DI College Football Early Signing Day: Breaking Down NDSU/UND Classes and Local Athletes Signing their NLI

HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES SIGN THEIR NLI TO PLAY DIVISION I COLLEGE FOOBTALL.

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) –A day of dreams coming true for high school football athletes and college programs improving their futures. Wednesday marked the first day of the three-day early signing period for Division I football.

The North Dakota State Bison added 32 high school athletes.

A few of the local talent the Bison added includes Noah Nelson and Carter Dauner.

Nelson signed as a tight end for the class of 2025 after being a three-year starter for Hawley High School playing quarterback, linebacker and safety.

Dauner, a two-year starter at West Fargo High School, played defensive end as was an all-conference and All-State honoree.

In total, the Bison signing class includes:

• three players from North Dakota, 10 from Minnesota, seven from Wisconsin, three each from Missouri and Nebraska, two from Iowa and two from Florida, and one each from Illinois and Texas.
• By position, the Bison added five defensive backs, six linebackers, seven defensive linemen, five offensive linemen, three tight ends, two wide receivers, two quarterbacks, one running back and one athlete.

As for the University of North Dakota, they too added a few local athletes. Two of them include Jack Ames from Hawley High School and Owen Thielges from Moorhead High School.

Ames spent four seasons playing linebacker at Hawley. He recorded 93 tackles this past season as a senior.

Thielges, a defensive back for Moorhead, was a first-team All-State selection this past season and earned the Section 8 AAAAA Defensive Player of the Year award.

A couple other local signees: Karter Peterson from Thompson High School and Ty Vig from Kittson County Central High School.

In total, the Fighting Hawks signing class includes:

• By State: Minnesota (10), Iowa (4), North Dakota (3), Missouri (2), Wisconsin (2), Illinois (1), Nebraska (1)
• By Position: Linebacker (7), Defensive Back (3), Offensive Lineman (3), Tight End (3), Defensive Lineman (2), Running Back (2), Wide Receiver (2), Quarterback (1)
  

Aside from the local FCS programs adding to their rosters for 2025, a few athletes from our area made their commitments official to some big name FBS programs.

Jake Starcevic signed his National Letter of Intent to continue his football journey at Army West Point.

The Kindred High School star played quarterback and linebacker for the Vikings the past two seasons after transferring in from Thompson High School. Starcevic helped the Vikings to a state championship in 2023 and a runner-up finish this past season. He will play linebacker at Army.

Also signing their NLI to an FBS program is West Fargo Sheyenne star Kade Pietrzak.

Pietrzak signed to continue his football journey at Nebraska out of the B1G 10. Pietrzak will play defensive line with the Huskers and is coming off a state championship with the Mustangs this past November. He was named first team All-State and was regarded as the number-one recruit in the state of North Dakota on recruiting websites as a 4-star recruit.