UND football lands verbal from Moorhead defensive end with offers from NDSU, USD and FBS

Tom Miller, Grand Forks Herald
·2 min read

Jun. 21—The Moorhead Spuds are starting to be an important recruiting pipeline for the UND football program.

On Monday, Moorhead defensive end Jack Teiken, one of the top college football recruits in the region's class of 2022, gave his verbal commitment to the Fighting Hawks.

UND's All-American running back Otis Weah is a former Spud, as is incoming 2021 quarterback recruit Trey Feeney and 2021 wide receivers Blake and Brady Walthall.

"I feel like that's definitely a bonus that we're all choosing to go there, but most of us are making a decision for ourselves and where we want to play for the next four or five years," Teiken said. "It just happens to be that we're going to the same program. I can't wait to spend more time with those guys."

Teiken is already hopeful UND will continue to land football prospects from the Spuds this summer.

Teiken, who's 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, held FBS offers from Wyoming, Buffalo, Army West Point, Air Force and Central Michigan. He also held multiple FCS offers including North Dakota State and South Dakota.

"One thing I promised myself at the beginning of the process is I'll find the best fit for me and UND definitely offered that for me," Teiken said. "I love the staff, university and really felt they could set me up for success in the future.

"They really fit what I'm about, how I like to play and how I like to live."

Teiken finished his junior season for the Spuds with 21 tackles, nine of them for losses, seven sacks and a forced fumble.

Moorhead won all six regular-season games this season, as well as its lone playoff game against Alexandria. Feeney was named the Associated Press Player of the Year.

Teiken is UND's second known verbal for the class of 2022. UND's first verbal came from Wayzata offensive lineman Brett Kelzenberg.

The Fighting Hawks were 5-2 this spring, advancing to the FCS quarterfinals for the first time in program history before falling at James Madison.

UND opens the 2021 fall season Sept. 4 in Pocatello, Idaho, against Idaho State.