Sigers was a warrior on special teams with four blocked kicks

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Mike Sigers returns a kickoff 94 yards for a TD at Eastern Washington.

Several trees in the south entrance of the BSA were toppled, and then eliminated by the Monday storm. It brought about the following wisecrack: it’s the first phase of the BSA renovation. On the reality note, look for the track and field portion of the project to go in first and the first shovel for the arena perhaps not until next summer.

Other Bison stuff:

  • What was probably feared, Mike Sigers not making it academically, became a reality. Head coach Craig Bohl said the explosive Sigers will not return to the team. That’s too bad, I thought the 5-foot-6 Sigers had a nice role with his speed and the different look he gave defenses backing up D.J. McNorton. Eastern Washington got a good view of his speed when Sigers returned the second half kickoff for a touchdown. Sigers was also one of NDSU’s top threats on special teams defense with four blocked kicks last season including two field goals at Eastern Washington.
  • Bohl said he is not aware if Jose Mohler has committed to another program yet. Mohler told the coaching staff he was transferring after this semester.
  • Head strength and conditioning coach Jim Kramer said he pretty much expects that every player will be in town this summer participating in summer workouts. Bohl said it’s not mandatory that the players stay, “but I think all the players recognize the value of off-season conditioning and believe in coach Kramer’s workouts.”
  • I can’t see the two Jucos the Bison women’s team signed making a major impact next season, especially offensively. Catavia Jones averaged 2.5 points and Britney Gaines 5.3 points for Paris Junior College last season. Both shot 34 percent, not exactly eye-popping numbers. But NDSU head coach Carolyn DeHoff said both will be needed defensively and with competition in practice. Recruiting the Juco route in women’s basketball seems to be different from the men’s game, in that there just isn’t as many players out there for D-I teams to find.

43 thoughts on “Sigers was a warrior on special teams with four blocked kicks”

  1. big lose, everyone knew he needed grades this spring.

    jose is visiting central washington as we speak.

    crockett doesnt appear to be eligible for fall either, so ndsu is left with DJ, Ojuri, Hudson……….and Matt Jones of Arizona should play right away, kid is gifted.

    • I’d be more disappointed about Crockett than Sigers if that’s true. I think Hudson can fill in as a scat back and Ryan Smith can be pulled out of the slot on a few plays to be a change of pace guy. But Crockett has got the ability to be a really special feature back. If he can’t get eligible this year hopefully he can stick with it until next year when DJ’s gone and Ojuri will need a primary backup.

  2. it’s amazing how someone could be that short-sighted; everyone knows if you are just willing to put in the time and show the effort, you will get the minimum grades required to play….this isn’t Harvard. more opportunity for the younger, hopefully smarter guys on the roster. good luck to them.

  3. So many of these young people are used to being coddled at the high school level; if we are winning — you are passing. Welcome to college. That’s also how it works in the working world: produce or hit the road. They will learn sooner or they will learn later, but, they will learn.

  4. Sigers was the man but there was a reason that Coach Bohl kept Ojuri on scholorship and made him redshirt instead of letting him leave. This has always been an issue with Mike. DJ and Sam will be a solid 1-2 but Sigers brought a dynamic that few can bring. The thing I’m most concerned about is Pierre not being elgible next year at CB. He needs to have a good summer.

      • gabe, your not that bright are you.

        he said he is CONCERNED, doesnt mean that its fact. its widely known by people in the “know” that there is 3-4 kids that are borderline academic-wise. Since Sigers has been the first casualty, I would almost assume that since there isnt news on the other couple players that Sigers was it.

        Crockett will be in 2012 (it takes 2 good semesters to cover the 1 bad semester…and he had 2 bad semesters, thus 4 semesters, aka 2 years)

      • He’s not inelgible yet gabe. He needs to have a pretty good summer in the classroom in order to be available in the fall. There are usually more than a few guys that are toeing the line, he is currently on the wrong side of the line and needs to step back over.

  5. Does this mean not returning ever or just next season? If his grades improve he will be eligible in 2012, right?

  6. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that yet another one of Bohl’s recruits from Houston didn’t make it in Fargo. How many is that now?

    I wish Bohl would get the hint and stop wasting precious time and money recruiting the area. The athletes NDSU needs to win the national championship are in the midwest. Recruit there.

    • Richard Bowman and Nate Agbatola were both from Houston and both played well and graduated. I think you keep recruiting the biggest city in Texas if you can get kids. Go Bison!

    • Not all are busts. DJ and Holloway are good. Has to be culture shock going from the south to up here. Illinois kids tend to blend in better up here since Illinois is more similar to North Dakota than Texas. I hope Arizona has better results. I say stick to ND, SD, MN, WI and expand to do more in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Illinois. Warm climate areas have better skill players but the track record kind of sucks. Same with California. Once in a blue moon you will find.a guy like Shaken.

  7. He didn’t get kicked off the team for violating team rules. He didn’t break any laws. From what we know he was a good citizen while in Fargo. He was a productive player that made some very big plays. He is off the team only because he did not meet academic requirements and that is the only reason.

    I wish him luck in improving his grades and working towards his degree. His life will be far better if he can graduate from college and earn a good job.

  8. Jeff I am with Bison Fan, does this mean he is off the team for a year if he wants to work on his grades over the next year or is he done permanently? Jeff do you think that the Basketball arena would be done by the 2013-14 season?

  9. Is Voitlander a punter for good?
    Could he be reinserted into the runningbacks rotation?
    He doesn’t probably have the speed of Sigers but he made some big plays for us, especially in 2008.

  10. I sure hope the Bison stay healthy at RB in 2011. Anytime you lose a player at a position for non-injury reasons it seems that it is a bad omen for things to come. The Bison went from deep to marginally thin. Let’s hope Hudson is better than advertised.

    • Hudson was moved back to RB this spring. Smith can be used as needed. Matt Jones looks very capable to come in and contribute. Losing Sigers does hurt but there are a few options still available.

  11. Is Sigers off the team for good? My vibe is yes, unfortunately. He was great to be around in my limited experience talking to him. And anytime you lose speed like that, especially on special teams, it is a signficant loss.
    Voigtlander will still be the full time punter. The depth at running back is still very good with D.J. and Ojuri. A full time punter is more important than a No. 2 or 3 or 4 running back, imo.

  12. Matt Jones was a top RB out of Arizona, the only reason he came to NDSU instead of a FBS team (air force offerred, colorado preferred walk on offer) was his best friend QB Ryan Stanford. I dont think people realize how big of a steal this kid was. AJ Cooper has said he will be special!

    1. DJ
    2. Ojuri
    3. Hudson/Matt Jones

    Sigers leaving is more sad than anything, kid was a slot/kick returner/special teams guy. He did it all, Lets hope Matt Jones plugs those 3 holes.

    • Why put pressure and talk up a freshman that has not set foot on campus. You also said Mertens was all that and Jose was the second coming. I hope Jones does not play a down and we are able to redshirt him. Huge difference between the college game and almost any high school game. There is a lot to learn just look at DJ a few years ago to compared to what he can do now and how much more of a patient runner he is.

      • I was a DJ & MWILL & B TURN pimp too. Jose won amazing games for NDSU, and Mertens was screwed by vigen.
        sorry. ill take those winning %.

        • I think Mertens career was hurt because he never got to play as a backup. He should have replaced Walker when we were slaughtering other teams. You always hear coaches say that practice is one thing but nothing beats game experience. Well every other young kid got put in on mop up duty except Mertens. The QB of all people gets minimal reps as a backup and then is thrown in the next season as the guy who gets to replace Steve Walker! I think Mertens could have had a good career if he would have played a lot more as a backup. Just my opinion. Lakes I appreciate the info you are giving us, keep it coming! Go Bison!

          • The Bison had a bunch of comeback wins when Steve Walker was QB. There weren’t alot of blowout opportunities to put Mertens in.

          • I am with you on that one Jeff. I used to call Bohl all the time on his radio show and ask him why Mertens didn’t play more in those blowouts. The answer was always the same “I have been coaching a long time and I have seen coached put in the back up to early and lose games they should have won…blah, blah, blah”. If you have heard Bohl on various radio shows lately you have likely heard him say that fans know nothing, he doesn’t listen to them, and he knows everything.

            Except about QB recruiting that is…

          • I have never heard Bohl say anything like that. If he did I would be willing to bet it was more out of frustration than arrogance. Could you imagine the number of “fans” that try to give him advice on how to do things in a given week? I bet it gets old after awhile.

          • All the game time reps in the world wouldnt have helped Mertens. He just didnt have it to play at this level.

    • He did it all but the classroom. obviously it wasnt important to him. He shirked his responsibilities to not only himself but his teammates as well.
      He needs to move on.

  14. Hudson and Smith will play well before Jones. Jones is talented but there is no sense playing him as a true freshman with our talent.

    I like the idea of using Smith in a similar fashion as the Vikes use Percy Harvin. Run him on reverses, end arounds, and occasionally bring him in the backfield or start him in the backfield and then line him up in the slot. Kid is fast.

  15. BisonFan,

    2006 scores included 34-14, 45-0, 31-7, 51-14.
    2007 scores included 44-14, 35-16, 58-7, 52-17, 54-28.

    The only game Mertens played in those two years was the 58-7 win over Mississippi Valley State in 2007 out of 9 games. Mhd Jeff is right, face it.

  16. Lakes

    Calm down the rhetoric man. Why get into personal bashing with a fellow bisonville member here?

    Pierre will play if he deserves to play.

  17. Here are the results so far of the high school players Bohl has recruited from Houston:

    High school class of 2005:
    Rich Bowman – starter, never left team
    Nate Agbetola – contributor, never left team
    Jamar Champ – contributed but left team
    Justin Cash – never contributed, left team
    Courtney Mitchell – contributed, left team but came back later (give it to him)

    High school class of 2006:
    Kevin Weeden – never contributed, left team (did he ever make it to Fargo?)
    Gary Williams – contributor, never left team

    High school class of 2007:
    Josh Freeman – never contributed, left team
    Warren Holloway – starter/ hasn’t left team
    DJ McNorton – starter/hasn’t left team
    Melvin Thomas – never contributed, left team (did he ever make it to Fargo?)

    High school class of 2008:
    -none- (instead we got 3 from Michigan who all left the team)

    High school class of 2009:
    Mike Sigers – contributed but left team

    High school class of 2010:
    Wes Hudson – hasn’t contributed yet and hasn’t left team

    High school class of 2011:
    -none- (instead we have 4 kids from Arizona and 2 from Kansas, we’ll see…)

    Totals:
    total HS Houston recruits – 13
    starters who never left team or haven’t left team – 3 ( Bowman and McNorton were/are unquestioned starters, Holloway has been a starter but not sure if he will start this year as a senior, we’ll see)
    contributors who never left or haven’t left team – 3 (Agbetola, Mitchell and Williams definitely played and I’m giving this one to Mitchell since he did leave the team but came back and made it to the end)
    didn’t contribute or haven’t contributed yet – 1 (Hudson is the only one who hasn’t left yet and hasn’t contributed yet, jury is still out as he’s young)
    left the team, regardless of contributions – 6 (Champ, Cash, Weeden, Freeman, Thomas and now Sigers have not been able to make it to the end. Of these Sigers and Champ were the only contributors)

    So it’s not as bad as it might seem, 6 out of 13 or 46%. In DI a 50% retention rate is pretty good. Kids leave for whatever reason.

    Still, for the amount of money that NDSU has to spend to recruit these kids and get them to play in Fargo (have to give them all full scholarships out of high school), you’d think that it wouldn’t be too much to ask at least 75% of them to be starters or significant contributors?

    Bohl has dabbled in Michigan – that was a total bust, Mississippi JUCOs – some decent players and some busts, California – mostly bust and Florida – 2 out of 3 (Shamen and Pierre have been starters while Brian Rabb from his first class left the team). Now he’s going to Arizona and Kansas/Nebraska. So far Nebraska has been pretty good. Arizona and Kansas, we’ll see…

    Fans just need to remember not to get mesmerized by out of area recruits. 90% of NDSU’s starters are always going to be from the upper midwest. But if they can pull some role players from out the area, nothing wrong with that IF they can stay in Fargo.

    • Great post. My thoughts are if we are going to recruit Texas, California, Arizona, or any place that is considered a long way out of the general recruiting area, we should expect a higher caliber athlete. I am talking about guys like DJ McNorton. Seems like we get way too many average or below average kids who don’t contribute to the team.

      In all fairness the 2008 class was a joke. 16 kids. 3 left. Easily the worst class in modern history. It had thugs, guys with bad grades, Best Buy theft ring, and flat out not very good players. On the bright side we did get Preston Evans (Sioux Falls) , Joe Lund (MN), and a talent Ticket Hagen from Wisconsin.