North Dakota 2025s: Who is Next to Get a D1 Offer?
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NORTH DAKOTA– With 2024 National Signing Day a wrap after yesterday, we now press forward to full-go with the 2025 class. It got me thinking about the following questions tonight. Who do I see as “next up” to get that…
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Continue ReadingNORTH DAKOTA– With 2024 National Signing Day a wrap after yesterday, we now press forward to full-go with the 2025 class. It got me thinking about the following questions tonight. Who do I see as “next up” to get that Division I offer. Some of the candidates were obvious selections for this article due to already having a few Group of Five or FCS offers, however I also will name prospects in this article that are more outside the box with no or light offers so far or none at all but in my eyes have the skills to fit at the Division I level. I even take one position that it is rare you will see an early Division I offer, but as we know, a lot can change in 6 months in the recruiting landscape, so why not?
That writing has been on the wall since last summer, when I got my live evaluation of Griffin and heard from numerous college coaches that he certainly has the Division I ceiling out of Minot. Griffin showed off the ideal fit for the Division I level with his testing numbers, and show how elusive he shows to be playing at a well-built 6’0 220 pounds as a junior. He also on tape pops out heavily getting yards after contact which you would expect, but it is the explosive lower body traits after getting out of a jam is what will impressive Division I coaches at the next level. This young man’s time is coming very soon for his first D1 offer. Twitter
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The first FCS offers have hit the table for Westhope’s Walker Braaten Walker Braaten 6’3″ | 180 lbs | QB Westhope | 2025 State ND , but I certainly believe an FBS offer is coming soon. Minnesota certainly seems to be in the cards the earliest amongst the FCS programs, as Walker’s skillsets as a long 6’4 defensive back with rapid-fire instincts and a vital downhill presence seem to appeal to the Gophers staff. Whatever side of the ball Walker ends up on at the next level, you cannot ignore how incredibly athletic on either side of the ball as he is extremely damaging to defenses when he is in the open field and has the three-level arm strength to use as well. Twitter
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Yesterday was a big day for Grand Forks Red River offensive linemen JB Walters JB Walters 6’4″ | 260 lbs | OL Grand Forks Red River | 2025 State ND , as he picked up his first Group of Five offer from Air Force which is only the beginning of his next-level opportunities. JB shows off plenty of versatile skillsets when you dive into his junior tape, as he is a constant winner of leverage and also has always shown off to me as a productive angle blocker that with his football IQ very much understands the pad-level to finish his blocks. At 6’4 260 pounds, I would expect the floodgates to open further for JB at the FCS and FBS levels over the next 3-5 months. Twitter
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Over our years of evaluating specialists in the Dakotas, I have found that our hit rate on specialists has been solid over the years and in this 2025 class, my eyes are Fargo South’s Keaton Docken Keaton Docken 6’1″ | 155 lbs | K Fargo South | 2025 State ND as a Division I specialist target. As a junior, Keaton was a perfect 9/9 on field goals and every field goal I watched on tape had more than enough distance to carry distance in the 45-48 yard range. Keaton also impressed me with the very consistent hangtime you want out of your kicker as this young man showed off plenty of poise that I could tell too with his body language on every kick. With his punts, Keaton excels on tape with his coffin corners well inside the 20 yard line with hangtime to develop as a punter. Having that family pedigree with an older brother already at the FCS level, I believe Keaton is next up amongst kickers in the Dakotas to become a Division I target which should be seen after camps this summer. Twitter
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It does not matter which side of the ball Hank Bodine Hank Bodine 6’0″ | 225 lbs | LB Velva | 2025 State ND lines up on, the bulldozer mentality he plays with sits well with me to call him a Division I target. Hank shows off a fearless demeanor that will run thru you on either side of the ball vs around you. He shows off a fiery first step and plays with a well-versed motor that amps up a notch as a middle linebacker when he crashes near the ball. He shows off physicality while playing downhill and has the vision to I believe be a productive linebacker at the Division I level. I talked about pedigree, which Hank has too at the FCS level as he certainly shows off an athlete that plays with a high amount of grit built for a program like a UND or NDSU. Already a 3-time All State Team performer as just a junior. Twitter