Dom Izzo's Missouri Valley/Summit League notebook: An NDSU spring ball update and some NFL FCS draft chatter

NDSU SPRING BALL NEARING AN END

North Dakota State spring football is nearing its conclusion, with a final spring practice set for next Saturday, the 23rd. The practice will actually be televised by WDAY (shameless self-promotion time) beginning at 2pm with the ring ceremony and then the practice to follow. Kyle Emanuel will join me for the broadcast, which will be live streamed at Inforum.com.

As for on the field news, I spoke with linebackers coach Grant Olson on Tuesday as his position group is under the most scrutiny in my opinion this month. Olson sang the praises of junior Nick Kubitz, who was a dynamo on special teams last year as a player that will play a lot at middle linebacker this fall. Kubitz will share the duties with Luke Weerts, who is entering his fourth year in the program. Weerts is battling back from a back injury that sidelined him for all but three games last season.

Olson added that two other linebackers, Hillsboro's Oscar Benson and Missouri native Logan Kopp are both progressing well and will see the field a lot this coming season. Benson has added 15 pounds of muscle and appears ready to make an impact.

Olson told me Kopp has the potential "to be one of the greats that has played linebacker at this school. Just has a great feel for the game." Kopp played in one game last year against Indiana State, but did dress for another three games, traveling on the road. Watch for a story on him next week on WDAY Sports.

WDAY's Logan Campbell had a nice story on Fargo South alum Enock Sibomana, who also has moved into the linebacker room this spring.

MORE BASKETBALL TRANSFER NEWS

We heard for the first time from Moorhead native Maleeck Harden-Hayes on Wednesday about his transfer from NDSU to Kansas City. He told me on Hot Mic that "things didn't really click between me and Dave (Richman) as I wanted it to. Maybe it was the system or the play style for me. Everybody has a role, I just thought I could have done a little bit more."

Harden-Hayes will be joined by another Summit League transfer in Kansas City as South Dakota's Boogie Anderson announced Wednesday he will be joining Billy Donlon's Roos next season. Eric Peterson has more on the Harden-Hayes decision.

Mike McFeely first reported on Henning's Ellie Dague leaving the NDSU women's basketball team and heading into the portal. Dague is the sixth different player to leave the Bison since the season ended, not counting Kylie Strop and Kadie Deaton, who left the team during the year. That's eight total players and two assistant coaches in Brooke Costley and on Monday, Sandy Abston, who took an assistant job at Kansas City.

Chris Dague, Ellie's dad tells me that Abston and Ellie were close and that was difficult for Dague that Abston was leaving. Dague did not play at all this season as she injured her knee last summer and redshirted this entire season. She will have four years of eligibility remaining.

Sources tell me that the situation with the women's basketball team is not great right now, with some players complaining of head coach Jory Collins coaching "style and intensity." There could be a couple of more players leave the team via the transfer portal in the coming days.

The Bison announced the signing of Oregon guard Abby Graham on Wednesday, NDSU has at least three more scholarships to fill for the upcoming season.

UND GETS ANOTHER IN-STATE COMMIT

We reported in the notebook earlier this week about Bismarck Century's Ryan Erikson getting an offer from Paul Sather and North Dakota last weekend. Erikson didn't waste any time, committing to UND on Tuesday.

Erikson is a 6-10 junior, who averaged 17 points per game this season. Century head coach Darin Mattern tells me that Erikson has some much room to improve his game and hopes that continues this summer.

Erikson is the first commit for UND for the Class of 2023. NDSU does not have any commits yet for that class.

FUN FOOTBALL SCHEDULING

I'm a sucker for football scheduling, so when I saw this item come in I was instantly jealous of this matchup.

St. Thomas announced Monday that the Tommies have a home and home series scheduled with Harvard beginning in 2023. St. Thomas will head to Boston to play the Crimson next football season, with Harvard returning to St. Paul in 2029. The Ivy League is not known for traveling outside of the eastern time zone, so this is a unique and exciting matchup. I've been pining for a couple of years for NDSU to get a game with an Ivy League school, since the conference does not and will not play in the FCS Playoffs.

BIG DRAFT FOR THE FCS?

We are two weeks away from the NFL Draft and it's setting up for not just a big weekend for the FCS, but it could be a record setter for the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

It's a foregone conclusion that Northern Iowa All-American offensive tackle Trevor Penning will be a first round selection, but the conference may have another in former Bison wide receiver Christian Watson. Watson was projected to be selected with the 22nd overall pick by the Green Bay Packers in his most recent mock draft.

Watson continues to get some first round steam as other NFL Draft gurus like Todd McShay and Daniel Jeremiah also have projected Watson to be a first round pick.

It's been 14 years since the FCS had two first round picks (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Joe Flacco) and it's been 20 years since two first round picks came from the same conference (Jackson State and the SWAC). The Missouri Valley Football Conference seems poised to join that list in a couple of weeks.

Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus released his top ten FCS NFL Draft prospects, which includes some familiar faces for NDSU and UND fans, but also plenty of familiar opponents. Treash will be a guest on Hot Mic Friday morning at 9:35 on WDAY Xtra.

We'll have another notebook coming up this weekend.