UND offensive linemen Sam Hagen, Cade Borud enter transfer portal
Apr. 16—GRAND FORKS — UND's efforts to rebuild the offensive line for the 2024 season just became much more difficult.
Junior guard Sam Hagen and sophomore center Cade Borud have entered the NCAA transfer portal following the conclusion of the Fighting Hawks' spring ball.
Hagen was a partial starter as a freshman in 2022 and a full-time starter in 2023. Borud started as a freshman in 2023.
The 6-foot-6, 325-pound Hagen, a native of Fordville, N.D., has played both guard and tackle during his UND career.
Borud, a 6-foot-2, 305-pound native of Pleasant Hill, Iowa, was named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference all-newcomer team in November.
UND will now need to replace four starters along the offensive line.
Donny Ventrelli was a senior in 2023 and has been pursuing pro opportunities. Easton Kilty entered the transfer portal after the 2023 season and later committed to Kansas State.
Tackle Seth Anderson is the last remaining offensive line starter returning in 2024.
Anderson, a Moorhead native, is a transfer from North Dakota State.
The Fighting Hawks are entering a new era of sorts. UND has a new offensive coordinator in Isaac Fruechte and a new offensive line coach in Trevor Olson.
Both Fruechte and Olson were at Winona State last season. Former UND offensive coordinator Danny Freund left this offseason to become an offensive assistant at South Dakota State, while former UND offensive line coach Joe Pawlak left Grand Forks for a similar job at the University of Montana.
The spring's transfer portal window opened for two weeks on Monday. Hagen is the first publicly known transfer following spring ball.
Offensive line is perhaps the most coveted position group in the transfer portal. When Kilty entered in the offseason, he was considered one of the nation's biggest offensive line prospects in the portal and received offers from many of the country's largest programs before settling on Kansas State.
UND finished 7-5 last season. The Hawks were knocked out of the FCS playoffs in the first round after a home loss to Sacramento State.
The Hawks open the 2024 season at Iowa State on Aug. 31.
UND will have one of the FCS' most challenging schedules in 2024. After the FBS matchup at Iowa State, UND will face Montana, North Dakota State and South Dakota State.
