UND safety Dan Martens back in the transfer portal after coming in from Louisville prior to spring ball
Apr. 29—GRAND FORKS — One of the UND football program's first offseason attempts to address a need at safety has already left the program.
Dan Martens, who came to UND from Louisville before spring ball, announced Monday he will re-enter the NCAA Transfer Portal with three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Martens, a Wisconsin native, spent his first two seasons of college football at Louisville, where he was a walk-on.
Martens didn't see game action at Louisville. He saw limited action for UND at spring ball before he was sidelined for the second half of the practices, sitting out the Spring Wrap-Up on April 6 at the Pollard Center.
The NCAA Transfer Portal window closes on Tuesday. That deadline, however, is for paperwork, so potential transfers could continue to roll out the rest of the week.
The portal window now includes graduate transfers, meaning this is likely the last week of the spring for football programs to see players exiting, regardless of academic status.
UND didn't publicly release a depth chart before or after spring ball this season, so it's unclear exactly where the Fighting Hawks pegged Martens' impact.
Based on when Martens' snaps came during the spring practices, though, it appeared he initially was in a deep group of safeties hoping to break into the two-deep.
During the Spring Wrap-Up, UND defensive coordinator Joel Schwenzfeier addressed the safety depth chart with the Herald.
"The next wave is talented," Schwenzfeier said, pointing to Jett Sutton, Tyler Erkman and Jy Martin. "They're all play-makers. They can get hands on the ball and tackle in space and move their feet. Martens was the same way until he was hurt. There's talent to work with. We're not short on talent; it's experience and making sure they can execute."
UND graduates 2023 starting safeties Kadon Kauppinen and Malachi Buckner. The Fighting Hawks also saw a transfer from reserve safety Sammy Fort.
Fort has yet to announce a commitment. He has announced an offer from Missouri State.
During spring ball, UND started Cole Davis and Ethan Ball at safety, with the next round of reps given to Sutton, Martin, Erkman and Martens.
UND has undergone quite a bit of change since the end of the 2023 season.
The Fighting Hawks will have a new offensive coordinator in Isaac Fruechte, a new offensive line coach in Trevor Olson and a new strength and conditioning coach in Derek Stein.
In terms of facilities, UND will soon have a new locker room, a new weight room, new coaching offices, a new outdoor practice field and a new possible place to live directly at Memorial Stadium.
UND has also had six players transfer to FBS opportunities this offseason. Offensive lineman Cade Borud is headed to Iowa, quarterback Tommy Schuster is at Michigan State, offensive lineman Brayden Bryant is at San Diego State, Jack Wright has committed to Tulsa, offensive lineman Easton Kilty is at Kansas State and defensive end Ben McNaboe is at Ohio.
Starting offensive lineman Sam Hagen, a native of Fordville, N.D., remains uncommitted in the portal.
