Bison get first 2024 football commitment from Williston's St. Romain

WILLISTON, N.D. — North Dakota State went to the western part of the state to pick up its first football commitment for the 2024 recruiting class.

Williston junior wide receiver Isiah St. Romain confirmed to WDAY Sports that he has accepted a scholarship offer to play for the Bison. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound wide receiver had 22 receptions for 401 yards and four touchdowns in 2022.

The Coyotes finished with a 2-7 record in North Dakota Class 11AA, beating Dickinson and Watford City this past fall.

"I'm super excited to commit to NDSU. Can't wait to get there and show what I can do." St. Romain said late Wednesday.

St. Romain was offered by the Bison in late March and the coaching staff was working hard to get a commitment. St. Romain is an excellent basketball player for the Coyotes, averaging 22.6 points per game this past season. He plays for the ECI AAU travel team in North Dakota and was starting to get some college steam for basketball, but says his heart is in football.

"Ever since I was a little kid I wanted to be D-I athlete and since I moved here in my freshman year to North Dakota, seeing NDSU as a top program it was a dream of mine to go there," St. Romain said. "It was mind-blowing when I got the offer in March to play Division I football somewhere, and I wanted to be a part of the Bison and Wednesday was the day I decided to be a part of it."

St. Romain's dad moved his family from Texas to work in the oil fields in Williston four years ago.

"My dad was missing his family and he wanted us to come up here," St. Romain said. "At the time, I didn't want to make the move, but I'm really excited I made the move because now I'm fulfilling my dreams and all of my dreams are coming true."

St. Romain has been used to moving with his dad's career. He said fitting in a new environment has become second nature over the last handful of years.

"I've been in many environments, I bounced around in Texas, got used to making new friends," St. Romain said. "My parents taught me to be respectful and to make new friends. They raised me well."

St. Romain runs track at Williston in the spring to go along with his AAU basketball team. He added that he's the first in his family to commit to play a Division I sport.

"I'm the first in my family to make Division I and play a sport," St. Romain said. "To be separated from my family members, I just wanted to be a little bit different."

St. Romain's commitment marks the third time in the last four years that the first player NDSU has got to commit was a local player. In 2020, Mandan's Jaxon Duttenhefer was the first in the boat. The following season, Moorhead's Austin Altepeter was the first to commit.

St. Romain says he'll be attending NDSU's traditional summer three-day camp. He knows that when next football season rolls around, he'll be a marked man on the football field for the Coyotes.

"This past fall I was double-teamed a lot and it was hard to get open," St. Romain said. "Our coaching staff will do the right thing to scheme up some plays and get me the ball. I can't wait for this fall to go up against the Bismarck schools and show what I can do."