Roster Release Thoughts

UND Football recently released their official 2012 roster.  After scouring the list we came across a few things.

•  For the first time in a long time, it appears the entire signing class of 2012 is going to be on campus come fall camp.  Usually there is one defection sometime during the summer months due to homesickness, sport change, etc.   That did not appear to happen this year.
• There were some notable players that were not on this fall’s roster.  QB Chris Comes, WR Marco Barrientos, DL Caleb Nelson, LB Joey Walker, LB Derrick Dulaney, and S BJ Fifita are no longer on the roster.  The only one we are surprised about is Fifita, which definitely hurts the safety position that already the thinnest on the team.
• The WR position is the deepest position on the team.  Just a couple years ago it was probably the thinnest.  Recent recruiting successes have shored up this position to the point where there will be some major camp battles just to lock down the 4th WR spot.  Hardin, McGill, Ivery, Townsend, Heimler, Jackson, and Young should provide some nice targets for the UND QB’s.  Waiting in the wings are three freshman receivers that will all redshirt and are all above 6’3″ – Oliver, Golladay, and Fletcher.
• The thinnest position on the roster is without a doubt Safety.  UND did try to shore up the position with two Juco additions in Will Lewis and Clordion Kennedy.  Both are expected to fight for the starting spots at FS and SS.  Senior Erik Mersereau is expected to battle those two for one safety spot along with sophomore Baylee Carr and all together those four will make up the two-deep at safety.  Freshman Javen Butler will be a wild card at the safety position and anything they can get from him will just be a bonus.  He’s been out of football for over a year and a half.
• There will be 6 QB’s on the roster with only one of them being a walk-on (Jake Hanson).
• There is a second punter on the roster, freshman Jordan Christianson, of L.D. Bell High School in Hurst, TX.