FOOTBALL: Beavers welcome new signing class

BEMIDJI -- The Bemidji State football team welcomed its latest signing class as part of National Signing Day on Wednesday. Beavers head coach Brent Bolte announced the addition of 26 players who have signed National Letters of Intent, as well as 12 others who have received an offer of admission from BSU.

The group includes 19 offensive players and 17 on the defensive side of the ball, as well as one long snapper and one player who could line up on either side of the ball.

That last recruit is Superior, Wis., product Jarrett Gronski, the Duluth News Tribune’s All-Area player of the year in 2019. The versatile playmaker is projected to be a threat out of the backfield.

“We look at him as maybe a (halfback) type of kid that can play running back. We might use him as a wildcat,” Bolte said. “He’s just a general athlete. That’s why we listed him that way. He’s just a kid that has to get the ball in his hands.”

Gronski’s father, John, was a standout running back for Bemidji State in the late 1980s. He still owns the program single-game rushing record after racking up 319 yards in a 1987 contest.

“You can see where he gets his athleticism from,” Bolte said of the younger Gronski.

Another signee will follow in his father’s footsteps by playing for BSU.

Defensive end Samuel Moore will transfer into the program after spending one season as a redshirt at North Dakota State in 2018. The Verndale native was a multi-sport athlete for the Bison, earning a letter as a thrower for the track and field team and finishing fourth in discus at the Summit League Championships as a true freshman.

Moore’s father, Jeff, played nose guard for the Beavers from 1983-84.

“Things didn’t work out (at NDSU) and I always believe in giving guys second chances,” Bolte said. “He’ll fit really well for what we do. He’s really, really gifted. He was a highly recruited athlete coming out of high school.”

The offensive and defensive lines were areas the coaching staff was looking to address, as well as at quarterback where they added two signal callers.

“I think I say the same thing every year: You’re not going to win in the NSIC unless you have good players in the trenches,” Bolte said, while acknowledging the program is always looking for talent across all positions. “I feel like we’re on a pretty good cycle, if that makes sense. We’re just going to bring in a consistent group all the way through.”

Of the 38 signees, 21 hail from Minnesota and 11 from Wisconsin, to go along with two each from Arizona and Texas, and one each from Illinois and North Dakota.

Bemidji State is coming off its fifth straight winning season after posting an 8-3 record in 2019 to finish second in the NSIC North Division.

2020 BSU Football Signing Class

National Letter of Intent

Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (Previous School)

Cade Barrett DE 6-5 220 Lake Shore, Minn. (Pillager HS)

Elijah Brown DT 5-11 260 Minneapolis, Minn. (Benilde-St. Margaret’s HS)

Aaron Castillo LS 6-2 195 Mesa, Ariz. (Gila River JC)

Brayden Dickelman RB 6-0 205 Shawano, Wis. (Shawano Community HS)

Dillon Drake LB 6-3 195 Mountain Iron, Minn. (Mountain Iron-Buhl HS)

Quin Farr OL 6-2 280 Hudson, Wis. (Hudson HS)

Cole Fredrickson DE 6-5 215 Brooklyn Park, Minn. (Champlin Park HS)

Jarrett Gronski ATH 6-2 210 Superior, Wis. (Superior HS)

Jake Hill WR 5-11 160 Osseo, Minn. (Osseo HS)

Peyton Janecek QB/WR 5-9 180 Houston, Texas (The Woodlands HS)

Reis Jesko NG 6-0 310 Menomonee Falls, Wis. (Menomonee Falls HS)

Sam Kanne FB 5-11 220 Winona, Minn. (Winona HS)

Maalik Knox DB 6-1 175 Phoenix, Ariz. (Cesar Chavez HS)

Conor Kovas OL 6-2 290 Joliet, Ill. (Joliet Catholic Academy)

Lane Larson WR 6-1 180 DeForest, Wis. (DeForest HS)

William LeMire OL 6-2 295 White Bear Lake, Minn. (White Bear Lake HS)

Sam McGath QB 6-1 195 Brookfield, Wis. (Brookfield East HS)

Samuel Moore DE 6-5 250 Verndale, Minn. (North Dakota State)

Michael Navis WR 6-0 175 Cedar Grove, Wis. (Cedar Grove-Belgium HS)

Tim O’Neill Jr. DB 6-0 190 Flower Mound, Texas (Centennial HS)

Rocco Pellegrini OT 6-5 280 Waukesha, Wis. (Catholic Memorial HS)

Brice Peters WR 5-9 175 White Bear Lake, Minn. (White Bear Lake HS)

Tucker Peterson DB 5-11 180 Pillager, Minn. (Pillager HS)

Jack Sharon LB 6-3 205 Andover, Minn. (Andover HS)

Jamel Stone DB 5-9 170 Sun Prairie, Wis. (Sun Prairie HS)

Carter Trom OL 6-2 280 Blaine, Minn. (Blaine HS)

Offer of Admission

Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (Previous School)

AJ Campbell DB 5-8 195 Hopkins, Minn. (Hopkins HS)

Sean Cortright DB 5-8 170 New London, Wis. (New London HS)

Jace Hallin WR 6-0 175 International Falls, Minn. (International Falls HS)

Cole Johnson TE 6-2 215 Proctor, Minn. (Proctor HS)

Cole Johnson RB 5-8 170 Thief River Falls, Minn. (Thief River Falls HS)

Isiah LeTexier OL 6-1 265 Cavalier, N.D. (Cavalier HS)

Josh McLain LB 6-4 200 Baxter, Minn. (Brainerd HS)

Mason Ollman LB 6-1 195 Silver Bay, Minn. (Silver Bay HS)

Wyatt Olson DB 6-0 175 Buffalo, Minn. (Buffalo HS)

Jeb Paczynski OL 6-2 280 Hermantown, Minn. (Hermantown HS)

Brady Rodgers WR 6-2 170 New London, Wis. (New London HS)

Zach Shaffer LB 5-11 205 Blaine, Minn. (Blaine HS)