GRAND FORKS – The outside linebacker was a game-deciding position in UND’s 3-4 defense for a long time.
In 2023, however, the Fighting Hawks did not see this group make enough negative plays.
As UND heads into the second week of fall camp at Memorial Field, UND’s outside backers have given reason to believe there could be more sacks and tackles for loss in 2024.
And he brings back two of his three best starting outside linebackers from 2023: Josh Navratil and Dylan Boecker return because Ted Mullin is no longer eligible to play.
A big reason for optimism beyond Navratil and Boecker is the development of second-year player Lance Rucker and the arrival of transfers Riley Gerhardt and John Butsch.
Rucker, perhaps UND’s most physically gifted defender, understands the system better after being redshirted in 2023. Rucker is 6-foot-3, 220 pounds and is from Omaha.
“He’s a lot more comfortable,” said Tom Dosch, UND’s outside linebackers coach. “He can rattle off stuff and come in and ask questions about what to do here or there, instead of saying, ‘I have no idea what call we’re in.’ He comes to me with good, educational questions.”
“The physical aspect is definitely there. He’s shown he can be effective at the line of scrimmage. He’s playing more in open space now and doing well there. We’re just continuing to work on getting him more comfortable in our system with as many reps as possible.”
UND also expects to count on Gerhardt and Butsch. Gerhardt is in his final season in Grand Forks after becoming Valley City State’s all-time record holder in sacks. Butsch was Upper Iowa’s top tackle in 2023.
The scene: UND practiced from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. on the grass field south of Memorial Field. Temperatures were just above 10 degrees, it was raining and windy.
Match of the day: Jerry Kaminski took a long pass from Caden Dennis along the sideline, where Dennis stretched out to catch the ball.
Keep an eye on: Dennis. In his third year in the program, Dennis is showing signs of breaking through. He caught two long balls and showed some playmaking ability on a jet sweep during Thursday’s practice.
- Thursday was one of the coldest days of fall camp in recent history. It was windy enough to make a botched punt and nearly land the ball on the railroad tracks south of the field. Assistant coach Tom Dosch noted that it was nice weather for the homecoming.
- There is no training on Friday. AND will train on Tuesday after regular training on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
- UND conducted two 11-on-11 sessions, with the first part taking place in the red zone.
- Ben Buxa returned to the No. 1 offensive line after those snaps went to junior college transfer Carter Gorder on Wednesday.
- Redshirt freshman quarterback Jerry Kaminski had one of his best days of fall camp in 11-on-11 action, converting a bubble to Nate Demontagnac, a slant to Sam Strandell, a screen to Isaiah Smith and a long bomb to a diving Caden Dennis.
- The slant to Strandell, a well-placed fastball from Kaminski, caught the attention of offensive coordinator Isaac Fruechte, who shouted his excitement at the execution.
- Kaminski, however, narrowly avoided an interception as safety Jett Sutton jumped a short pass route, but the potential pick-six bounced off his helmet and the pass was incomplete.
- Trey Feeney’s 11-on-11 snaps included a long pass up the middle to Dennis, a short pass to Bo Belquist and a rollout to fullback Mason South.
- The highlight of Simon Romfo’s action was a short pass to sophomore wide receiver Korey Tai.
- On one of the final plays of the day, quarterback Cole Hentges threw a deep ball to wide receiver Adam Poncelet, a redshirt freshman.
