FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State head football coach Matt Entz announced the addition of six high school student-athletes to the 2023 Bison recruiting class Wednesday, Feb. 1, the first day of the regular signing period for Division I football.
The latest additions are offensive lineman AJ Heins (New Salem, N.D.); tight end/fullback Dylan Klancher (Deerwood, Minn.); wide receiver Carter Kriewaldt (Seymour, Wis.); kicker Eli Ozick (Liberty, Mo.); defensive back Termaine Turner (Lakeland, Fla.) and running back Brady Wavrunek (Sioux City, Iowa).
NDSU now has 26 players in its 2023 high school recruiting class, including 20 who committed in December’s early signing period.
The Bison have also added four transfers who will be part of the program this spring. They include linebacker Marcus Gulley (West Fargo, N.D.) from Minnesota State Moorhead, defensive back Marcus Sheppard (Novi, Mich.) from Bowling Green, offensive lineman Isaac Zatechka (Elkhorn, Neb.) from Missouri, and defensive end Hunter Zenzen (Barnesville, Minn.) from Iowa State.
Zatechka has three years of eligibility remaining; Gulley, Sheppard and Zenzen each have two years.
Here are the details on the newest additions to the Bison program:
Marcus Gulley, LB, 6-2, 220, Jr., West Fargo, N.D. (West Fargo HS / MSU Moorhead)
BEFORE NDSU: Comes to NDSU with two years of eligibility after three years at Minnesota State Moorhead…Had the 2020 season canceled due to COVID-19 but played in all 11 games for the Dragons at linebacker in both 2021 and 2022…Had 67 tackles with 4.0 tackles for loss, four pass breakups and one interception as a freshman…All-Northern Sun Conference second team as a sophomore in 2022 after making 81 stops with 9.0 TFLs, 4.0 sacks, two breakups and one interception…Had 10 tackles with two sacks and three TFLs at Northern State…HIGH SCHOOL: Graduate of West Fargo High School, where he was the Eastern Dakota Conference senior athlete of the year in 2019…Two-time all-state honoree…Had 181 career tackles and was a team captain for head coach Jay Gibson…Three-year letterwinner…Also competed in track and field…PERSONAL: Majoring in exercise science and business management…Son of Tanisha Barnhardt and Marcus Gulley Sr.
AJ Heins, OL, 6-1, 290, Fr., New Salem, N.D. (New Salem-Almont HS)
HIGH SCHOOL: 2023 graduate of New Salem-Almont High School…Four-year starter…Played center, guard and tackle for coach Steve Kleinjan…Region 5 senior athlete of the year and two-time all-state first team offensive lineman…Made 150 career tackles on the defensive line…Led the Holsteins to a nine-man state championship in 2022…Also a two-time state champion heavyweight wrestler…PERSONAL: Plans to major in business management or marketing…Parents are Tony and Tami…Has four brothers and one sister.
Dylan Klancher, TE/FB, 6-3, 230, Fr., Deerwood, Minn. (Crosby-Ironton HS)
HIGH SCHOOL: 2023 graduate of Crosby-Ironton High School…Four-year starter for coach Bryan Syrstad…Two-time team captain…Played fullback, tight end, running back, quarterback, offensive line, defensive end and linebacker…Accounted for 890 yards and 13 touchdowns in his career plus 28.5 tackles for loss…Two-time all-district honoree…Broke the school bench press record of 365 pounds…Also competed in track and field…PERSONAL: Undecided on a college major…Son of Zak Klancher and Miranda Caddy…Has one brother, Jake Klancher, who plays linebacker at Wisconsin-Stout…Also has a sister, Alyssa Klancher.
Carter Kriewaldt, WR, 6-1, 185, Fr., Seymour, Wis. (Freedom HS)
HIGH SCHOOL: 2023 graduate of Freedom High School, where his father was the head coach…Two-year starter and three-year letterwinner…Team captain his senior year…Rushed for 3,033 yards and 41 touchdowns in his career…Also had 458 receiving yards with nine touchdowns…First team all-conference running back and defensive back as a junior and senior…Had 1,727 rushing yards and 25 TDs as a senior…Charted 147 career tackles and seven interceptions…All-state defensive back as a senior with 64 tackles and five interceptions…Led his team to back to-back state semifinal appearances…Baseball team MVP as a sophomore and junior…PERSONAL: Plans to major in business…Son of Clint and Jamie Kriewaldt…Father was a sixth-round draft pick out of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and spent nine years in the NFL with the Lions (1999-2002) and Steelers (2003-2007) winning Super Bowl XL with the Steelers in 2005…Family includes two brothers and two sisters.
Eli Ozick, K, 5-11, 175, Fr., Liberty, Mo. (Liberty HS)
HIGH SCHOOL: 2023 graduate of Liberty High School…Placekicker and punter for coach Chad Frigon…Made 9 of 11 field goals and went 33-for-33 on extra-point attempts…Had 42 of 50 kickoffs go for touchbacks…First team all-conference kicker and second team all-conference punter his senior year…Also played center back on the soccer team for coach Tom Rottjakob…Named conference, district and region Defensive Player of the Year in soccer as a junior…First team all-state…National Honor Society…PERSONAL: Plans to major in business…Son of Jon Ozick and Jennifer Johnston…Has one brother, Dillon Ozick.
Marcus Sheppard, DB, 5-10, 190, Sr., Novi, Mich. (Detroit Country Day HS / Bowling Green)
BEFORE NDSU: Comes to NDSU with two years of eligibility after three years in the football program at Bowling Green…Saw action in five games as a true freshman in 2020…Made four tackles, all in his first career start at Akron…Played in 11 of 12 games in 2021…Made 12 total tackles including three at Minnesota and three at Kent State…Appeared in 10 of 12 games in 2022…HIGH SCHOOL: Three-year letterwinner for Detroit Country Day High School…Team captain…Helped his team to a 13-1 record in 2019 and a combined 27-8 mark over three seasons…Also ran track and was a two-time all-state performer…PERSONAL: Majoring in sport management…Son of Michael and Jeanne Sheppard…Has a brother, Joseph Jackson.
Termaine Turner, DB, 5-10, 175, Fr., Lakeland, Fla. (Lake Gibson HS)
HIGH SCHOOL: 2023 graduate of Lake Gibson High School…Three-year starter…Played defensive back for coach Rich Pringle…Had nine pass breakups, one interception and two blocked field goals his senior year…Totaled 42 tackles with two forced fumbles and 20 passes defended in his prep career…PERSONAL: Plans to major in business…Son of Termaine Turner Sr. and Sheena Miller…Family includes two brothers and two sisters.
Brady Wavrunek, RB, 6-0, 209, Fr., Sioux City, Iowa (Sioux City East HS)
HIGH SCHOOL: 2023 graduate of Sioux City East High School…Four-year starter for coach Mike Winklepleck…Team captain his senior year…Played running back and linebacker…All-state first team in 2022…Two-time all-conference first team…Team MVP his junior and senior years…Rushed for more than 2,000 career yards…Averaged 5.9 yards per carry and 17.5 yards per reception as a senior…Scored 12 touchdowns and combined for 875 rushing and receiving yards…Set a school single-season record with 83 tackles as a senior and made 165 career tackles…Academic all-state honoree…Also competed in track and field…PERSONAL: Plans to major in electrical engineering…Son of Jesse and Keri Wavrunek…Father played football at Wayne State College in Nebraska.
Isaac Zatechka, OL, 6-4, 290, So., Elkhorn, Neb. (Elkhorn South / Missouri)
BEFORE NDSU: Comes to NDSU with three years of eligibility after spending the 2021 and 2022 seasons at Missouri…Did not appear in any games with the Tigers…HIGH SCHOOL: Graduate of Elkhorn South High School, where he was an all-conference and all-state performer…PERSONAL: Son of Jon and Sarah Zatechka…Father played football at Nebraska before a professional career with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals and in NFL Europe with the Berlin Thunder…His uncle, Rob Zatechka, was the 1994 Campbell Trophy winner at Nebraska and played in the NFL for the New York Giants…Has a sister, Estella, who plays volleyball at Missouri.
Hunter Zenzen, DE, 6-2, 240, Jr., Barnesville, Minn. (Barnesville HS / Iowa State)
BEFORE NDSU: Comes to NDSU with two years of eligibility…Appeared in 24 career games at Iowa State over the 2021 and 2022 seasons after redshirting in 2020…Made four tackles his sophomore year and recovered a fumble against Ohio…Played all 13 games as a redshirt freshman…Had two tackles including a half tackle for loss against UNLV…Academic All-Big 12 first team in 2022…Two-time Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll…HIGH SCHOOL: Four-year starter for Barnesville High School and coach Bryan Strand…Three-time all-district and two-time district defensive MVP…All-state and academic all-state as a senior…Selected to the 2019 Minnesota all-star game…Finalist for the state’s Mr. Football award…Led the Trojans to the Class 2A state semifinals and a 12-1 record in 2019…Part of a state runner-up finish in 2018…Charted 242 career tackles with 72.0 tackles for loss, 17 sacks and three forced fumbles…Also lettered in basketball and track and field…PERSONAL: Majoring in business…Son of Jamey and Shannon Zenzen…Younger brother, Kaden, is a tight end on the NDSU football team.
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