would be pretty despicable thing to steer a kid away from a school that wanted him just because it was a rival school to the coach's alma mater. Not saying it doesn't happen, but that's a small-minded and selfish coach if it does.

Only time will tell, but where there's smoke there's usually fire. My wife has been watching so many Hallmark Channel movies the last few weeks, I almost believe Christmas miracles are a real thing. I'm hoping for one - a change of heart - but I know that real life stories don't usually end like a Hallmark movie.

Moving from high school to college in general - and college athletics specifically - can be a big slap upside the head for many. Whether in the classroom, the weight room, the meeting room, or on the field, it's the first time some guys have truly been tested. And in their freshman years they find out that the fantasy of playing college football is far different from the reality of it. Most are able to roll with it and come out stronger. Others find they just aren't ready or willing to make that sort of commitment. Right or wrong - who knows, but they make their choices to stay or go and then have to live with whatever comes next. That's just part of becoming an adult. If the rumored departure is true, from what I have heard it's got nothing to do with lack of appreciation or potential for playing time. It's just a kid that believes that college, or college football, just isn't for him and other considerations are more important. I heard a similar thing about Justus Merz - that he wants a life that doesn't require a college degree and decided not to just hang on and put out a half-hearted effort. It's unfortunate for us as fans. It sucks for the coaches. It might or might not be a mistake for the young men - but I'd rather have guys that are committed to going to class, doing the work, and representing the program on and off the field. If they can't do that, it's easy to make an argument that the responsible and more courageous thing to do is to move on and let someone who really wants the opportunity to have it.

I heard that Justus didn't think college was for him and that his decision wasn't about football. Apparently wants to go home and get a job and start a new chapter in life. Edit: Sorry Teeder11 - I didn't see that you had posted basically the same thing. At least we are both hearing the same story!

I know the number is smaller - I think I heard 15-16, but that seems light. 20 might be more realistic.

Love the play at 2:05 where he's at TE and blocks three different guys. Plays through the whistle!

I have heard that there is a big push for OL recruits. Obviously we have some spots to fill with the seniors moving on, and there may be more. At 6'6" 270 he would give a lot to work with.

You are correct - but I think you can grant 24 hours for other diehard fans to feel disappointed, jobbed, robbed or outright screwed before moving on. The turnaround in two years has been impressive, and there's lots to be excited about moving forward, but it's only natural to focus on what might have been for a moment or two. It's a long, cold offseason....

Nice prognostication there! Cliiiiiiiiive GEORGES!

The odds of a bad process producing a good result are almost nil, and pure dumb luck when it happens. This is about as generic vanilla ice milk as you can get. Sure, over time people will move on and the resentment of the NCAA and the disgust over this whole process will fade, but in the end the University will still be stuck with a nickname that neither offends nor inspires anyone.

I looked up the FCS stats today, too. Santiago is still at #4 in rushing in the country (FCS). and there isn't another freshman in the top 20. What an amazing find he was by UND! (How many coaches are kicking themselves for missing him?)