NSIC to Division 1 Success: Don’t Knock DII Ball
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Growing up in the Midwest – and specifically in Minnesota – it was hard to not be aware of the Northern Sun Conference and their football prowess. Especially after 2007, when the conference added Augustana, SCSU, UMD, and MSU-Mankato, and…
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Continue ReadingGrowing up in the Midwest – and specifically in Minnesota – it was hard to not be aware of the Northern Sun Conference and their football prowess. Especially after 2007, when the conference added Augustana, SCSU, UMD, and MSU-Mankato, and again in 2010, when Sioux Falls and Minot State joined, the competition and exposure the NSIC created reached a new level. Of course, a national championship victory by the UMD Bulldogs in 2010 helped things tremendously, but ever since then, the conference has produced many deep playoff runs, national championship appearances, and a plethora of standout talent from around the country, some of which have made their way into the National Football League. In today’s day and age, there has been a growing “Division 1 or bust” mentality that I find unfortunate, so I wanted to attempt to show in a couple of ways in this article that Northern Sun football is nothing to knock and plays some really high-level college football. Interestingly, there has been a growing list of football players to come out of the NSIC the past few years and transfer to the D1 level and find an impressive amount of success, so I wanted to begin things by going over these studs and their careers, some of which are still ongoing. Thanks for reading!
NSIC –> Division 1 Success
Jake Richter (Detroit Lakes, MN) WR. 6’4, 215 lbs. Transferred from Minnesota State University-Moorhead to University of North Dakota
A big-bodied wideout from Northern Minnesota, Richter was an All-District WR and team captain for the Lakers who also lettered in basketball and track while in high school. He signed with the MSUM Dragons and saw some action as a freshman in 2016, where he caught four passes for 46 yards. He was injured as a sophomore in Week 2 of the 2017 season and medically redshirted, and came back for a monster ’18 season that saw him earn First Team All-NSIC honors and an All-Region nod after leading the Dragons with 1,113 yards and 10 TDs. He followed that up by batting some injuries in 2019 but fought through for a Second Team All-NSIC nod and 520 yards + 4 TDs. This set up the eventual transfer, which I’m sure was influenced by COVID and the NSIC’s decision to not play in the Fall of 2020. What I’m not positive of is whether Richter put his name in the transfer portal or if UND had scouted him out, I’m assuming it was a little bit of both, but either way the Detroit Lakes native earned himself a spot on the Fighting Hawks 2021 roster for this unprecedented Spring season. It was exciting watching him so far this season, as he has been paired with former St. Croix Lutheran stud Garett Maag Garett Maag WR St. Croix Lutheran | 2018 State MN , and has caught 3 passes for 5 yards so far this season. Go Hawks! MSUM Highlights
Michael Griffin III (Park of Cottage Grove, MN) S. 6’, 215 lbs. Transferred from Southwest Minnesota State to South Dakota State
I’ve had my eye on the football career of Griffin III since his high school days, so I get particularly excited writing and talking about the now Jackrabbit two-year starter at safety. A standout for the Wolfpack was a hard-hitter and a really well-built DB who showed range and instincts in the defensive backfield, but his recruiting never really popped off and he made for an excellent signing for the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs in their 2016 class. As a prep, he was a football team captain and All-Conference + All-District selection and repeated those awards competing in track and field for Park. He also was a team captain in track and basketball, and his distinguished prep career and overall athleticism helped him play in nine games and start one at safety for SMSU in 2016, putting up 12 tackles and an interception to boot. He followed it up by starting all 11 games in 2017, recording 85 tackles, 7 PBUs, and 3 FRs from his safety position. It was after that 2017 season that he made a really ballsy and impressive bet on himself and his talents, transferring up a level to FCS heavyweight South Dakota State where he redshirted in 2018 but had a prolific scout performance earning Scout Special Teams Player of the Year honors and the team’s Scout Special Teams Player of the Week five times throughout the season. He took over as a starter in 2019 and earned a selection to the Missouri Valley’s All-Newcomer Team after picking off four passes and adding two fumble recoveries. He started 11 of 12 possible games, including the big matchup against Minnesota Week 1 of the season, and I believe he has started every game so far this spring season as well. It’s been more than a pleasure watching his college career evolve. vs. WSU vs. USF vs. BSU
Brayden Thomas (Bismarck, ND) DE. 6’3, 260 lbs. Transferred from UMary to Minnesota State-Mankato to North Dakota State
A North Dakota prospect who also had a unique college football journey, Thomas was a monster in high school who earned two All-State selections as a DL with Bismarck Demons and helped lead the team to two state semifinal appearances as a junior and senior. He signed with the hometown NSIC competitor UMary, and showed that he had the metal to make it in the conference by playing in all 11 games as a true freshman and totaling 25 tackles, a TFL, and two FRs. He then decided to transfer to MSU-Mankato in Minnesota, redshirted in 2016, and then started three games and played in seven in 2018 for the Mavericks. He followed things up with a massive 2019 season, starting all 15 games in-route to the Mavericks Division II national championship game appearance, and finished with 57 tackles, 21 TFLs, and 11.5 sacks. His 21 TFLs made good for second-most all-time in Mavericks history, and his 11.5 sacks are tied for sixth-most in school history. Because of COVID forcing the NSIC to shut down their fall season in 2020, Thomas entered the transfer portal and was picked up by the Mighty Bison of NDSU, where he has played in all four games and before today’s contest against Illinois State has recorded nine tackles, 1.5 TFLs, and .5 sacks, as well as a blocked kick. It’s been really fun to watch him fly around the Bison DL, and as of 14 minutes left in the game against Illinois State he is leading the team in tackles! Junior Season @ MSU
Michael Buetow (St. Mary’s Springs, WI) DT. 6’, 283 lbs. Transferred from Minnesota State-Mankato to North Dakota State
Another Maverick defensive lineman to take his talents to Fargo for the 2020-21 season, defensive tackle Buetow is a beast in the trenches who had a prolific prep and NSIC career who is playing his final year of eligibility for the Bison. St. Mary’s Springs – who boast one of the best 2022 offensive lineman in the entire nation in Billy Schrauth Billy Schrauth 6'5" | 280 lbs | OL St. Mary's Springs | 2022 State WI – recorded a 50-2 record over Buetow’s four seasons in high school, including a 23-1 conference record, four conference championships, and two state titles. Buetow started four seasons at DL and three at OL for the Ledgers, and won three All-Conference awards, two All-Area awards, and All-Region and All-State picks. He signed with the Mighty Mavericks of Mankato out of high school and played in 43 games over three seasons, including a start and 14 appearances in 2017 on the DL, where he posted 16 tackles. He followed it up with 11 starts in 2018 to go along with 14 appearances, and tallied 28 tackles, two TFLs, a sack, and a FF, and capped things off with an All-NSIC Second Team winning season in 2019 with 15 starts, eating up doubles while posting 15 tackles, 4 TFLs, and 3 sacks. He also put his name in the portal, signed with the Bison, and has appeared in every game up to this point and has posted one tackle. True Junior Year @ MSU
Devon Krzanowski (Fond du Lac, WI) LB. 6’2, 235 lbs. Transferred from St. Cloud State (rip) to the University of North Dakota
One of the few bright spots from the heartbreaking cuts of the St. Cloud State and UM-Crookston football teams in December of 2019 comes in the form of Fond du Lac native and graduate Krzanowski, who signed with the Fighting Hawks and moved up a division of competition after seeing his original team shut down. He was a monster at SCSU too, redshirting in 2017 but appearing in 10 games for the Huskies and posting 48 tackles, 5 TFLs, and a FF in 2018. In his RS sophomore season of 2019 he earned All-NSIC Second Team honors after helping SCSU finish at the #18 ranked defense in the nation and recording 72 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, and 6.5 sacks, along with an interception. His measurables and instincts must have caught UND’s eye, as they swooped in and signed Krzanowski very shortly after St. Cloud State announced it was cutting its football team. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any high school stats or awards from his prep career, but so far in 2021 I believe he’s started every game for UND – at the least recording considerable game time – and has posted 17 tackles, 1.5 TFL, a FR, and a fumble he returned for a TD in Week 1 against SIU. He’s got another year of eligibility remaining after this as well. What’s in the water in Fondy?!
Year 2 Highlights, on @Hudl at – https://t.co/4IgSt9HsV6
— Devon Krzanowski (@DevonKrzanowski) December 7, 2019
Adam Stage (Kimberly, WI) K. 5’9, 180 lbs. Transferred from St. Cloud State (rip) to the University of North Dakota
A very distinguished kicker over his NSIC career in St. Cloud State, the Wisconsin native Stage was another one of the rare bright spots coming from the closure of the Huskies program at the end of 2019 as he joined teammate Krzanowski in Grand Forks to play some FCS football. Although I couldn’t find any high school stats from the Kimberly grad, he was a First Team All-NSIC pick as a true freshman in 2018 and led the conference in multiple categories and broke the school record for longest FG made after he banged a 55-yarder in against UMary. As a sophomore in 2018 he earned All-Conference HM honors and led the Northern Sun in categories such as FGs per game (1.5), FGs made (16), FGs attempted (21), and FG % (76.2%). He was also named a Finalist for the Fred Mitchel Award, which is given to the top place-kicker at the FCS, DII, and DIII levels. In 2019 he was named Second Team All-NSIC after going 11-19 on FGs, hitting multiple 40+ yarders, and became the school’s all-time leader in successful FGs against Augustana, cementing himself as the best kicker in school history. The Fighting Hawks scooped up his talent quickly after the program shut down, and this spring season through three games he’s 1-2 on FGs, 12-13 on PATs, and is handling kickoff duties. Enjoy your senior year, Adam! Junior Year @ SCSU
Gabriel Watson (Piedmont, CA) RB. 6’2, 220 lbs. Grad transferred from the University of Sioux Falls to the University of Texas
This was a particularly exciting development going into the 2020 season, as the California product was an outstanding DII runningback who was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award (DII Heisman Trophy). As a prep at Piedmont High School, Watson was named First Team All-Conference, Third Team All-State, and 3x offensive MVP. He averaged 8.4 yards a carry, scored 78 TDs, and garnered over 6,000 career AP yards. He signed with Diablo Valley College and as a sophomore in 2017 he rushed 88 times for 449 yards and six TDs, and then signed with the Coo in Sioux Falls, where he had a MONSTER 2018 season that saw him named USF’s Male Athlete of the Year, NSIC Player of the Year, Region 4 Offensive Player of the Year, and was selected to five All-American teams, along with that Harlon Hill finalist selection. He finished the 2018 season with 269 rushes for 1,957 yards and 26 TDs, and led the nation in rushing average per game (177.9), and scoring average (14.2 ppg) while setting eight school records. Unfortunately, his 2019 ended early, as he played against Winona State but did not play the rest of the season and earned a medical redshirt, setting up his exciting transfer to Power-5 blueblood and Big12 competition University of Texas-Austin. His senior season in 2020 saw him appear in three games for the Longhorns, including in the Red River Showdown against Oklahoma. and contributed on special teams as well. I believe he has another year of eligibility due to COVID, but either way this was a really exciting opportunity for Watson. Junior Season @ USF
Bishop McDonald (North St. Paul, MN) DB. 6’, 195 lbs. Transferred from Minnesota-Duluth to the University of Minnesota
Coming out of high school I remember being a big fan of McDonald’s game, as he was a smooth, natural, and physical DB who recorded the most interceptions in a single season that I had ever seen with 12. As a prep he earned AP All-State, MN Vikings All-State, Northstar Football News All-State, All-Conference, and a Mr. Football finalist. He came out with a talented teammate Isaiah Koran – who is now at Concordia-St. Paul – and both signed with the Bulldogs out of high school. Things came easy for the St. Paul product in the Northern Sun, as he was one of only three true freshmen to contribute to the Bulldogs in 2016 and totaled 31 tackles and an interception that he took down to the one-yard line. In 2017 he took over as a starter and made 47 tackles, 9 PBUs, and returned one of his two interceptions for a TD. It was after his sophomore season that he decided to bet on himself and transfer to the hometown FBS power Minnesota, where he has worked his fricken butt off to get himself in a great position going into 2021. In 2018 he sat out as a redshirt due to NCAA transfer policies, did not see any game action in 2019, but put in work and played in seven games, making two tackles, in 2020. Going into the 2021 season GopherIllustrated published Ryan Burns Ryan Burns 6'0" | 175 lbs | WR Elkhorn | 2022 State WI had McDonald as the backup at one of the CB spots for the Gophs. Not bad for a kid from Oakdale! True Freshman Season
Marcus Haskins (East Ridge, MN) DB. 6’ 185 lbs. Transferred from Concordia-St. Paul to Iowa Western to Liberty University
Another unique and exciting storyline out of Minnesota and the Northern Sun comes from Marcus Haskins, who is another great example of betting on yourself and your talent, as well as how success in the NSIC can translate to success at the Division 1 level. A 2017 graduate of East Ridge High School in Woodbury, MN, Haskins signed with the Golden Bears in St. Paul out of high school after he earned All-Conference recognition on the gridiron as a senior while helping lead East Ridge to a 6A big-school MN runner-up finish. He was also a very accomplished track athlete, earning four All-Conference nods and three All-State picks, and holds school records in the 800M and the 4×400. After redshirting in 2017 he burst onto the DII scene in about as exciting a way as possible, as he started for the Golden Bears at CB and earned three All-America First Team nods and a D2football.com All-American HM pick to go along with a Cliff Harris Award finalist, Region 4 Freshman of the Year, NSIC Defensive Newcomer of the Year, and All-NSIC First Team. He led the nation with 2.9 PBUs per game, led the Northern Sun and ranked second in the nation with nine interceptions, and tied the DII single-game record with 7 PBUs against Upper Iowa. He also posted 41 tackles and forced two fumbles. With such a prolific first season in the conference, the Cottage Grove native decided to bet on himself and singed with JUCO powerhouse Iowa Western as a sophomore, where he played in 11 games and tallied 31 tackles and 7 interceptions, and was rewarded by being named First Team All-Conference and First Team All-NJCAA as a DB. He earned offers from Akron, Austin Peay, Buffalo, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Kent State, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, Northern Iowa, Montana State, Southeast Missouri State, Tennessee Martin, and Troy, but ultimately signed with Hugh Freeze at Liberty University. I got to watch him play a couple of times in 2020, and I think he started a couple of games for the Flames. Big things coming for him next season! CSP Highlights Iowa Western Highlights