Bison get commitment from Illinois two-way standout

FARGO - North Dakota State football has excelled in finding the best athletes in high school and then finding a position for them.

Neuqua Valley (IL)'s Grant Larkin fits that bill. The 6-0, 180 pound athlete announced his verbal commitment to the Bison on Thursday.

Larkin chose NDSU over offers from 11 other schools, including two FBS offers; Army and Akron. Larkin was pursued by two of the Dakota schools, SDSU and UND.

"NDSU is just a heck of a place to to be. There are few atmospheres and programs out there like NDSU, and playing in the FargoDome." Larkin said.

Larkin was officially offered by NDSU in May, he had a great junior year, racking up forty catches with six touchdowns. Larkin will move to the defensive side of the ball in college to play either free or strong safety.

"I personally love the coaching staff, one of the key things that stuck out to me is how thorough they are while they were in the recruiting process with me, and it really showed why they are so good, because of the way they recruit.

I truly felt the love from not only Coach (David) Braun (My recruiting coach) but also Coach Kody Morgan, Coach (Matt) Entz, Lew Walker, and the rest of the staff not only when I was offered but when I visited too." Larkin said.

Larkin is the second commit for the Class of 2023, joining Spring Lake Park's Beau Johnson, who committed to NDSU back in April.

He hails from a football rich high school, Neuqua Valley is also the alma mater of South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski.

Gronowski was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year along with Freshman of the Year in the spring 2021 season. Gronowski missed the entire fall season after a serious knee injury in the FCS Championship Game in May of 2021.

Gronowski tweeted at Larkin back in May when he was offered by the Bison: "Congrats, but Horns Down."

Larkin also got to meet and visit with one of NDSU's current great players to seal the deal on him committting to the Bison; Michael Tutise.

"Getting to eat lunch with Michael Tutsie and some other guys really helped my decision as well. Was great hearing the players perspectives and how positive they were about everything."