2013 Recruiting

[GeauxSioux]

Connor O'Brien...

Academically, I am a member of the 2012-2013 National Honor Society. I have a G.P.A. of 4.1 – 4.0 scale and a 29 on my ACT.

My ultimate goal is to continue my progression of being a student-athlete at the collegiate level in an exciting and competitive environment. I believe that I can make an impact in both the classroom and on the field.

What more could anyone ask?

[PhillySioux]

Great Lincoln's ghost......40% of UNDs known commits are from Illinois. (Plus 1 walk-on)

Do we have multiple coaches recruiting there or just Coach Luke?

[Hambone]

Great Lincoln's ghost......40% of UNDs known commits are from Illinois. (Plus 1 walk-on)

Do we have multiple coaches recruiting there or just Coach Luke?

As far as I know, and there are a few that I'm not sure on, the traditional areas are as follows:

• Minnesota - Kotelnicki
  
• Wisconsin - Mannasau
  
• Illinois - Luke
  
• Nebraska / Arizona - Freund
  
• California - Nurse
  
• Montana / Oregon / Washington - Breitbach
  

Those are the ones I'm thinking are accurate, but I could be a bit off. Don't know about ND, SD, Iowa, Missouri, Nevada and Texas (places we've recently received commits from).

[mg2009]

Illinois had a much stronger class this year than normal (and MN weaker) so part of this is likely temporary.

[UND Fan]

As far as I know, and there are a few that I'm not sure on, the traditional areas are as follows:

• Minnesota - Kotelnicki
  
• Wisconsin - Mannasau
  
• Illinois - Luke
  
• Nebraska / Arizona - Freund
  
• California - Nurse
  
• Montana / Oregon / Washington - Breitbach
  

Those are the ones I'm thinking are accurate, but I could be a bit off. Don't know about ND, SD, Iowa, Missouri, Nevada and Texas (places we've recently received commits from).

It appears that we have backed off recruiting in Colorado - to some degree, at least! Over the last few years, we have offered a least one or two CO prospects each year - and gotten a few (Hicks, Pecosky, Young).

[geaux_sioux]

Illinois had a much stronger class this year than normal (and MN weaker) so part of this is likely temporary.

As is Wisconsin which is why we've been focused there as well.

[UND-FB-FAN]

Illinois had a much stronger class this year than normal (and MN weaker) so part of this is likely temporary.

I don't agree. The Chicago metro area has always had an abundance of DI talent, but many kids who do not end up in the Big Ten do not end up anywhere at all. That is why recruiting kids who have their eyes set on Illinois, Northwestern, Purdue, or any other Big Ten school might payoff in the end when they’re eventually not offered a scholarship. As an FCS program, recruiting Big Ten potential players is a great recruiting strategy because not all of those players can be offered scholarships. Chicago happens to be one such area where more talent than possible Big Ten scholarships exists.

And because recruiting is an inexact science, many kids who are not offered can end up being just as good if not better than the ones who are offered by Big Ten schools.

[Hawkster]

Illinois had a much stronger class this year than normal (and MN weaker) so part of this is likely temporary.

Why aren't we recruiting more in our conference footprint? I would think we want BSC kids so that they could play a few games in their old back yards to impress the folks back home.

[homer]

I don't think it matters where we get the kids as long as they are at the right level of talent.

[Teeder11]

Why aren't we recruiting more in our conference footprint? I would think we want BSC kids so that they could play a few games in their old back yards to impress the folks back home.

You mean like these guys, who all hail from the Big Sky footprint. They were all recruited by UND or UND had interest in them at some point: (this is only what has been confirmed):

QB Sam Riddle, 6'2”, 200, 4.8, Hillsboro (Century). OR

TE Dustin Iverson, 6'3”, 230, Elgin (Grant County), ND

TE Kyle Ruhe, 6'6”, 230, 5.0, Temecula (Great Oaks), CA

OL Dustin Adams, 6'3”, 305, Minot (Minot), ND Transfer from NIU

Ath Aeron Carr, 5'10”, 165, Mesa (Red Mountain), AZ (2 Star - Scout) Had offers from USD, SDSU, UC-Davis, W IL & UNC

QB Kado Brown, 6', 185, Oxnard (Rio Mesa), CA Has offer from Army

QB Tyler Rogers, 6'2”, 175, Peoria (Liberty), AZ Has offers from Air Force and SDSU

RB Frankie Felix, 5'10”, 185, Chandler (Hamilton), AZ (2 Star - Rivals & Scout)

WR Kendrick Bourne, 6'2”, 185, 4.5, Milwaukie (Milwaukie Arts Academy), OR has offers from Idaho and others

TE Tony Gumina, 6'3”, 225, Sussex (Hamilton), WI (2 Star - Scout) Has offers from USD, NDSU, UNI & Ball St

OT Mitch Wehrli, 6'4”, 275, 5.2, Phoenix (Desert Vista), AZ

RB Kani Benoit, 6', 200. 4.5, Phoenix (Thunderbird), AZ (2 Star - Scout) Verbal to UNLV

RB Tre Favors, 5'10”, 180, Glendale (Mountain Ridge), AZ (2 Star - Scout) Verbal to Montana

RB Clarence Smith, 6'3”, 215, Buckeye (Buckeye), AZ (2 Star - Scout) Verbal to Utah

TE Patrick Baldenegro, 6'5”, 210, Chandler (Chandler), AZ (2 Star - Rivals & Scout) Verbal to NAU

OL Ely Anderson, 6'6”, 285, Windsor (Santa Rosa JC), CA Verbal to Old Dominion

LB DeAndre Miller, 6'2”, 230, Buckeye (Buckeye), AZ (3 Star - Rivals & Scout) Verbal to Arizona

LB Robert Relf, 6'1”, 210, 4.5, Phoenix (Brophy Prep), AZ (2 Star - Rivals & Scout) Verbal to FL Atl

CB Armond Hawkins, 5'10”, 175, Rancho Cucamonga (Rancho Cucamonga), CA Verbal to Idaho

DB Ryan McKinley, 5' 11”, 170, 4.8, Anthem (Boulder Creek), AZ (2 Star - Scout) Verbal to Montana

DB Domenic Toliver, 5'9”, 165, Gardenia (Gardenia), CA Verbal to ID St

S Connor Strahm, 6'1”, 210, 4.5, Eugene (Sheldon), OR Verbal to Montana

Ath Nate Phillips, 5'10”, 175, 4.5, Chandler (Basha), AZ (2 Star - Scout) Verbal to Arizona

QB Justin Adams, 6'6”, 205, Sandy (Sandy), OR

QB/DB Eric Bockmeier, 6'4”, 180, Kindred (Kindred), ND

QB Edin Kovac, 6'1”, 200, 4.8, Tuscon (Northland CC), AZ

QB Kaimana Nacua, 6'2”, 180, 4.7, Henderson (Liberty), NV Verbal to Brigham Young

QB Tyler Rogers, 6'3”, 190, 4.7, Peoria (Liberty), AZ Has offers from SDSU & Air Force

RB Niko Kapeli, 5'9”, 180, 4.7, Henderson (Liberty), NV (2 Star - Rivals) Verbal to UNLV

RB/S Layne Johs, 5'11”, 210, Bismarck (Bismarck), ND Has offer from NDSU

WR Elroy Masters, 6'3”, 205, Peoria (Sunrise Mountain), AZ Verbal to CSU

WR Chris Seisay, 6'2”, 175, 4.5, American Canyon (American Canyon), CA (3 Star - Rivals) Verbal to Boise St

WR Tanner Shipley, 6'2”, 190, 4.5, Wilsonville (Wilsonville), OR (2 Star - Rivals)

WR Deshawn Stephens, 6'3”, 190, 4.5, Milwaukie (Putnam), OR (2 Star - Rivals)

OL Bryan Bjerk 6'4, 260, Grand Forks (Red River), ND

OL Jesse Kubick, 6'7”, 290, Dickinson (Trinity), ND Verbal to NDSU

DE Jabari Mathieu, 6'3”, 235, 4.6, Torrence (El Camino CC), CA (2 Star - Rivals) Has offer from Youngstown

LB Devin Haxton, 6'2”, 205, 4.6, Harvey (Harvey), ND

LB Johnny Ragin, 6'2”, 210, Wilsonville (Wilsonville), OR (2 Star - Scout) Has offers from BYU & Portland St

S Michael Greer, 6'2”, 195, Palm Springs (Palm Springs), CA Has offer from IL St

Ath Isaiah Huston, 6', 175, 4.5, Anthem (Boulder Creek), AZ

Ath Spencer Payne, 5'9”, 195, 4.6, McMinnville (McMinnville), OR

[SiouxVolley]

Why aren't we recruiting more in our conference footprint? I would think we want BSC kids so that they could play a few games in their old back yards to impress the folks back home.

Maybe Chicago kids are a bit more worldly and aren't interested in seeing Macomb, or Terre Haute, or Normal, or Vermillion or Brookings, or even God forbid, Fargo. They want to travel the western half of the country on jets. Actually see things other than cornfields on their long bus rides.

Other than their parents or girlfriends, many of their HS friends often think downstate Illinois, Iowa, etc (i.e. the MVFC) are places to avoid.

[SiouxVolley]

Great Lincoln's ghost......40% of UNDs known commits are from Illinois. (Plus 1 walk-on)

Do we have multiple coaches recruiting there or just Coach Luke?

When is Schleusner getting a raise? He may have had the most significant impact on this program since his catch in the DII championship game.

[WeAreNorthDakota]

When is Schleusner getting a raise? He may have had the most significant impact on this program since his catch in the DII championship game.

Seriously. He coaches far and away the best position group on the team and is outrecruiting every other coach. Hopefully we promote him before he gets away.

[Sioux95]

So, what surprises are we hoping for tomorrow? Cornerbacks and maybe another d lineman are on my wish list. Otherwise things are looking excellent IMO.

[Panther_OldMan]

Maybe Chicago kids are a bit more worldly and aren't interested in seeing Macomb, or Terre Haute, or Normal, or Vermillion or Brookings, or even God forbid, Fargo. They want to travel the western half of the country on jets. Actually see things other than cornfields on their long bus rides.

Other than their parents or girlfriends, many of their HS friends often think downstate Illinois, Iowa, etc (i.e. the MVFC) are places to avoid.

This was an interesting read, Sioux Valley. I lived in Illinois for my first 31 years and I'd say how you described the impressions of MFCS territory in the minds of those youngsters raised in Cook/DuPage/Lake/McHenry was spot on. However, devil his due, Carbondale was an interesting place to visit all those years ago. Doug Buschon and Edgy Tim of Rivals would probably agree with the statement that the class of 2013 was unusually good in Illinois, for what it's worth.

[WeAreNorthDakota]

Illinois had a much stronger class this year than normal (and MN weaker) so part of this is likely temporary.

You saw a similar increase in the number of kids out of Illinois signed last year also though. This year is a very strong class in Illinois but it's also pretty obvious to me that we're making Illinois a priority.

[Hawkster]

Maybe Chicago kids are a bit more worldly and aren't interested in seeing Macomb, or Terre Haute, or Normal, or Vermillion or Brookings, or even God forbid, Fargo. They want to travel the western half of the country on jets. Actually see things other than cornfields on their long bus rides.

Other than their parents or girlfriends, many of their HS friends often think downstate Illinois, Iowa, etc (i.e. the MVFC) are places to avoid.

I'm not saying it's a bad thing, and I feel overall this class has a ton of potential. I was just wondering why we seem to be looking in that direction.

[SiouxVolley]

This was an interesting read, Sioux Valley. I lived in Illinois for my first 31 years and I'd say how you described the impressions of MFCS territory in the minds of those youngsters raised in Cook/DuPage/Lake/McHenry was spot on. However, devil his due, Carbondale was an interesting place to visit all those years ago. Doug Buschon and Edgy Tim of Rivals would probably agree with the statement that the class of 2013 was unusually good in Illinois, for what it's worth.

Thanks for the comment, Panther_OM (should stand for Open Mind!!). Worked with suburban Chicago kids, and they generally like the idea of travelling alot and seeing new places. Champaign-Urbana, Iowa City, West Lafayette, East Lansing, and Madison have the "cool" factor for them, but not directional university towns. Of course, all kids are different.

P.S. Make sure your UNI Panthers kick the hind ends of those bizon next year. Thank you in advance!!

I'm not saying it's a bad thing, and I feel overall this class has a ton of potential. I was just wondering why we seem to be looking in that direction.

North Dakota now has reciprocity with Illinois, where a couple years ago it didn't. Now a scholarship given to an Illinois athlete isn't much more expensive than one from Minnesota and Wisconsin. This reciprocity with Illinois saves a lot of money over four or five years of scholarship (maybe as much as $50,000 a kid over five years.) If the kid gets a partial, reciprocity sames him and his family a ton of money too. We probably always should have been recruiting suburban Chicago, but didn't because of costs (football has a budget too). Texas and Florida kids are very expensive on this account - no reciprocity. Most western states like California have reciprocity, but the California education system is horrible, even with discipline. Even the gal that was recruited for basketball from a tonier high school couldn't qualify for admission. That's pretty rare for women's basketball. Illinois may be broke, but suburban Chicago kids generally have first class education, so they aren't at so much of a risk to fall out of the program for academic reasons.

Schleusner, who coached at Western Illinois (when they actually made the playoffs), almost certainly knows what appeals to these surburban kids, and uses to it his advantage over MVFC offers.

[WeAreNorthDakota]

I'm not saying it's a bad thing, and I feel overall this class has a ton of potential. I was just wondering why we seem to be looking in that direction.

I say if there's an untapped market (like I think our coaches see in the northern part of Illinois) you go for it as opposed to focusing your efforts going head to head with the Montanas, all the California schools and the rest of the MWC.

[Sioux95]

I say if there's an untapped market (like I think our coaches see in the northern part of Illinois) you go for it as opposed to focusing your efforts going head to head with the Montanas, all the California schools and the rest of the MWC.

I would guess Luke is reaping the benefits of a lot of hard work and time developing connections when he was a coach in Illinois.

[LeftyZL]

I would guess Luke is reaping the benefits of a lot of hard work and time developing connections when he was a coach in Illinois.

Does his relatively young age have an effect on these recruits? Maybe he can relate to the recruits better than a 40-50 year old can.

[geaux_sioux]

So, what surprises are we hoping for tomorrow? Cornerbacks and maybe another d lineman are on my wish list. Otherwise things are looking excellent IMO.

We get Redmond and a cb as well as another dl that we haven't heard of yet. Three very nice surprises.

[forksandspoons]

Are you saying we did get Redmond? Or it would be a nice surprise if we did?

[UND-1]

We get Redmond and a cb as well as another dl that we haven't heard of yet. Three very nice surprises.

I am hearing Redmond is going to Illinois State. Stinks because he would have been a good one.

[geaux_sioux]

Are you saying we did get Redmond? Or it would be a nice surprise if we did?

It would be nice if we did. I have no inside info as far as recruiting goes.