Bison Football adds 12th ranked player from Iowa in defensive lineman Ethan Wood – InForum

FARGO — Ethan Wood’s recruiting journey started slowly last summer and turned into an inferno in recent weeks.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound defensive end from Mount Vernon, Iowa ended his recruitment on Monday, June 24, announcing his commitment to play football at North Dakota State.

“What stood out at NDSU is that the coaches are very sincere and mean what they say. They really care about you as a person and not just a football player.” said Wood.

Wood is one of the best football players in the state of Iowa. He was a first-team selection for Mount Vernon last fall.

According to 247 Sports, Wood is the 12th-ranked player in the state and the highest-ranked player to commit to an FCS school. NDSU has another committed recruit in the top 20 in the state of Iowa in Clear Creek defensive end Amana’s Brody Clubb. Clubb is in 17th place.

Wood says the pedigree of the NDSU championship and the way the Bison training was conducted were two big reasons he chose to commit to NDSU.

“The most obvious reason is that they are competing for national championships, which is something I want to be a part of. Another reason is that NDSU has two fields during practice so everyone gets reps, even the young guys.”

Wood appeared on the recruiting radar this spring and received an offer from Boise State of the Mountain West Conference in April. NDSU expanded its offering last week after Northern Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota all offered scholarships. Wood says it was an appearance at the Iowa team camp that sold him NDSU.

“NDSU really came into the picture when they came to my school at the beginning of the winter. Fast forward to this summer and my first camp was in Iowa and some of their coaches were at the camp. After the camp I was really impressed made them and they called me about a week later with an offer.”

Mustang Moon, Lily Rechkemmer

Mount Vernon plays in Class 3A in the state of Iowa, the third largest class in the state. The Mustangs finished with a 10-2 record and fell in the state quarterfinals.

Mount Vernon plays at the same level as Solon, the hometown of NDSU starting quarterback Cam Miller. NFL All-Pro and Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive lineman left tackle Tristan Wirfs is an alum of that school. NDSU head coach Tim Polasek coached Wirfs at the University of Iowa when Polasek was the offensive line coach for the Hawkeyes.

Wood also excelled on the wrestling mat for Mount Vernon, placing sixth at this year’s Iowa State Meet.

“The part that stands out to me about the Bison defense is that they want their defensive line to be made up of athletes and make plays. They don’t build them up to 300 pounds to fill a hole.”

Wood says he plans to study pre-med at NDSU in his plans to become an orthopedic surgeon.

“Sanford Health offers great opportunities for NDSU students.”

Dom Izzo is sports director at WDAY-TV. He started working for WDAY in 2006 as a weekend sports anchor and was promoted to sports director in 2010.