UND football seeing a large number of early enrollees at spring ball
· Yahoo Sports
Mar. 31—GRAND FORKS — Aiden Wunderlich didn't wrestle much with the decision.
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The 2026 Central Cass offensive line product knew during the recruiting process he wanted to graduate early and participate in spring ball.
"No-brainer," he said. "Football is my thing. I love football. I wanted to come early because I want to be the best. To be the best football player I can be, I felt this was the best decision for my development."
Wunderlich isn't alone. He's among five 2026 recruits who enrolled early at UND to participate in spring ball. That's easily the highest number in recent history.
Players say they weren't pressured to join spring ball. Instead, they were simply presented with the option. The players to take UND up on the offer are Wunderlich, quarterback Brooks Hendrickson of Mount Horeb, Wis., wide receiver James Jones of Delray Beach, Fla., cornerback Christian Davis of Pensacola, Fla., and cornerback Toris Rudd Jr., of Gretna, Neb.
"I just talked with my parents about it, and I was just thinking, 'Why waste my second semester of my senior year just sitting around?'" Hendrickson said. "I think the benefit of being here early and learning before fall camp was going to be really beneficial."
One of the major draws was the access to UND's strength and conditioning program, as well as the nutrition opportunities.
For Wunderlich, a prized UND recruit whose college decision came down to UND and North Dakota State, that connection is already paying dividends. The 6-foot-7 Wunderlich started on UND's campus at 272 pounds and weighed in last week at 292 pounds.
"The nutrition staff here pouring into us is huge," Wunderlich said. "We get meals after practice, shakes after lifts. We take our vitamins every day. Trying to maximize recovery, muscle growth and all of that. The dining center over by the dorms has been huge. It's buffet-style, so I can kind of eat however much I want every day, which is nice."
Coming to UND early isn't without some sacrifice to the high school experience. Wunderlich would have competed in track and field in the spring, while Hendrickson was a standout baseball player.
"I really like baseball," Hendrickson said. "Those guys text me and tell me how they're doing. They're going to have a great year. I'm glad I'm here, and I'm just staying present in the moment."
As UND approaches the midway point of spring ball, the practices are becoming more routine for the super-rookies.
"At first, it's a lot to learn," Hendrickson said. "Once you get in the flow of things, you get in a few meetings and take some notes, you can take it all in and apply it to the field. It's not as fast as it once was. There's still a lot to learn. I am trying to soak up more and more every single day."
Wunderlich agrees.
"It's a different game in college compared to high school," he said. "It's just so much faster. All the players are way bigger, faster, stronger. It's something I expected, but it's kind of surreal to actually experience it and play against these guys."