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Inside North Dakota's Junior Day Through the Eyes of Recruits

North Dakota welcomed recruits from the 2027 class to Grand Forks for a day with the Fighting Hawks coaching staff and more.
Julio Gonzales, Jr.|
North Dakota Athletics

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North Dakota Fighting Hawks

North Dakota hosted their latest Junior Day on Saturday, which brought plenty of prospects to Grand Forks for a closer look at the program.

FCS Football Central caught up with a few of those in attendance to recap their day with the Fighting Hawks.

Gavin McMillan | 2027 | DB | 6'2" 190 lbs | Waverly High School | Waverly, NE

“Some of the highlights from my junior day visit were just how welcoming the coaches were and how excellent they presented the program. The coaches made sure to tell me all the information and made it feel like a home to me. I am in contact with Coach Wilkerson (Safeties coach Keaton Wilkerson) and Coach Schmidt (Head coach Eric Schmidt). They remind me how pumped they are about me and remind me that they want me there, and also fill me in on what UND football is about,” McMillan said.

He has offers from North Dakota and Lindenwood, and has been hearing from South Dakota, North Dakota State, and South Dakota State. Last season, he finished with 73 tackles, six interceptions, six pass breakups, and two forced fumbles for the Vikings.

Easton Holland | 2027 | WR/DB | 6'4" 185 lbs | Central Cass High School | Casselton, ND

“I really appreciated the personal connections that the coaches provided. You can tell that they care about their athletes and will help us become the best versions of ourselves on and off the football field. From the very beginning of the visit until the end, I was provided with insight into how they are preparing for championship-level football with passion and enthusiasm," Holland said.

"The facilities are pretty impressive as well. Coach Freund (Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Danny Freund) was very personable, and I really enjoyed meeting him right away. Although he is the offensive coordinator, he seemed to have knowledge of all positions and recruits that were there.

"I appreciated that he was easy to talk to and took the time to get to know me a little bit in the short time that I was there. Coach Wilkerson and Coach Watkins (Linebackers coach Ben Watkins) were awesome as well. They seemed to know me, and they knew where I’d best fit on the team, even though it is a different position than what I’m currently playing in high school. Coach Schmidt’s passion for UND football was evident in his opening and closing comments. You can tell he cares deeply about his athletes and creating a championship culture,” Holland continued.

He will be going to Junior Day at St. Thomas and possibly to Cornell as well. Last season, he had 53 receptions for 555 yards and seven touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, he recorded 48 tackles, three tackles for loss, and three interceptions for the Squirrels.

Drake Buthe | 2027 | OL/DL | 6'5" 265 lbs | Glenwood High School | Glenwood, IA

“Some highlights for me were getting to see all the nice facilities and things they have to offer. I enjoyed watching practice, seeing how the coaches coach, and connecting with the coaches and learning more about the North Dakota football program. The two coaches I connected with mostly were Coach Schmidt and Coach Olsen (Offensive line coach Trevor Olson). We discussed many things throughout the day; some main takeaways were how I’d fit best into their program and just making an overall better relationship,” Buthe said.

“I will be taking a visit to Minnesota on Saturday, with the possibility of also making it out to Northern Iowa, South Dakota, Connecticut, and Wyoming. Some other schools I’ve heard from include Iowa State, Western Michigan, and Northern Illinois.”

He has offers from North Dakota. South Dakota, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois, Florida Atlantic, UConn, Navy, and Army. Last season, he finished with 31 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception for the Rams.

Reid Steger | 2027 | OL| 6’6" 320 lbs | Kuemper Catholic High School | Carroll, IA

“Some highlights of the visit would have been learning how the program is set up for the offensive line. I enjoyed talking to Coach Olson and Coach Schmidt about what makes UND different. The new facilities were very unique and impressive for an FCS program. Coach Olson has been in contact with me for a while and is very personable. Coach Schmidt has also reached out. They both told me what UND had to offer, but also built relationships with me. I believe they want me to play guard and possibly tackle,” Steger said.

“I have a visit planned to South Florida on April 4. Some other schools I have been hearing from are Army, Navy, South Dakota State, Columbia, and Cornell.”

He has offers from South Dakota State, Northern Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Army, and Navy.

Miles Felton | 2027 | ATH | 6’3" 215 lbs | Champlin Park High School | Champlin, MN

Felton was at the Junior Day on January 31 and received an offer from the Fighting Hawks after he spoke with head coach Eric Schmidt.

“The highlights of the visit were definitely getting to talk to all of the coaches again and getting to see how they practice. I talked with all of the coaches, but mainly with Coach Kostich (Special teams coordinator and nickel coach Shawn Kostich), Coach Watkins (Linebackers coach Ben Watkins), and Coach Schmidt. The biggest things I got from them are that they feel I really fit the character they want in a person, along with being a great football player,” Felton said.

He will be taking a visit to Minnesota this weekend. Felton also has offers from North Dakota State, South Dakota, Air Force, Army, Navy, Montana State, and Central Michigan.

Kalab Miftah | 2027 | ATH | 6’4" 170 lbs | Park High School | Cottage Grove, MN

“Some of the highlights were just learning about the nutrition aspect for their team and how they really focus on recovery and keeping athletes healthy so they can maintain competing at a high level! Also, obviously, meeting the coaches and touring the locker rooms, weight rooms, and all those things. I was able to connect with Coach Maye and the quality control coach, mostly. But I also spoke with Coach Stepps (Cornerbacks coach Travis Stepps) and the weight room coach, and Coach Kotisch, who plans on coming to watch me do a workout," Miftah said.

"Coach Maye was talking about what he was doing and where he was at before being a coach at North Dakota, and just talking to me about how he watched my film, evaluated me, and how he is looking forward to the connection, and was just talking to me all the way throughout the whole visit. Coach Stepps and I spoke a couple of times, briefly, just asking about how many corners he prefers on his roster, and he just told me how he prefers high school recruits.

"Coach Kotitsch and I were just talking about what my coach and him were talking about because I'm still going through the recovery process, and when he should come down to see me work out and how he was glad I made it there,” Miftah continued.

He has a visit set to North Dakota State on April 24.

Orville Blohm | 2027 | OL | 6’4" 275 lbs | Winnebago Lutheran Academy | Fond du Lac, WI

Rivals Industry Ranking: 3-star | No. 1162 National | No. 97 IOL | No. 12 WI

“I loved their facilities, and I loved how Coach Schmidt puts a lot of resources into it. It shows how much he cares for his players and wants them to have an advantage in any way they can. I connected mainly with Coach Olson, Coach Schmidt, and Coach Haug (Tight ends coach Gordie Haug). They all basically said they are putting together something special at UND and that I can be that player to help them win conference championships and even national championships,” Blohm said.

He will be at Illinois State this weekend and has an official visit to Miami (OH) at the beginning of the summer.

The three-star prospect has offers from Ball State, Lindenwood, North Dakota, Wyoming, Dartmouth, Eastern Michigan, South Dakota State, Yale, South Dakota, Cornell, Florida Atlantic, Pennsylvania, Columbia, and Navy.

Justin Williamson | 2027 | WR | 6’3" 190 lbs | Union Grove High School | Union Grove, WI

“Some things that stood out for me included the nutrition programs, which seemed very well-researched to develop their players. The weight room was very impressive, with a huge space to lift, do speed work, and do agility for a big group of guys. On the academic side, UND has a lot of connections for internships to help develop players in the workforce as well.

"I connected with Coach Freund, with whom I was initially in contact, who told me to stay on the path and keep working. He said he wants to follow my progress throughout the summer into my senior year. Also, Coach Maye explained his handbook that I will take into consideration while working this offseason,” Williamson said.

Last season, he had 30 receptions for 442 yards (14. 7 yards per reception) and three touchdowns for the Broncos. He's been in contact with Minnesota, Northern Illinois, Drake, and St. Thomas.

Akeed Ali | 2027 | WR | 6’1" 160 lbs | East Ridge High School | Woodbury, MN

“I really enjoyed hearing Coach Schmidt talk about what UND is all about, developing athletes not just on the field, but as people off the field too. The coaches I connected with most were Coach Duckett (General Manager Darnell Duckett) and Coach Maye. We talked a lot about the day-to-day life of being a Division 1 athlete and my recruitment going forward. I’m planning on taking more visits this spring, including Illinois State and a few others,” Ali said.

Some other schools he is hearing from are South Dakota State, Montana State, and North Dakota State. Last season, he hauled in 52 receptions for 830 yards and four touchdowns for the Raptors.

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Julio Gonzales Jr.
JULIO GONZALES, JR.

Julio Gonzales Jr. is a national recruiting analyst for FCS Football Central. He has previously written for Mike Farrell Sports and Rivals. There, he covered recruiting for JUCO Football, UTSA, Texas Tech, and SMU. He continues to cover recruiting on his Sports Madness page on Substack. He also serves as a key recruiting contributor for multiple other OnSI sites. He's from Lubbock, Texas, and graduated from Lubbock Christian University. You can reach him at:jrgonzales213@gmail.com.

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