vcsufootballVALLEY CITY (VCSU, CSi) – Valley City State University football coach Dennis McCulloch announces the addition of 20 student-athletes who have signed letters of intent to continue their football and academic careers at VCSU.

The group of VCSU commits includes seven North Dakota natives, nine student-athletes from Minnesota, two from Wisconsin and one each from Arizona and California.

“It’s always exciting to welcome a new group of student-athletes to VCSU,” said coach McCulloch. “We’ve recruited a group of young men who we believe fit the culture of our program and will help us continue to raise the level of VCSU football.”

Four of the signed commits for 2016 are junior college transfers, including three offensive linemen. Included in the group of North Dakota high school commits is a trio of teammates from Beulah High School, the North Dakota Class 2A state champions.

Valley City State University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and plays in the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) conference.

VCSU is coming off a 7-3 season in 2015 and finished second in the NSAA standings. The Vikings had won the previous four conference championships and advanced to the NAIA National Playoffs in 2014. The Viking football program has posted a 16-5 overall record the last two seasons and is 25-4 in conference play since 2011.

VCSU recruiting is ongoing, and several more student-athletes are expected to commit to VCSU in the coming days and weeks.

VCSU Football – 2016 Recruits

North Dakota (7)

Jalen Pfeifer – Rolette, N.D. – North Prairie, QB, 6-0, 182 lbs

Jorun Hamre – Enderlin, N.D. – Enderlin High School, OL, 6-3, 225 lbs

Kendrick Lenzen – Hankinson, N.D. – Hankinson High School, LB, 5-11, 185 lbs

Jacey Duttenhefner – Beulah, N.D. – Beulah High School, OL, 6-4, 215 lbs

Sean Glaholt – Beulah, N.D. – Beulah High School, LB, 5-10, 170 lbs

Caid Combs – Buffalo, N.D. – Maple Valley High School, WR, 5-8, 160 lbs

Brandon Elton – Beulah, N.D. – Beulah High School, DB, 5-10, 160 lbs

Minnesota (9)

Curtis Brisk – Pierz, Minn. – Central Lakes College, OL, 6-0, 310 lbs

Evan Newman – Fergus Falls, Minn. – Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, TE, 6-3, 200 lbs

Clint Gadacz – Foley, Minn. – Royalton High School, OL, 6-2, 255 lbs

Austin Ramos – Breckenridge, Minn. – Breckenridge High School, DL, 6-0, 260 lbs

Broderic Thompson – Hutchinson, Minn. – Hutchinson High School, DL, 5-11, 240 lbs

Gage Blechinger – Little Falls, Minn. – Little Falls High School, DL, 6-0, 255 lbs

John Lund – Staples, Minn. – Staples-Motley High School, TE, 6-3, 240 lbs

Carl Williams – Belgrade, Minn. – Ridgewater College, OL, 6-6, 245 lbs

Kamau Anderson – Minneapolis, Minn. – Robbinsdale Cooper High School, LB, 6-0, 215 lbs

Wisconsin (2)

Josh Bender – Odanah, Wis. – Fond du Lac Community College, RB, 5-11, 215 lbs

Casey Giesseman – Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – Central Lakes College, OL, 6-3, 285 lbs

Arizona (1)

Justin Jones – Chandler, Ariz. – La Joya High School, WR, 6-0, 183 lbs

California (1)

Tafau Mataele – Milpitas, Calif. – Milpitas High School, DL, 5-10, 300 lbs