FARGO - North Dakota State went big Tuesday, landing an in-state football recruit for its 2012 class.
Jack Plankers - a 6-foot-7, 290-pound offensive lineman from Kindred, N.D. - has verbally committed to the Bison.
"The size part, that plays a big role," said Kindred head coach Cody Kittelson, who played for NDSU from 2001-04. "You don't see a lot of those type of kids in North Dakota. ... I'm excited as a former Bison that he is going there."
Plankers said he expects to play offensive tackle for the Bison, but is ready to play wherever.
"It is nice to get it out of the way early," said Plankers, who is a senior-to-be at Kindred. "Then I can start working on what I need to do to be a better football player, a better athlete."
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In addition to football, Plankers plays basketball, competes in track and has wrestled at Kindred. In the summer, he plays baseball.
"He moves pretty well for as big as he is," Kittelson said. "He works hard. If he doesn't do something well, he's going to work hard to try to fix that. I think he has the physical tools and the mental tools."
Plankers said he also considered Wisconsin and Minnesota, but hadn't received a scholarship offer from either school.
"I knew I was born with a frame, but I knew I had to work hard to get there," Plankers said.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Eric Peterson at (701) 241-5513.
Peterson's blog can be found at peterson.areavoices.com
