(Editor’s note: This article appears in the Pigskin Preview 2024, which will appear in the print edition of the Post Bulletin on Saturday, August 31.)

The dream of playing college football first came to Ethan Cole’s mind when he entered high school.

That’s when he began training with Chatfield’s older students, including record-setting runner Sam Backer, who showed him what it took to succeed at the college level – and eventually beyond. Cole, now a senior with the Gophers, quickly realized he had just the potential to do just that.

“Sam Backer took me in his arms,” ​​Cole recalled. “He taught me how to lift weights and showed me what it was like. That gave me a kind of mindset, and I just went with that. I got my mindset from the other seniors I played with, and I saw myself as one of the top players in southeast Minnesota. I thought to myself, ‘I can go even further.’ And after seeing that, I wanted to go even further.”

Cole made a dream come true on June 13 and committed to continue his football career at the University of North Dakota’s Division I FCS.

Cole received the offer on June 4 following a training camp at Iowa State University. The 6’3″, 235-pound defensive lineman was one of the most promising prospects in the Midwest and impressed with a preferred walk-on offer from the DI Cyclones. Then North Dakota offered him.

After a brief official visit that included a junior training camp, Cole decided it was time to end his recruitment. He had found the home for his next chapter.

“It felt like the right place for me,” Cole said. “They made me the offer and it was too good for me to say no. I committed immediately after talking with head coach (Bubba Schweigert) because I knew this was where I belonged, where I wanted to be.”

The Fighting Hawks had been targeting Cole for more than half a year, but their recruitment picked up steam when they hired two assistants from Winona State University – former Caledonia High School standout Isaac Fruechte and Trevor Olson. Both quickly made Cole a priority.

“Ever since Isaac Fruechte and Trevor Olson came here, they’ve been talking to me constantly,” Cole said. “… They like to say, ‘507, we stick together.'”

It’s easy to see why Fruechte and Olson were so fascinated by Cole.

He combines his enormous size with tremendous strength and athleticism. He was a Minnesota state powerlifting champion as a freshman and is a force in the weight room, squatting more than 500 pounds. At training camp in Ames, Iowa, he ran the 40-yard dash in an impressive 4.87 seconds. All of these traits come across well on film.

Still, Cole admitted the recruiting process was a little slower than he would have liked. He had received a lot of interest from other FCS programs, including North Dakota State University and the University of Montana, but those programs had yet to offer him. He had received offers from Division II programs such as Minnesota State University, Mankato – where Backer now plays – and Minot (ND) State. Still, Cole believed he was a Division I prospect. Training camp at Iowa State more or less confirmed his view.

“I was nervous at first, but after we started trying out and doing competitive drills, I was probably one of the best D-linemen there,” he said. “I realized there was nothing to be nervous about, so we moved on to one-on-one play and I did very well. I caught the eye of a lot of coaches. It was pretty exciting after I realized I was not just someone who was here, but probably one of the top prospects.”

North Dakota was convinced. The Fighting Hawks, who reached the FCS playoffs last year for the fourth time in five seasons, can imagine Cole at several positions on their defensive line.

“It was pretty exciting to see my hard work actually recognized and to be recognized as a Division I prospect in football,” said Cole, who plans to study civil engineering. “I trained for four years, lifted weights and did all the hard work, and it all worked out in the end. It’s pretty sweet.”

“…It’s super exciting for my family, my mom (Deborah) and dad (Bob). They’ve been supportive of everything from the beginning. They wanted me to achieve my goals and have been a huge support. The same goes for friends and other family members who were super excited to tell. It was like I had finally made it.”

With his commitment now behind him, Cole can turn his attention to his final season in Chatfield.

“Last season was kind of a rebuilding season,” Cole said. “This year we have a brand new coach for the strength training program, and all the guys seem to be committed. They seem to want it this year, which is super exciting for me because I remember my sophomore year when we lost the state championship. It was like, I want to be back here before I leave.”