Strength in numbers at Bemidji State

Brian Jerzak February 10, 2017 @ 06:00 PM

After taking a look at the Minnesota kids who committed to Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football programs, the staff at NFN selected the Bemidji State Beavers class (Minnesota only) as the second best in the conference. With nineteen Minnesota kids signing with the Beavers, it gives the program a shot of youth as they build their program. Head Coach Brent Bolte was excited about the inroads they made in one specific area of the state. "We were really excited about getting back into the Twin Cities," Bolte told northstarfootballnews.com. "We are trying to do a better job getting Twin Cities' kids. This year was probably the most kids we've gotten out of the Metro." Bolte likes the class, especially the guys they added in the trenches. "Overall it was a balanced class," Bolte said. "The O-line and D-line kids we were able to get are long, athletic kids that have some room to grow. Those are the type of kids that fit into our system." The Beavers needed to bring in a significant number of kids with the 2017 class. "We graduated sixteen seniors from the roster," Bolte said. "We have twenty-five guys who will be seniors next year. We knew we were looking at 25 or 26 guys this year and that is kind of where we ended up." The staff had obvious positions they needed to fill. "We identified running back and offensive line as areas where we needed kids," Bolte explained. "We needed bigger bodies on campus. Particularly with the offensive line we like guys who are athletic that we can put more weight on. We try to stay away from the pre-made guys, the 6'4" 310-pound guys." Their running back group will have to be flexible. "We took three running backs. Some of those guys could end up playing slot receiver or defensive back. We just recruited skill. In our league, you have to have guys that can go out in space and win one on one battles." The Beavers won a number of one on one recruiting battles this season and hope it will translate into more wins on the field.