College Football

Trey Lance, Carson Wentz top bevy of pros produced by North Dakota State

Published Sep. 24, 2021 3:39 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

By Rob Rang
FOX Sports NFL Draft Analyst

At first glance, it might not appear that the Alabama Crimson Tide and North Dakota State Bison have a lot in common. 

There is a wide gulf between the two powerhouse football programs when it comes to their locations, level of play and national following.

When it comes to high school recruits and NFL scouts, however, the gap is undeniably shrinking. You might know North Dakota State as the alma mater of Colts QB Carson Wentz and 49ers QB Trey Lance, both top-three NFL picks in the past six years.

In fact, NDSU has produced nine NFL draft picks over the past eight years if you count LB Jabril Cox, who won three FCS titles with the Bison before moving on to LSU as a grad transfer. (And NDSU does count him.) 

Both Bama and NDSU lost record-setting classes this past spring to the NFL — including star quarterbacks Mac Jones and Lance in the first round. As a result, rivals of the programs may have thought they'd be vulnerable in 2021.

They'd be wrong.

Both teams have simply reloaded, with the Bison — winners of a staggering eight FCS titles since 2011 — even more successful at their level than the mighty Crimson Tide, who have won a "paltry" five championships during that same span. 

And while no one is going to confuse the talent in the Missouri Valley Conference with the top competition Alabama faces in the Southeastern Conference each year, NDSU’s dominance deserves a closer look, especially given the 127-13 combined scores from its three wins so far this season. 

Whereas it is easy to simply credit Nick Saban with the remarkable turnaround in Tuscaloosa, three different head coaches have guided the Bison to titles during the past decade. 

So, what is the secret in Fargo that coaches of bigger, more prominent FBS programs across the country are missing?

An old saying in the coaching and scouting business is that successful programs are often built more by the "Jimmys and Joes than the Xs and Os," an acknowledgment of the critical importance of raw talent.  

Raw might be the most important word in describing the recruitment strategy utilized by current Bison head coach Matt Entz and predecessors Chris Klieman (now at Kansas State) and Craig Bohl (now at Wyoming) during their time at North Dakota State. 

While some programs make waves on signing day with celebrated five-star recruits, the Bison have consistently cultivated their talent, gambling on athletic potential and their own ability to coach. 

Lance, the third overall pick by San Francisco just a few months ago, is the latest and perhaps best-known example of this, having signed with NDSU after generating only a single scholarship offer from an FBS program. If that does not provide an indication of how far Lance had slipped through the recruiting cracks, consider that the one FBS program that did offer him a scholarship — Iowa — wanted him to play linebacker. 

Klieman deserves credit for recognizing Lance’s untapped potential. Perhaps best of all (certainly for Kansas State fans), Klieman’s vision was hardly a fluke. He was also critical in recruiting and developing the two quarterbacks to precede Lance at NDSU — Wentz (No. 2 overall pick by the Eagles in 2016) and Easton Stick (fifth-round pick by the Chargers in 2019) — both of whom were also drafted after earning little attention from recruiting experts or FBS teams. 

And before Kliemnan, there was Bohl. He guided the Bison to three consecutive FCS titles from 2011-13. Bohl, a former Nebraska defensive back, has since proven that his eye for quarterback talent is just as good after leaving Fargo. He helped Josh Allen develop into a star at Wyoming. Allen was the seventh pick of the 2018 draft and in August signed a $258 million extension with the Buffalo Bills. 

Regardless of how many stars were assigned to them as recruits arriving on campus, Wentz, Stick and Lance became stars at North Dakota State. In fact, they are the only three quarterbacks ever drafted from the program.

Think about that for a moment — three quarterbacks drafted into the NFL over the past six years. Only one other team in the entire country can claim that, the Oklahoma Sooners. And, following Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, the Sooners' total was boosted by Alabama graduate transfer Jalen Hurts. 

While quarterbacks get most of the attention, North Dakota State’s ability to recruit and develop extends far beyond the game’s most important position. 

Carson Wentz passed for more than 5,000 yards, rushed for more than 1,000 and won four FCS titles during his career at North Dakota State.  (Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images)

Consider the vision and ability to develop talent shown by Entz and his staff with offensive lineman Dillon Radunz, last year’s Senior Bowl standout and the 53rd overall pick this past spring. Now a prototypically built 6-foot-6, 305-pound tackle for the Tennessee Titans, Radunz signed with North Dakota as a gangly two-star defensive end before packing on weight and gaining strength to become the earliest selection of any non-QB from NDSU since 1985. 

Scouts point out that the Bison have enjoyed great success throughout the Midwest for years, luring talent out of Minnesota, Ohio, Nebraska and other traditional Big Ten and Big 12 hotspots. 

Just like how the Crimson Tide (and Auburn) dominate the football-loving state of Alabama, Bison football is the story in North Dakota and even some of the surrounding states. As such, the Bison typically have their choice of most of the top prep talent in the region, with some even choosing to compete for a title with the Bison rather than head to a middling-level FBS program. 

Of the 117 players currently on NDSU’s official roster, only 20 of them actually played their high school football in the state of North Dakota. 

Those who did, however, include some of NDSU's top players, including three-fifths of its starting offensive line: tackles Cordell Volson and Cody Mauch, and guard Jake Kubas. Similarly, two critical pieces of the front seven on defense also are homegrown talents. Senior linebacker Jackson Hankey is the team’s leading tackler, and top defensive lineman Brayden Thomas has set the pace in both sacks and tackles for loss through the first three games. 

For more up-to-date news on all things North Dakota State, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

However, with the bling of national championship rings and the growing success in the NFL draft, NDSU has broadened its recruiting base, with 30 players coming from the state of Minnesota and 17 more from Wisconsin. 

And it isn’t just the Midwest. Current Bison hail from all over the country, with recruits signing from as far away as Texas, California and Washington state.   

Eight players on NDSU’s roster are from the talent-rich state of Florida, including speedy senior Christian Watson, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound wideout who looks like the best bet to continue the Bison migration to the NFL. 

Perhaps most notably, NDSU has seemingly continued its sparkling run at quarterback with former Virginia Tech starter Quincy Patterson II transferring in to take the reins from Lance. 

For more up-to-date news on all things college football, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

"Why wouldn't you want to play there?" Patterson said of NDSU when making the transfer announcement.

A 6-foot-3, 246-pound redshirt junior, Patterson has an NFL frame but is more of a runner than a passer at this point. He has rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns on 22 attempts — the same number of completions (out of 32 attempts) he has through the first three games, accumulating 382 passing yards and three more scores. 

Unlike his predecessors at the position, Patterson was originally a highly regarded prospect, earning the QB MVP Award at Nike’s The Opening Regional, as well as a spot at the prestigious Elite 11 quarterback camp prior to signing with the Hokies. 

While his accuracy needs polishing, scouts traveling through Fargo rave about Patterson’s intangibles. And with the responsibility given to players in NDSU's pro-style scheme, scouts expect Patterson to improve as a thrower, especially given the uptick in talent coming into the program from all over the country.

For years, NFL scouts have combed through the so-called "small schools" in the hopes of unearthing diamonds in the rough. 

Given how consistently North Dakota State has churned out talent in recent years — coupled with growing programs at Northern Iowa, Montana, Southern Utah, Sam Houston State, Eastern Washington and others — fans should expect both the quality and quantity of prospects coming from the FCS ranks to continue to rise. 

And no one should be surprised when it is the Bison leading the charge. 

One of the most recognized names in the industry, Rob Rang has been covering the NFL draft for over 20 years with his work found at FOX, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Yahoo, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com, among others. 

share

Get more from College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

North Dakota State Bison

Alabama Crimson Tide

Trey Lance

Carson Wentz

Easton Stick

Quincy Patterson

Dillon Radunz