Apr. 19—GRAND FORKS — The last time UND went to La Crosse, Wis., for a defensive back, things worked out pretty well for the Fighting Hawks.In fact, UND's latest recruit — safety Brady Lee of La Crosse — has spent time working out with former UND all-Missouri Valley Football Conference cornerback C.J. Siegel, a La Crosse native who starred in the Hawks' secondary from 2018-2023.Lee, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound athlete at Aquinas High School, gave his verbal commitment this week to play for the Fighting Hawks."Coach (Eric) Schmidt and Coach (Keaton) Wilkerson made it a great decision, and the school and community made it an easy decision," Lee said.

"It all came together as one. None of the other schools had that level of intense."Lee, who also had offers from North Dakota State and South Dakota State, has made the seven-hour drive to Grand Forks about five times during the recruiting cycle.Lee also plays offense at St. Aquinas at both running back and receiver.

He caught 18 passes for 392 yards and five touchdowns last season, while carrying 17 times for an average of 9.8 yards per carry.St. Aquinas was 11-1 last season and advanced to the third round of the WIAA Division 4 playoffs.Former UND offensive coordinator Isaac Fruechte, who's now coaching at his alma mater at the University of Minnesota, was the first to connect with Lee, who said his strength coach was a childhood friend of Fruechte.UND's coaches have also spoke with Lee's dad, the head football coach at St. Aquinas."There was kind of a mutual respect, and (UND) really made it clear I was a priority," Lee said.

"I acted on my gut."Lee's teammate William Flottmeyer at St. Aquinas is a UND 2026 commitment and will join the Fighting Hawks for fall camp."I'm super excited," Lee said. "I kind of realized how much of a blessing it is to be in my situation.

At the end of the day, it's rare."I'm also trying to help build the (recruiting) class. The QB recruit (Caden Gutzmer of Minnetonka) is already a big pickup, and I'm trying to recruit the other guys and join the culture."Lee was the third commit of the 2027 class for UND. Since Lee's verbal, the Hawks have added a fourth commitment in Texas native Carson Wilson, a cornerback.