A former walk-on, Dylan Boecker's time has come for the UND defense
Sep. 20—GRAND FORKS — UND was Dylan Boecker's only NCAA Division I football opportunity out of Menomonie, Wis., in 2020.
But he wasn't even the Fighting Hawks' top choice at his own high school. UND offered a scholarship to high school teammate and offensive lineman Andrew Fenton. Boecker was given a preferred walk-on opportunity.
"I took a chance on it and wanted to play at the best level I could," Boecker said. "It's a hard thing to do as a walk-on, but I knew it was a challenge I could overcome."
And Boecker did. In his fourth year in the program in 2023, Boecker has broken through to the regular rotation at outside linebacker. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Boecker had 1.5 tackles for loss at Boise State last Saturday and recorded his first career interception.
"That was a really cool moment," Boecker said of the interception. "I was taking a guy out to the flats, then pursuing to the ball. (UND safety Kadon Kauppinen) made a good play and it came to me for an easy catch. It was a gift from the man upstairs. It was my birthday, so it was a good birthday present."
Boecker redshirted his first season on campus, which was the spring season of 2021 after the 2020 fall was pushed back by the pandemic.
That COVID-impacted season forced Boecker to be even more patient than he might've normally had to be.
Boecker was buried on the depth chart behind veteran outside linebackers Jaxson Turner, Ty Shannon and Ray Haas. The trio all came back for a sixth season of eligibility when the NCAA granted a free pass for the 2020-21 season.
"Those are some really good football players," Boecker said. "The next year they all came back, so I didn't make a jump in the charts. I had to stick with it. I learned from them as unbelievable players and people. I waited for my opportunity and it came this year as my fourth year and it's time to go.
"It's very satisfying. Football is just a game but playing on Saturdays is a dream come true. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."
Boecker, a civil engineering major, now has five tackles overall through three games and 2.5 tackles for loss. He had two tackles in his first three years in the program.
"He does a great job of having low pads all the time whether it's at the line of scrimmage or out in space," UND first-year outside linebackers coach Tom Dosch said. "Any time you can operate with low pads, you have a chance to be successful.
"He has active eyes and feet. He's always looking at the right things. Sometimes guys get out there and are frantic, but he's really efficient."
UND head coach Bubba Schweigert said he's seeing a huge progression in Boecker's development.
"I'm really proud of him that he stuck with it," Schweigert said. "He's playing with confidence. His best days are ahead of him because he's just now getting a chance to play a lot of snaps. He keeps grinding to get better and better. I was happy to see him have that pick in his hands. It was a hustle play."
