Bison 2022 football depth chart preview: kicker

The 2022 North Dakota State football season is quickly approaching and offseason coverage is heating up at the Bison Media Zone.

Over the next three weeks, we will look at each position on the Bison football team and examine the depth chart at those positions, ranging from current players on the team to incoming players that could play.

NDSU 2022 DEPTH CHART PREVIEW: PUNTER

The second part of our series continues on special teams with a closer look at kicker.

NDSU saw Jake Reinholz move on after two years as the starting kicker. Reinholz never missed an extra point during his time in Fargo, but the Bison aren't devoid of experience at that spot.

GRIFFIN CROSA - Redshirt junior

Crosa is about to enter his fourth year on the Bison football roster, having enrolled early at NDSU in the winter of 2019. He was thrust into action that fall when Reinholz was injured in the season opener.

All Crosa did was connect on 60 of 61 extra points and make 11 of 15 field goals, accounting for all of NDSU's points in a 9-3 quarterfinal win over Illinois State.

Reinholz returned for the national championship game against James Madison in January 2020 and Crosa saw his playing time essentially vanish.

Crosa got into two games during the 2021 spring season, including making two field goals against UND, but he didn't play at all this fall, essentially redshirting.

Crosa was suspended for a game during the 2019 season for a violation of team rules and when head coach Matt Entz was asked about the kicking situation heading into spring ball in March, he answered: "Griffin has some experience for us. But we need to find out who's going to give us the best opportunity there. But his experience is valuable."

Not necessarily a ringing endorsement, which is intriguing, since there is only one other kicker on the current roster, Will Cardinal, who right now is listed as a punter.

Crosa graduated earlier this month, so it will be interesting to see how things play out here, especially since he already has his diploma.

DREW KLEIN - Incoming freshman

NDSU did sign a kicker for its 2022 class in Wisconsin native Drew Klein.

Klein hails from Hortonville, Wisconsin and was a heralded high school kicker. Klein was rated a five-star kicker and ranked number 34 in the nation by the Kohl's Kicking Academy.

Klein was a two year starter, connecting on six field goals and 14 extra points.

Klein made a first trip to Fargo in July of 2021 and by September had make a commitment to the Bison.

Entz said this about Klein when he officially signed in December: "Always need someone to drive the football, he had 30 touchbacks during his career, like having teams starting at the 25 yard line."

It's worth noting as mentioned in the punter preview, that NDSU will have a new long snapper in 2022 in Caleb Bowers, that there very well could be a new kicker for the Bison this fall.

This is definitely a position battle to watch when fall camp begins.