Dillon Radunz of Becker may soon be taking the next step in his stampede through college football.

 

All signs point to Radunz as the starter at left tackle for NDSU when they open Sept. 2 against Mississippi Valley State.

 

Radunz is 6'6, 287 pounds and his progression from the spring to the fall has the Bison coaching staff thinking of starting Radunz and moving last year's starter at left tackle, Colin Conner to left guard.

 

Radunz was an all-state player at Becker and two-year starting left tackle for the back-to-back Minnesota Class 4A state champions in 2014 and 2015 under coach Dwight Lundeen. 

 

Radunz was a top-10 finalist for Mr. Football in Minnesota and helped pave the way for a team that rushed for 3,091 yards and passed for 2,251 yards with 77 touchdowns in 2015. He was team captain and district MVP and earned all-state recognition from the Associated Press, KARE-11 TV and Minnesota Vikings along with all-conference and all-metro honors.

 

On defense, Radunz wound up his career with 99 solo and 64 assisted tackles, including 14 quarterback sacks. He was all-conference in basketball, where he was a three-year starter and was a sixth-place finisher in the shot put at the 2015 Class 2A state track and field meet.

 

Radunz got a last minute scholarship offer to attend Missouri, but kept his commitment to NDSU.

 

Head NDSU Coach Chris Klieman says seven to eight offensive linemen will play during the season opener.

 

On the defensive side of the ball, the Bison also have linebacker Beau Pauly, another standout player from Becker, who sat out as a redshirt freshman in the Bison program. 

 

Pauly was a four-year letterman and three-year starter who also played fullback for the back-to-back Bulldog championship teams. He was all-state second team defense by the Associated Press and Northstar Football News, was on the Star Tribune all-metro second team defense and was 2015 all-district honoree and Most Valuable Linebacker.

 

Pauly — 6’2” and 216-lbs. — totaled 270 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, four forced fumbles, six interceptions and five pass breakups in his high school career. He racked up 110 tackles and 14 TFLs as a junior and 96 tackles with eight TFLs as a senior. He also accounted for 916 yards and 17 touchdowns on offense in his career. Pauly also played third base for the Becker baseball team.

 

Pauly and Radunz’ credentials practically mirror each other and the one-two punch of these Becker boys should help the Bison rebound from a loss to James Madison in the 2016 semifinals, after winning 22 consecutive FCS playoff games and five straight national championships.