2012 Signing Day Wrap-Up

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Well that was fun. I grew up on the East Coast as many of you that read this blog know and college football is not popular in my neck of the woods, so when I got to Fargo and experienced my first signing day in 2007, I didn’t really see what all of the fuss was about. But after going thru this for a couple years, then being able to talk to the prospective athletes on the phone or in person, then see them perform, it’s a pretty neat deal. This by far was my favorite to date, to talk to the recruits that NDSU signed on Wednesday over the past five months has been great, especially the out-of-staters that saw the Bison win the national championship or experienced one of the playoff games. One of the recruits asked me over the phone, “Is it always that loud for home games?” I responded, “It will be from now on.” As for the class of 2012, I’m proud to say that Jeff and I reported on each and every one that ended up signing with the Bison. Now a couple headlines from signing day, also the 2012 Signing Class:

1) Jack Plankers – 6’7, 290 lbs,  Offensive Lineman, Kindred, ND

2) Zach Riopelle – 6’2, 215 lbs,  Linebacker, Warren-Alvarado-Oslo, MN

3) DeSean Warren – 5’10, 158 lbs, Wide Receiver, Overland Park, KS

4) Zach Johnson – 6’4, 310 lbs, Offensive Guard, Apple Valley, MN

5) Andy Smith – 6’0, 185 lbs, Defensive Back, Sioux Falls, SD

6) M.J. Stumpf – 6’2, 195 lbs, Linebacker, Harvey, ND

7) Bo Liekhus – 6’0, 200 lbs, Safety, Bellevue, NE

8) Derek McGinnis – 6’2, 200 lbs, Quarterback, Crete, NE

9) Carey Woods – 6’0, 180 lbs, Wide Receiver, Bemidji, MN

10) Demetrius Gray – 6’4, 180 lbs, Wide Receiver, Aurora, IL

11) Austin Farnlof – 6’1, 255 lbs, Offensive/Defensive Line, Anthem AZ

12) Chuks Amaechi – 6’2, 202 lbs, Linebacker, Avondale, AZ

13) Brett Pierce – 6’6, 250 lbs, Defensive End, Richfield, MN

14) Jacob Davis – 6’2, 242 lbs, Linebacker, Wichita, KS

15) Sam Hahn – 6’6, 260 lbs, Offensive Tackle, De Witt, NE

16) Landon Lechler – 6’8, 240 lbs, Offensive Lineman, Beach, ND

17) Marcus Brantley – 5’10, 180 lbs, Safety, Mesa, AZ

18) Justin Arp – 6’5, 215 lbs, Defensive End/Tight End, Forman, ND

OTHER HEADLINES

  • Craig Bohl told me he sees “five players that could play right away next year” and says as a whole it’s an “exceptional group.”
  • NDSU added two more walk-ons that were not on the official release, one name we reported earlier in January, in kicker Tom Barneson out of Eau Claire. The 2nd is also a Wisconsin native, Eric Perkins from Kewaskum, he’s 5’9, 175 pounds, ran for 1,883 yards and 27 touchdowns this past season.
  • NDSU did NOT recruit a Running Back in this class. The Bison have 4 on the roster currently, Sam Ojuri, Derrick Lang, Matt Jones and Amos Buehner. Wes Hudson was dismissed from the team during the season, but for the first time to my recollection, Bohl mentioned John Crockett. For those that don’t know Crockett is a member of the sensational 2010 class, but has not yet seen the field, trying to get his grades in order to become eligble. I fully believe that NDSU held off recruiting a running back because they expect Crockett to be on the field come fall camp in August. Crockett was a fantastic high school player at Totino-Grace, an all-state first team selection by the Associated Press, ran for 1,802 yards and 34 touchdowns in 2009. If Crockett becomes eligible, all worries at running back in my mind disappear.
  • The one name that WE had on our list that was not announced yesterday was Deveon Dinwiddie. But that doesn’t mean he’s not coming to NDSU. Wednesday, Hutchinson Community College, where Dinwiddie played this past season, sent out a release, saying he’s heading to NDSU. You can read the release here, scroll down halfway to find Dinwiddie’s name. Now nothing is a done deal and the coaches CANNOT comment yet on any player that hasn’t officially signed, we’ll keep you posted.

I looked briefly at South Dakota State’s class which looks pretty good, I see that at least four guys NDSU had offered chose the Jacks, something to keep an eye on. The one bi-product of NDSU winning the national championship is it’s going to raise the bar for all of the Valley teams, especially now the bordering ones in SDSU and USD. That’s all for now, going to take a deep breath from this recruiting frenzy and get ready for the stretch run of the basketball season. Any updates on walk-ons and JUCO’s we’ll pass along as always. For those that missed the live interview with Craig Bohl, this is the link. Also wanted to thank everyone for the kind words over the past few weeks, it’s been fun, we’ll keep it up!

The Projected Class Of 2012

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For those that think the glitz and glamour of signing day is a bit much(and I’m one of them, seeing an 18 year old holding a press conference on ESPN to decide where they’re going to school), I can also tell you National Signing Day is as important a day to a college football program as is the opening day of fall camp. College coaches find out today if the hard work they’ve been putting in over the past year will pay off. Rewind two years ago to this date. Craig Bohl was downright giddy when I talked to him on the news that night about the class he had coming in, and it turns out had every right to be. With guys like Colten Heagle, Billy Turner, Grant Olson, Travis Beck, Ryan Smith, Carlton Littlejohn, Christian Dudzik, Kyle Emanuel and Jesse Hinz. All signed in 2010, all were key contributors to the National Title Team. Now on to this year, thru Jeff and I’s knowledge these are the known players we BELIEVE will sign letters of intent tomorrow. Mind you until 3pm tomorrow when the press conference is held, that’s all we know. There will be a few walk-ons that are not on this list and we’ll detail more tomorrow night. Here we go….

1) Jack Plankers – 6’7, 290 lbs,  Offensive Lineman, Kindred, ND

2) Zach Riopelle – 6’2, 215 lbs,  Linebacker, Warren-Alvarado-Oslo, MN

3) DeSean Warren – 5’10, 158 lbs, Wide Receiver, Overland Park, KS

4) Zach Johnson – 6’4, 310 lbs, Offensive Guard, Apple Valley, MN

5) Andy Smith – 6’0, 185 lbs, Defensive Back, Sioux Falls, SD

6) M.J. Stumpf – 6’2, 195 lbs, Linebacker, Harvey, ND

7) Bo Liekhus – 6’0, 200 lbs, Safety, Bellevue, NE

8) Derek McGinnis – 6’2, 200 lbs, Quarterback, Crete, NE

9) Carey Woods – 6’0, 180 lbs, Wide Receiver, Bemidji, MN

10) Demetrius Gray – 6’4, 180 lbs, Wide Receiver, Aurora, IL

11) Austin Farnlof – 6’1, 255 lbs, Offensive/Defensive Line, Anthem AZ

12) Chuks Amaechi – 6’2, 202 lbs, Linebacker, Avondale, AZ

13) Brett Pierce – 6’6, 250 lbs, Defensive End, Richfield, MN

14) Jacob Davis – 6’2, 242 lbs, Linebacker, Wichita, KS

15) Deveon Dinwiddie – 5’9, 175 lbs, Running Back, Hutchinson KS

16) Tom Barneson - 6’3, 200 lbs, Kicker, Eau Claire, WI

17) Sam Hahn – 6’6, 260 lbs, Offensive Tackle, De Witt, NE

18) Landon Lechler – 6’8, 240 lbs, Offensive Lineman, Beach, ND

19) Marcus Brantley – 5’10, 180 lbs, Safety, Mesa, AZ

20) Justin Arp – 6’5, 215 lbs, Defensive End/Tight End, Forman, ND

Those are the 20 names we have right now, on a sheet of paper or a computer screen they look really impressive and really huge. Lechler is 6’8, Pierce and Hahn are both mountains and the speed that NDSU has accumulated at wide receiver could be scary. A reminder I’ll have Craig Bohl LIVE at 6:20 on the Sports on Channel 6 also on WDAY.com and will be live tweeting @DomIzzoWDAY to add any changes to the list. Should be a fun day, hope everyone enjoys!

Closing In

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UPDATE (9 p.m. Monday): Offensive tackle Sam Hahn (6-6, 260) of Tri County High School in DeWitt, Neb., said he is committing to NDSU and will sign Wednesday. He said Nebraska talked to him about walking on but he told me ”it just didn’t work out.” Hahn took two visits to NDSU, one against Missouri State and another last weekend. His other scholarship options were a couple of D-IIs. (Izzo)

UPDATE (3 p.m. Monday): Talked with Jacob Davis earlier this afternoon and his soft verbal that Dom reportered earlier is now a firm word. He visited Army over the weekend and said “my gut tells me North Dakota State.” This guys looks the part; 6-2 1/2, 238 pounds, benches almost 400 pounds (per HS coach), runs a 4.6 40-yard dash (per his Max Emfinger all-star file) and has a 34-inch verticale jump (Emfinger). High school coach was disappointed Kansas or Kansas State didn’t offer. (Kolpack)

UPDATE (10:15 a.m. Monday): Chris Larson, Sargent Central head coach, says defensive end-tight end Justin Arp has not made a decison. — (Kolpack)

BREAKING (9:55) – Travis Wilson of the Wisconsin Sports Network reports that Milwaukee Tech RB Marcus Horne has committed to Michigan State. Wilson tweeted to me that Horne denied to him ever committing to NDSU, his high school head coach Craig Bevilacqua told me that Horne had given the Bison a “soft verbal”. Here’s the post from back in November. Now NDSU did add a running back on Sunday, according to ESPN, Hutchinson Community College RB Deveon Dinwiddie will transfer to North Dakota State. Dinwiddie is the older brother of current Bison linebacker DeShawn, who played this year as a true freshman. Dinwiddie originally signed with Kansas State two years ago, left, tore his knee up and sat out the 2010 season. Dinwiddie starred for the Blue Dragons(love nickname) going for 143 carries, 806 yards and 12 touchdowns. This to my knowledge is the only running back to date for this Bison class. Craig Bohl will join me LIVE on Wednesday at 6:20 on Channel 6 to talk signing day, also on WDAY.com.

Got to say great conversation on the blog about NDSU and the future, whether it’s the Summit League or the Missouri Valley or wherever. Know we are not the only ones talking about it. But also there are some big time discussions going on at higher levels, meaning the NCAA about what to do with football. And as we found out in the summer of 2010, football is what drives the boat in the NCAA and the disparity between the super-elite (the BCS Schools) and everybody else is growing wider. NDSU finds itself in a unique situation in my mind. I firmly believe that the FCS is where NDSU belongs. But what happens if FCS no longer exists? It’s a question that may become a reality soon. NCAA President Mark Emmert had some interesting comments, you can read them here. Say if the top 50 schools break away and form their own division, what happens to everybody else? I believe the remaining big boys, the Mountain West-Conference USA’s, WACs have a division. That leaves the Sun Belt and the MAC, you take the top 20 teams from the FCS (the NDSUs, UNIs, normally the top 4 teams in the Colonial, 2 from the Big Sky) and there’s your 3rd tier of Division 1 football. I don’t think it will happen exactly like that but it appears this is just the beginning of this discussion.

On to the here and now, the NDSU men got a landmark win yesterday in Oakland. Saul Phillips changed up his starting lineup, inserting the 2 seniors in (Eric Carlson and Drew Lundberg) and it seemed the mojo changed. The Bison had never won at Oakland, gets the all-precious split that teams crave on the road, NDSU maintains 3rd place along in the Summit League with Southern Utah and Oral Roberts coming to town. Everyone will point to the ORU game, but SUU is huge too, the Thunderbirds are just a half-game out of 3rd when they visit Fargo. Also will be the last time these two schools come to the Bison Sports Arena, be nice if somehow a home and home could be worked out with the Golden Eagles, a nice rivalry has been developed there. Now the win over Oakland will help with the RPI for the Bracketbuster game, but I think NDSU is locked into a couple opponents:

NDSU, RPI of 125: Possible opponents – Indiana State (126), UC Santa Barbara (143), Youngstown State (149), Fairfield (148)

SDSU: RPI of 66 (Opponents – UNI (62), Nevada (64), Akron (60), Drexel (87)

Oral Roberts: RPI of 55 (Opponents – Wichita State (33), Long Beach State (37)

Oral Roberts and SDSU both more than likely will be on TV, the selection show is at 5:30 tomorrow night on ESPN U. Plenty of bracketbuster and hoops conversation on Dizzo’s Den, 970 WDAY at 6:30 tomorrow night, NDSU associate head coach Dave Richman joins me, also online at WDAY.com. (Izzo)

‘Can NDSU do it?’

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This is a good letter from “Indiana State graduate” from the previous blog post. I thought I would put it on here, in prime time, and get your reaction:

Since attendance was mentioned by people in the blog….some facts to think about when talking North Dakota State and DI Men’s Basketball. In looking at NCAA Average Attendance figures for Men’s Basketball….all the information is from the NCAA Website. When the Summit looses Oral Roberts they are going to loosing not only one of the better teams in the league but a school that actually can get people to attend games.

Here are the Summit League’s Average Attendance figures (rounded) from last year (this includes the clunker games over winter break and the highly attended rival games all averaged out)

Oakland – 4,200
Oral Roberts – 3,400
ND State – 3,300
SD State – 2,500
IPFW – 1,900
South Dakota – 1,500
UMKC – 1,300
IUPUI – 1,200
Western Illinois – 800
Southern Utah – 600 <- yeah really…..a division I school that can’t average1,000 people to show up for a men’s basketball game.

To give you an idea how bad some of these attendance figures are look at some of the schools from the Division II and the NSIC –

Northern State (SD) – 3,100
Augustana (SD) – 2,500
St. Cloud State (MN) – 2,050
Winona State (MN) – 1,800
Minnesota State – Mankato – 1,700
Southwest Minnesota State – 1,500

A good chuck of these school would finish in the middle tier of the Summit League for attendance.

To give you an idea of what North Dakota State needs to be building towards – here are the Men’s Basketball average attendance figures for the Missouri Valley Conference:

Creighton – 13,600
Wichita State – 10,500
Bradley – 8,500
Missouri State – 7,600
Indiana State – 5,700
Evansville – 4,900
Illinois State – 4,800
University of Northern Iowa – 4,800
Drake – 4,300
Southern Illinois – 4,200

I think that this gives people an idea of what kind of bar North Dakota State needs to set for attendance – which drives tickets sales, revenue, recruiting, etc. They need to build that new area and get 5,000 people to show up at games on average (remember you have to make up for the clunker games over winter break). Then get a NCAA tournament bid every once and awhile. Show your team travels well. Missouri Valley will want you to show them that you will put fans in the seats for Arch Madness (MVC Tourney), etc….

I know some people will say put a good team on the floor and I will go to the games…

My question is can North Dakota State do it? Can they get the new area built? Can they start to dominate the Summit? Can they get fans to show up for the games? Can they make another run into March Madness?

…and since somebody asked, what is the news on that new arena?

Brett Pierce

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NDSU has landed perhaps the biggest player of the 2012 recruiting class today in 6’6 Defensive End Brett Pierce out of Holy Angels Academy in Minnesota. Pierce is a beast, he had offers from FBS School Wyoming and plenty of FCS schools including North Dakota, South Dakota, Northern Iowa and South Dakota State. Holy Angels Head Coach Ray Betton told me Pierce has “unbelievable motor” and was going to help out any program immediately. Pierce helped Holy Angels to an 8-2 record this season, losing in the 2nd round of the Section 3 Playoffs.  Pierce is also a hockey player, a goalie in fact, Betton told me he was heading to practice later today. He also played tight end in high school. Pierce was selected by the Star Tribune as part of the Dream Team and also a member of the KARE 11 All-Metro Team. This becomes the 13th verbal commitment for the 2012 class.

VIDEO OF PIERCE

Another kicker coming

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NDSU will have another kicker in fall camp to challenge Adam Keller for the starting job. Tom Barneson of Eau Claire Memorial High in Wisconsin will be a preferred walkon.

The 6-3 Barneson was 7 of 9 on field goals and 50 of 51 in PAT kicks last season with 40 percent of his kickoffs going out of the end zone. His recruiting profile says he just started kicking after his sophomore season. As a junior, he was 6 of 7 on field goals with a long of 42 yards.

NDSU graduated starting kicker Ryan Jastram. Keller redshirted last season.

Bison Go Bracketbusting

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Selection Sunday is 7 weeks away, but for NDSU they have their eyes on another selection show much sooner. ESPN unveils it’s Bracketbuster games Monday night at 5:30 (ESPN U) and there’s plenty of speculation on who the Bison may match up with on February 18th in Fargo. The resident bracketologist in me wanted to go thru each team, but Joe Lunardi beat me to it, you can read his projected TV matchups here (need to be an ESPN Insider)

So let’s speculate (the greatness of a blog, we can do that here) on who possibly NDSU may matchup with. The committee that selects the games, like to match teams with similiar RPI’s, heading into today, the Bison had  a RPI at 132. Saul Phillips told me on Tuesday that the Bison actually dropped about 30 spots after the losses to UND and South Dakota State and wins against both teams more than likely would have put NDSU into a TV game. (As of now Oral Roberts and South Dakota State are looking at TV games) So of the 71 road teams here are the squads that have similar RPI’s to NDSU:

NDSU RPI: 132

Possible Opponents (Based on RPI)

  • Indiana State (Missouri Valley)  11-9 record, RPI: 130
  • North Carolina-Asheville (Big South) 14-7 record, RPI: 131
  • UC Santa Barbara (Big West) 9-7 record, RPI: 136
  • Western Michigan (MAC) 9-10 record, RPI: 139
  • Fairfield (MAAC) 10-9 record, RPI: 141
  • North Carolina-Wilmington (Colonial) 8-11, RPI: 144
  • Youngstown State (Horizon) 11-8, RPI: 146

So that’s just a sample, if I’m to make a prediction, I’d say it’s Western Michigan coming to the BSA, a solid MAC school and for NDSU a chance to go play a MAC school on the road in 2012-13. As for the Summit League, this is a HUGE chance for the league to raise it’s profile before March. Oral Roberts is on a tear, a quality win over a team from a known league could do wonders come Selection Sunday and actually give the Summit a seed higher than 14 (which they have not received it at least 4 years). Should be fun. New video blog on Bison hoops and recruiting taping tomorrow, debuting Thursday!

Ross, NDSU assistant soccer coach, also leaves

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NDSU assistant soccer coach John Ross, considered the front runner to take over for departed head coach Pete Cuadrado, was named the head coach at Northern Illinois on Tuesday.
Ross spent nine years at NDSU under Cuadrado, who took the head position at Wyoming last week. Ross, who is from Illinois graduating from Northeastern Illinois University, was the goalkeepers coach and associate head coach for the Bison. His move means he will also be closer to family
He takes over the NIU program from Carrie Baker, who was fired.
It’s an unfortunate move for NDSU, especially with signing day next Wednesday. The Bison got a verbal commitment from one of the better players in the country, Lauren Miller of St. Louis Park, Minn. We’ll see what happens with that.