To follow on Dom’s confirmation, Carson Wentz picked NDSU over offers from UND, South Dakota State and Southern Illinois. He said Central Michigan was going to fly in next week and most likely present an offer. “But I told them I made my decision,” he said.
The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Wentz is a 4.0 student who plans on enrolling in architecture, and he took a liken to NDSU’s program which for years has been acredited. The fact his brother plays baseball at NDSU didn’t really factor into his decision. He was somewhat of a late blooming prospect for two reasons: he broke his hand early in his junior season and didn’t play quarterback, meaning schools had no tape on him. As a sophomore, he was 5-11 and 165 pounds.
His verbal means the Bison will bring in two quarterbacks in the same recruiting class for the first time since Mitch Brecke and Nick Mertens in 2005.
Also, Fargo South receiver Andrew Okland is still in the mix. A good music student who once sang the national anthem before a game, he’s also checking out music programs at other schools. You folks may know more: doesn’t NDSU have a pretty decent music curriculum?
Recruiting update: Cornerback Aireal Boyd, who committed to NDSU last year out of the North Dakota State College of Science but had some apparent academic issues, could be ready to go this semester, although Science head coach Chuck Parsons wasn’t 100 percent sure, he said. Boyd is 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds who made quite the 1-2 corner punch with Josh Gatlin at Science for one year. Gatlin led the Bison with five interceptions this season.
Oklund will have to leapfrog Holloway, Vraa & gebhardt. Quite the feat, so if he’s into winning and challenge, then ndsu is it.
Ernie H from bemidji & winterfelt st cloud still leaning NDSU and debating FBS or play at a natl contender.
Wentz is a great get for the Bison. NDSU didn’t start on him until after the playoffs and they still get one of the top two recruits in North Dakota. The Shanley kid is going to Missouri. How many years has it been since NDSU has not got the top football recruits in the state?
Not since this year. The top recruit as you said went to Missouri.
I like the fact the Wentz kid is 6-5. I would like to see the Bison get a big kid who has a strong arm and maybe doesn’t get hurt as easily as a smaller QB. I think it is interesting that I always hear guys on the Argus Leader Blogs saying that the Bison come and get SD kids but that the Jacks don’t take ND kids. Meaning they don’t think ND has as many good football players as SD. I think they recruit ND kids but maybe they aren’t winning the recruiting battle.
we beat them on wentz and okland
Sounds like a great get. I’m happy that Coach Bohl has seen the error in his ways and is recruiting more QB’s. I say get them in and see what they can do, if they are athletic enough to help the team in other ways they can still play if they aren’t the starting QB.
BisonJeff, Brock Jensen is a big guy, 6′-3″ and 220 lbs. and he was hurt alot this season. It just goes to show you can never have enough good QB’s on your roster.
Great gets. To answer your question regarding the music program, Dom, I can’t imagine any other D-1 university that offers the kind of music education he could get here. NDSU isn’t any kind of exceptional place like Gustavus Adolphus, but the curriculum is very solid and I know the professors are top-notch individuals. Hard to think any other place nearby offers better.
Is there a difference between a “DI music program” and other music programs? Didn’t know the NCAA was into classifying music now?.?.?
And, surely you meant to add “in the area” to your assessment of NDSU’s music program. NDSU is not the be-all, end-all school when it comes to music. There was a young lady from Fargo a couple years back that went to, I believe, Arizona State on a FULL-RIDE music scholarship. Does NDSU offer such a thing? I don’t know, so I’m asking.
If you count Arizona State as “nearby” then yes, I should’ve said “in the area.” I know NDSU does partial music scholarships based on levels of commitment to the program and various ensembles the staff/students put together, not sure about a full-ride.
And no, to the best of my knowledge there is no “D-1″ music program. I was simply pointing out that it might be more alluring to a skilled athlete like Okland to compete at the highest level possible while also looking for a good education in his desired field. It’s my opinion NDSU offers the best combination.
Actually, to supplement the above post, it’s funny – if he would be a music major it’ll be interesting to see how they handle the required year in the Gold Star Marching Band that music majors have to complete. If experience serves they gave Mike Fairbairn the option of doing it (they would have exempted him from it beingst he was on the team) but as I recall he did a year of marching band AND football – stayed on the field during halftime, changed into uniform, played, changed into football gear and bolted for the locker room to get what input he could from the coaches. Can’t imagine they’d ask the same of Oklund.
KyRo — would he also be required to take a “free-throw ethics course” from you?
thanks for the input geekro
No problem! Glad to help shed some light where I can.
Over on SS they are saying that UND never offered Oklund but had talked to him.
What’s your point? Are you saying that they did offer him?
Okland has played 7 games of football IN HIS LIFE. I think a lot of schools were intrigued, but not sure to pull the trigger on a scholarship offer. Reading between the lines, it doesn’t seem he was really considering any other schools. Maybe he made that known early in the recruiting process. None of us really knows.
From what I have heard, both SDSU and UND had let him know what they were going to offer, but were waiting until his visits in January to make the offers in person.
NDSU did not get the top recruit in 2010 either. The big OT from Williston went to Nebraska.